November 17 is the most important date of my life, Hopkirk’s life, our families’ and our friends’ lives. The 17th of November 1989 was the beginning of a new, free era for our country thanks to Velvet Revolution. Read more about it in the Velvet Freedom album liner notes: binaural-space.bandcamp.com/album/velvet-freedom.

If your most important personal date was the day your child was born, the day your wedding took place, or the day you had a breakthrough in what you do, you’ve probably lived in a free country for your whole life.

We weren’t that lucky, so we appreciate our freedom very much. And we’re grateful that after generations destroyed by the totalitarian regime we were lucky enough to set ourselves free.

People in many other countries haven’t been that fortunate. The Czech non-governmental, non-profit organization People in Need, founded on the ideals of humanism, freedom, equality and solidarity, has been helping people in over 40 countries around the globe. It was through People In Need the world’s first compilations for Ukraine, our Blue/Yellow ones, raised 135,000 CZK for the country right after it had been attacked by Russia.

That was via the SOS Ukraine fundraiser. People in Need is opening a new one today, called SOS Freedom. Its name speaks for itself. People in Need do everything we would have needed if freedom didn’t win 34 years ago in our country.

PiN have been providing long-term assistance to individuals who strive to defend human rights, engage in independent journalism, publicly oppose corruption, illegal detention, torture, and oppression. In doing so, they often risk their freedom, health, and sometimes even their lives.

Facing immense pressure, these people are persecuted, physically attacked, detained, and imprisoned. In countries such as Belarus, Venezuela, Cuba, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, and many others, People In Need support activists and independent journalists, provide legal defense for those unjustly prosecuted, offer psychological and medical assistance to victims of violence, support the families of political prisoners, and help people in danger escape from their countries. PiN also provide support to individuals who have had to flee from undemocratic countries and continue their activities abroad.

Hopkirk’s track celebrating freedom has been planned to be released today for a long time, and we have known since the beginning it would be a fundraiser directed towards freedom in countries where people can only dream about achieving freedoms we’re used to, and sometimes even basic human rights.

The coincidental opening of SOS Freedom fits our purposes. It actually isn’t that coincidental – for the founder and director of PiN 17th November has been an even more important date than for us younger ones; he was one of the student leaders during Velvet Revolution, our personal hero – so when we received the email from him yesterday, informing us about SOS Freedom thanks to our previous donations, we knew immediately we would use it as the means of getting the money to people who need it.

The track itself, Freedom to All, is extraordinary and we hope you’ll love it.

Thank you very much for your support, we’re grateful that we’re in a position capable of helping less fortunate people in countries where neither us nor you would want to live under the current conditions.

Have a wonderful Friday and enjoy your freedoms.

Binaural Space and Hopkirk, November 17, 2023