Christine Hrichak
Published: July 29, 2026

The Carpatho-Rusyn Society is pleased to share information about a creative endeavor by a Rusyn from Ukraine, Myter Erdeli. His YouTube channel features Rusyn music playlists in various genres. 

C-RS: Welcome! Please introduce yourself to the Carpatho-Rusyn Society. 

Myter: First of all, thank you for the opportunity to speak on such an interesting topic. I am Myter Erdeli, a Carpatho-Rusyn from Subcarpathia. I was born and raised in a Rusyn village Bilky in the Old Country, so Rusyn is my mother tongue. However, I came to my Carpatho-Rusyn identity on my own through literature, music, and social media. At home, a sort of national indifference prevailed, caused by decades of the Rusyn identity being banned. In this sense, I share something in common with the diaspora, as I discovered and rebuilded my Rusyn heritage practically from scratch.

C-RS: You have a number of playlists containing remixes of Rusyn music, categorized by genre. What inspired you to create these playlists? 

Myter: If you ask how many Rusyns read books, the answer will be quite pessimistic. But if you ask how many listen to music, that would be the absolute majority. Nevertheless, there is a deep-seated stereotype that Rusyn music, or music in the Rusyn language, is nothing but folk or something trivial. I love music myself, both folk and contemporary, and I am always looking for modern Rusyn music. I realized very quickly that Rusyn music does exist and is even represented across various modern genres, but it is typically amateur and scattered across different platforms. Most importantly, up to two-thirds of these tracks are unavailable or unlicensed on streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music, which is where young people usually spend their time. My first impulse was to gather Rusyn music in one place just for myself. Very quickly, this evolved into building a library of modern Rusyn music on my channel, including curated playlists so that people can discover this phenomenon for themselves without spending hours searching for it, the way I did.

C-RS: How long have you been creating playlists like this, whether on YouTube or elsewhere?

Myter: I launched my YouTube channel back in 2016, and that was around the time I uploaded first Rusyn songs. For me personally, this interest in Rusyn music and the search for something new within it has been ongoing for a decade. The creation of the playlists, which took place over the last year, was simply the logical outcome of this process.

C-RS: Please share some insight into your creative process. 

Myter: A playlist should always open with the best, most catchy tracks. The artists need to rotate so the selection doesn’t feel repetitive or monotonous. Since statistics show that few people listen all the way to the end, I save the final slots for more controversial, serious, or melancholic tracks that hold personal symbolism for me.

In reality, our selection is still quite limited. It can take years to gather the 8–10 tracks needed for a genre playlist, as Rusyn artists (mostly amateurs) don’t release music that fast. Plus, I only pick high-quality tracks that I would actually listen to myself.

I try to keep track editing to a minimum. However, sometimes it’s necessary due to terrible recording quality, especially when a song isn’t available in audio format and I have to rip it from a video. In other cases, like with doomer music, slightly slowing down the track and lowering the pitch is actually essential to the genre.

Assembling a playlist in the editor takes just a couple of hours once the tracks are ready, maybe a bit longer if I need to timestamp the songs, design a cover image etc.

C-RS: Which genre(s) are your favorites, in general? Which of your playlists is your personal favorite? Which are the most popular on YouTube? 

Myter: Although I prefer rock, post-punk, and alternative, I enjoy any Rusyn music that is well-made. The doomer and rock playlist is my favorite, though it depends on my mood. Rusyn music even got me into rap. In terms of views, the most popular playlists are doomer, pop, and retro, followed by the others.

C-RS: What kind of musical content can we look forward to in the future from you?

Myter: Unfortunately, it doesn’t depend on me, but on what kind of music gets made. Right now, the Rusyn scene is mostly rap, pop, and neo-folk, because they’re easy to record, all you need is a mic and a backing track. Rock is tougher since you need a whole band and instruments. I’d love to expand the concept of Rusyn music, but reality is reality. Maybe the next playlist will be neo-folk, or a top list of rare folk songs from Rusyn regions.

C-RS: Is there a playlist you’d suggest for first-time listeners? (We’ll embed it or link to it)

Myter: It really comes down to personal taste. I’d recommend checking out the three main genre playlists: pop, rock, and rap. 

I would also recommend a more universal playlist of modern Rusyn music, which currently features over 150 tracks across various genres. 

But if you’re looking for something more unique and atmospheric, go for the doomer or electronic playlists.

C-RS: Is there anything else you’d like to share, or other projects you’d like to promote? 

Myter: I want to tell Rusyns that our culture isn’t just about the past, the countryside, or simple folk. And even when it comes to folk, we shouldn’t just think of polkas, we have a rich variety of traditional genres. Our culture can, and already does, have everything any other culture has: modern music, comedy, literature, media, pop culture. Yes, this content is scarce right now, but who says Rusyns can’t cultivate it?

When we feel ashamed of our language and culture, we try to fit into the mainstream, becoming just one in a thousand, lost in a sea of content. Yet, by creating something genuinely Rusyn, we could bring to life so much unique and authentic work that would captivate both Rusyns and a wider audience. The film “Potopa” by Slovak Rusyns is perfect proof of that.

In short, Rusyns are not a relic of the past, but a young, modern culture. We shouldn’t be afraid to be ourselves and express it through contemporary forms. Maybe then, others will truly recognize us.

C-RS: Thank you for joining us! Check out Myter’s Rusyn Pop Music and other playlists! 

Christine Hrichak is a member of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society’s Board of Directors.