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Ukrainian producer Svarog, a major figure in the late-2010s "deep techno" scene, creates a dark, swirling, hypnotic sound, releasing multiple EPs on labels such as Circular, Illegal Alien, Norite, and Affin.

Oleksa Moroz was born in the historic city of Lviv, Ukraine, near the majestic Carpathian Mountains, and brought up in an intellectual family with an appreciation of the country's rich culture. Starting out as a DJ, he later began producing his own tracks under the name Svarog, taken from the ancient Slavic god of fire. Inspired by mountains, architecture, and mythology, he aimed to bring a spiritual, magical dimension into his music. The Circular label released his first commercially available EP, the digital-only "Circular 16," in 2014. A string of mostly digital-only EPs followed on labels such as Illegal Alien, Norite, Nachtstrom Schallplatten, and Dynamic Reflection, and he played out across Europe. His dark, brooding sound, rich in texture and mysticism, took the listener on a haunting journey and saw him categorized in the burgeoning "deep" or "hypnotic" techno scene alongside artists like Luigi Tozzi, Feral, Nørbak, and Saphileaum. In 2015 the Evod label issued his debut album, the digital-only Construction. In 2018, Joachim Spieth's Affin put out the physical 12" releases "Phenomenon" and "Environment"; "Shadows" followed the next year, alongside his second album, the digital-only Archives. ~ John D. Buchanan