Travelogue Kyiv mid June 2023
After riding - with occasional stops for changing and checking - trains for some 24h+, I arrived at Pasazhyrskyi the central station of Kyiv on an early Friday morning. The long journey was eased by pleasant company who was happy to join my pick-up and me in paying a visit to a close by cafe where we enjoyed some breakfast snack in the morning sun. I got a Croffin and an orange-vanilla lemonade - a choice I did not make or regret!
The place was partially shadowed by trees while providing a nice view on some of Kyiv's many hills.
It only took around 10 minutes in such peaceful atmosphere until the cellphones of my host and other guests of that idyllic establishment started flashing an alarm. 20 seconds later many different sirens went off all around us and after checking their emergency-app my host informed us that an attack by ballistic missiles was imminent.
Instantly I was offered to go to the nearest shelter yet the decision was left to me. After inquiring about the distance to the nearest shelter I decided against such effort on the basis that these kind of missiles would probably reach us faster than we would be able to reach the nearest shelter anyway. Besides I was curious of potentially seeing the American-donated Patriot-system in action.
My host seemed visibly stressed out by the situation and upon inquiry I deduced that it was mostly my presence as a foreigner and the felt responsibility that came along with such engagement, which produced the unrest. But since it was ballistic missiles flying at hypersonic speed that were expected, they agreed there was very little chance to reach the nearest shelter before those rockets would reach Kiyv, so my host went along and my afore mentioned travel companion seemed more relaxed anyway - as were all other guests of our breakfast place of choice.
About 3 minutes after the sirens started singing we started hearing something like a continuous loud thunder that increased rapidly in intensity. I tried to make out the vector of the source of that noise and once I realised it was heading directly our way I looked up straight above us. But those missiles were so much faster than their sound that I could only see two condensation trails between the sparsely scattered clouds above our heads. The trails were not parallel like they are with jets propelled by multiple engines. The sound followed that direction and now seemed to come from where those 2 white lines were already slightly dispersed by wind some 10 seconds after I had discovered them.
Since I was mentally prepared for such events I was not really nervous yet felt some kind of relief realising that those bombs had already passed our location.
It took a good 3 minutes before we heard 2 massive explosions in indeterminable distance right from where I figured those explosive devices were headed.
After a few more minutes the alarm was called off. Later on I learned that a total of 6 ballistic missiles had supposedly been fired towards Kiyv around that time. I can neither confirm nor deny this; The only account I can give is: I witnessed what seemed indications of two very fast low flying objects which made a thundering sound distinctly different from hypersonic jet-engines (which used to fly over the place I spent most of my childhood at and are therefore rather familiar to me), all ending in two loud explosions a significant amount of time later. I did not hear or see the other 4 ballistic weapons, but Kyiv is a vast city spread across many hills and depending on their targets it is perfectly possible that we weren't able to take any notion of them. Official Ukrainian sources claim all six hypersonic missiles were destroyed by the patriot systems and no-one was hurt by debris that day.
It is kind of funny that this attack right after my arrival turned out to be my first and only experience of such kind during my 5 day stay in Kyiv!
I need to stress at this point that if I use words like "funny" I am only referring to my phenomenological experiences - not to the general state and dire situation Ukraine is subjected to! Furthermore it is important to keep in mind that Russian missiles are often aimed at civilian infrastructure and dwellings, which causes much harm, grief and despair! And this does not only include peoples lives and livelihoods - and thereby the social structure - but also poses severe impact on wildlife which recently can especially be attributed to the sabotage of the Kachowka dam that can be classified as ecocide on grounds that amongst other devastating destruction of habitats and deaths of millions of animals, this catastrophe seems to even have pushed the entire population of black-sea dolphins to the brink of extinction!
So please bear in mind that this report is only reflecting my experiences as a travelling musician visiting Kyiv for a few days - especially as a guest and foreigner with privileged status my impressions will be extremely distorted compared to those of the locals who were forced to radically change their lifestyle ever since 24th of February 2022 while being severely impacted by the psychological, social and economic consequences of Russia's strategy of terrorising the general population!
One woman on my train who was traveling with her 5 year old daughter told me she wanted her child to stop constantly talking about bombs and "Butin" (that mother was still amused by the mispronunciation of her child) and was as happy to see her daughter take to other subjects as she was afraid of returning to their home close by an Ukranian military airbase.
Ballistic missiles not only fly very fast, they often are also capable of carrying thermonuclear warheads! This would occur as a very serious threat when witnessed in any western country especially a Nato member! Yet this possibility did not seem to really concern anyone I approached on this matter since the deployment of strategic nuclear weapons would obviously mean the end of civilisation as we know it. And if this would not prove true for the whole world which could face years of "nuclear winter", it most certainly is true for the inhabitants of Ukraine's capital!
The next day I was invited to play at the opening of a new garden stage at â better known as Kyrylivska 41 (or K41) which also doubles as the club's address. And the day after, I received the honour of closing the last party of 20ft radio at its now former location.
From what I can say about K41 - which is not much since apart from a small tour through some floors I mostly stayed in that architecturally pleasing new garden with its brutalist terraces of different heights and shapes - is that this is one of the best clubs I ever witnessed; Even dwarfing places like the Berghain!
Then again, such impressions are significantly shaped by the people you encounter and how they interact! In my case staff and customers alike were very pleased to have a non-Ukrainian act performing and I was confronted with appreciation and outstanding kindness! Nonetheless I have seen enough clubs to confidently state that â plays in the top league of clubs worldwide!
The lineup featured Dmytro Prutkin who opened with a pleasingly gentle dubby DJ-set perfectly fitting the mild summer-winds gently blowing through the trees. Dmytro Prutkin was followed by Ross Khmil delivering a way out ambient live-set that impressed me with always unexpected disharmonic phasing which I confess intimidated me in regards to having to go on stage playing my often rather harmonic live-set next in line(-up).
But all my risky methods of sound- and rhythm-creation seemed to work in favour of the performance that afternoon and I left the stage delighted by the atmosphere of cheerfulness and excitement that seemed to encompass that beautiful place this sunny afternoon.
Chillera was closing the event with the most outstanding live-set I ever heard them play! It was a perfect ending for an afternoon (/ early evening) which seemed to spread bliss amongst a crowd which embraced the dance and the moment! Approaching drones announced on those afore mentioned apps did not deter anyone from getting lost in the music, which was too loud to hear the sirens anyways.
The next day the closing party of 20ft radio's location which operates out of two heavily modified containers was Sunday-afternoon bliss of the best kind: The bright summer sun heated up the open air area overseeing old industrial buildings surrounded by nature. The sets I listened were wild and fun and got the visitors dancing and chatting away while the bar was pouring shots and serving local snacks as a side for free to everyone. A box of donations, kindly provided by my lokal Berlin head-shop, was well received by the crowd - retrospectively validating those small drops of sweat forming on my forehead when some secret service members had me display them those papers and filters in front of the packed train coach on my journey 3 nights earlier (it was no big deal, as after the two dogs accompanying the secret service personell showed no interest at all in my gear packed heavy duty case, those men in black lost interest as well).
Now an equally obvious and relevant background to the parties taking place in Kyiv right now, is the city-wide curfew which starts at 24pm and ends at 5am. All locations catering to guests are required to close at 22pm and the police enforces a strict regiment including the occasional policing of areas directly surrounding venues known for hosting parties and thereby threatening music- and dance-enthusiasts with severe consequences in cases where the usage of illegal drugs could not reasonably be denied.
Therefore a culture of splitting up parties into smaller parties - in the ambiguous sense of this word - has evolved since the curfew was implemented. The streets are empty between 24pm and 5am. Clubbers seem to have either timed their day in a way that permits sleep to not be the worst idea around 24pm or they gather in small groups at someones home where they continue to embrace the night and each others company until the end of curfew when they either go to sleep or attend an event that opens at 5am, which seemed to me to be a rare exception.
The prevalent question that accompanied me on my wanderings through those peculiar interconnected backyards shortly before curfew taking effect and the intimate places they led me to, was: Whom does this culture benefit?
As you can imagine everyone has their own perspective towards this question, yet I experienced the locals to be astonishingly open towards discussing all kinds of different aspects of this question! This is especially remarkable in a country under attack by the country with the 3rd biggest spending on military expenses in the world (source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute 2023 Fact Sheet (for 2022)).
Everything except the obligatory ubiquitous national identity propaganda, that seems typical for a nation-state at war, reflected this approach towards plurality, let me list just a few examples:
All kinds of latest electronic ways of transaction are as common as cash; 60 year old run down cars drive next to hybrid Japanese or electric American models; People selling few very small onions on the sidewalk next to a fancy supermarket that sells you an Oude Geuze Boon; Latest fashion trends were as much a common sight as more traditional styles. But most striking for me was the architecture! So I won't take you on that tour, it's way too detailed! Let me just say that there are medieval tunnels in those many hills that city is built on, that were discovered only recently and are possible to enter if you dare to, placed not far from really bold post-modern buildings, with huge soviet time industrial structures in between - and all combinations of those! Literally: There are even interconnected buildings incorporating multiple structures built at least 30 years apart from each other, all parts clearly assignable to distinct architectural periods.
Walking through the city center, riding the subway and eating at different places I observed that all military personnel (of which I saw a lot within city limits) was dressed equally pluralistic: the term "uniform" can hardly be deemed appropriate here, since each and every soldier was wearing different cloths. Sometimes even Russian style camouflage could be observed on some pant, t-shirt or cap.
Inquiring my hosts about this unfamiliar phenomenon I learned that nearly all equipment of soldiers recruited since the start of the Russian aggression was purchased by the soldiers, their family and friends themselves - this even includes weapons, if the budget allows it.
The background and resources of soldiers in Ukraine seemingly play a bigger role than it does in other armies. This apparently extends even to the battalion the individual soldier is deployed to: The chances of becoming a drone pilot are higher for recruits with more wealthy backgrounds, as are the the chances of being recruited at all - in reverse manner of course.
As annoying as it might seem, it is important to remind you at this point once again that my report only relies on anecdotal evidence - the lowest form of evidence one would like to base any judgement on! However, I did talk to people who were collecting donations because they strongly believed it would help transfer their friend from one division to another less risky one.
This situation which evolved during around 500 days of war, waves of emigration and civil, economic and ecological catastrophes, puts a huge burden on the club scene related subculture of Ukraine!!!
Is organising a party in times like this counter productive to the efforts of a country trying to repel the aggression of a much bigger enemy?
Or is organising parties in such climate a bold act of creating recreational moments in time and space that allow some minorities to catch a breath and for once think of something different than imminent threats delivered by a superpower - equipped with an absurd arsenal of strategic weapons - which aims to terrorise civilians on a daily basis? (I don't need to list examples to justify the word "terrorise" - if you follow the news, even from independent sources, you will agree that this is an appropriate term!
Are those parties I played at a "Fuck you and your intimidation tactics!" kind of message towards Russia? Or are they distracting the civilian society from engaging in more direct action or other pressing matters at hand?
I stressed plurality as a major factor of the Ukrainian society's model of integration. This plurality goes as far as having Russian counter-forces operating in coordination with the Ukrainian army, or even more striking: Anarchist battalions fighting alongside a young nation under attack, sure keeping their independency, but of course coordinating with military forces of a nation state under martial law - a compromise rarely observed in paramilitary anarchist alliances throughout history!
How long is this situation going to continue? What happens afterwards? Will the independent Ukrainian music scene survive and and revive? What fait awaits all those wonderful people I was lucky to engage with and whose stories this report is mostly based on?
There are no answers I can offer to all these questions.
Yet what I do know is that I want Ukraine to succeed!
Seeing that vibrant culture grow and change society over the last ~8 years spawned my empathy, and recent developments as well as the impressions I'm trying to convey here only strengthened that empathy in every way!
The electronic music underground of Ukraine is refusing to be intimidated and their events can be perceived as a big "Fuck off!! We are not intimidated!": A political statement towards Russia and anyone who does not respect their way of life, upholding the bold spirit Ukrainians have been displaying ever since the start of this war!
But the ambivalence that comes with such bold strategies also takes a toll on the people involved. Many active members of the music-scene have left the country or joined the military in defending it. Also someone told me that the amount of alcohol consumed in the inner circles of these underground cultures has risen significantly since the start of the war - I can neither confirm nor deny such claim, but I was surprised by the extent of consumption I found myself casually involved in. Then again the curious and productive energy of this scene did not seem sedated in any way: quite the opposite is what I observed!
The electronic underground of Ukraine still stands strong as far as I can tell, but it seems obvious that the comparatively small group of people willing to engage in risky endeavours like running a club, a bar or a radio in times like these needs international support!
The longer this situation continues, the more the group of people willing (and present) to take up such efforts and risks, will shrink inevitably!
These people face prolonged pressure from Russian terror and policing measures of a country under martial law alike!
Still their efforts provide temporary safe spaces for minorities, like the local queer community. They display the youth's curiosity and openness towards international cultural exchange, and they provide a platform for Ukraine's own daring and rapidly developing electronic music scene!
Please consider supporting those efforts! If you don't know how, do some research or check one of these links:
https://20ftradio.net/donate
https://aerorozvidka.ngo/
https://www.hospitallers.life/
https://zrzutka.pl/2658xm
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