‘music Is My Remedy’: How Djing Is Helping Ukraine’s War Veterans With Their Recovery

In Ukraine, sound carries a different weight: nan cautionary blurt of sirens, Shahed drones humming overhead, nan concussive thwack of aerial defence interception and nan consequent explosion. But arsenic good arsenic nan sounds of war, which proceed 3 and a half years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, euphony still plays, clubs stay unfastened during nan time (closing good earlier nan midnight curfew), and physics creation euphony remains an intrinsic portion of galore Ukrainian lives.

Kyiv’s iconic clubs, such arsenic K41, became explosive shelters earlier transforming into frontline fundraisers. Parties doubling up arsenic cleanup operations are held astatine onslaught sites. New venues specified arsenic Abo Records – nan first of galore imaginative spaces to group up shop successful an abandoned liquor mill – person emerged arsenic gathering points wherever you mightiness stock a cigaret pinch a sniper aliases combat medic arsenic easy arsenic pinch a DJ. But nan rehabilitative powerfulness of creation euphony is astir evident astatine nan Superhumans centre, adjacent Lviv successful nan westbound of Ukraine. Here, nan astir critically war-wounded are treated pinch prosthetics and reconstructive surgery, and psychological support is fixed to children and adults affected by nan war. And wrong nan scope of curen is euphony therapy.

Howard Buffett, nan boy of Warren Buffett and 1 of nan centre’s main funders, suggested forming a Superhumans band, truthful nan centre teamed up pinch euphony kindness Victory Beats, which was group up 1 twelvemonth into nan warfare to supply veterans pinch relaxation and a nonverbal outlet for affectional expression.

“We were moving pinch a 25-year-old worker pinch terrible encephalon harm and constricted usage of his hand,” nan charity’s founder, Volodymyr Negodada, remembers. “We started pinch a [sound-based] relaxation convention designed to calm nan tense system, but stopped almost instantly because nan debased wave triggered pain. When he started to consciousness better, he asked for a DJ console.”

Having witnessed nan efficacy of physics euphony arsenic therapy firsthand, Negodada and Vlad Fisun – a DJ and erstwhile editor-in-chief of Playboy Ukraine – collaborated to create nan EnterDJ programme, which teaches veterans nan basics of mixing. All that users require is simply a laptop, headphones and an net connection; immoderate tune successful from home, others show up to a dedicated abstraction successful nan Superhumans centre. “Immersed wholly successful nan process, playing way by way without paying attraction to debased aliases precocious frequencies, nan worker started to usage his injured hand,” Negodada says. The diligent remained pinch EnterDJ for nan long of his enactment astatine Superhumans, and Negodada saw him execute a DJ group a twelvemonth later: “He still has wellness issues but remains passionate astir DJing.”

Speaking pinch nan aforesaid stoicism that underpins astir of my conversations pinch Ukrainians, different veteran, Oleksandr, tells maine astir nan incident that led him to Superhumans and EnterDJ. “I was serving successful Poltava erstwhile a rocket destroyed my leg,” he says. “I retrieve everything astir it. The blast, phoning my commandant to opportunity I was alive, realising I’d person to thrust an automatic car, worrying astir nan humor successful my car aft nan evacuation.” He laughs astatine nan absurdity, and continues. “In hospital, I mislaid astir each my humor and had to beryllium resuscitated. I woke up knowing my limb was gone, but thankful nan remainder of my assemblage and encephalon were OK. That’s astir important.”

Oleksandr Ivanko performing. Photograph: Solomia Gavrylyak

For Oleksandr, EnterDJ became a regular routine, “to get immoderate bully moments if nan time was hard, aliases to observe if I gained thing successful rehabilitation”. Within six months, he was performing alongside nan Lviv Philharmonic Orchestra, utilizing a Midi controller to furniture sounds complete a creation written pinch British composer Nigel Osborne.

Oleksandr had started disconnected utilizing singing bowls successful a sound therapy session. “Then I saw nan DJ console and it reminded maine of my schoolhouse days, trying to operation euphony connected a laptop.” Before being fitted pinch a prosthetic leg, EnterDJ “helped distract maine from nan trauma and rehabbing”, he says, holding his benignant regard steady. “I now perceive much deeply, breaking euphony into parts for mixing, and moreover composing. We person composed ambient euphony for therapeutic purposes; I added physics effects to unrecorded classical instruments. The assemblage relaxed deeply; immoderate moreover fell asleep. So we met our goal!” Most recently, Oleksandr played for Prince Harry connected a sojourn to Kyiv.

EnterDJ’s students are encouraged to find their ain DJ style. They are capable to propulsion tracks from a catalogue of euphony donated by grounds labels crossed nan world, including Lyon’s Hard Fist, Sao Paulo’s Tropicana, and Lisbon’s Disco Extendes, arsenic good arsenic Ukrainian labels specified arsenic Mystictrax, 2064, Regulardisco, and Trance Pandemic.

Roman Cherkas, who served successful nan Third Tank brigade successful eastbound Ukraine, has gravitated towards drum’n’bass. He joined nan EnterDJ programme aft months of surgeries, prosthetics and rehabilitation astatine nan centre, aft losing some of his little limbs successful a mortar strike. He speaks to maine connected a telephone from his home, fresh pinch a drum’n’bass mix. “Right now, I still don’t consciousness mobile, I can’t move astir normally. Music has go power for me, life energy,” he says. “If I spell 2 days without listening aliases playing, that’s erstwhile nan phantom pains, bad thoughts, and moreover slump start. For me, euphony is simply a normal task, my remedy.”

After six months successful nan programme, Roman performed successful Lviv astatine a showcase by 1 of nan world’s starring drum’n’bass labels, Hospital Records. He speaks slow and thoughtfully astir really euphony shifts his headspace. He becomes wholly absorbed by it, sometimes sitting successful his chair mixing for six-hour stretches. “I tried moving pinch psychologists but it didn’t activity for me. You person to consciously move your encephalon connected and ideate lifting your legs, which is very difficult. With music, it’s nan opposite, it switches my mind automatically and makes maine consciousness better.”

Roman Cherkas performs live. Photograph: Yury Stefanyak

Olga Rudneva, main executive of Superhumans, is proud of really veterans who walk done Superhumans are performing connected large stages, but underlines what she finds astir important astir nan program: “Positive treatment effects for patients; reduced phantom pain; affirmative temper and much socialisation.”

However, nan EnterDJ programme is utilized not conscionable by injured veterans but by children and adults crossed Ukraine, and its creators item its broader power. Chief executive Yevhen Skrypnyk introduced techno to his hometown of Sloviansk successful eastbound Donbas pinch Shum Rave (“shum” meaning sound successful Ukrainian), a statement pinch nan intent to rebuild nan metropolis and its civilization aft liberation from Russian business backmost successful 2014. “We each grew up excessively early,” he says. “We cognize what it intends for a friend to dice successful nan war, aliases what it intends to hold for your friend successful captivity. I’ve been successful nan events manufacture for much than 10 years, but it was ne'er conscionable astir nan party; it’s astir really we could link group and destruct stereotypes. In Ukraine, we are fighting for our lives, and for our culture.”

Andreas Borsch, who co-hosts EnterDJ events successful his venues crossed Kyiv, agrees, saying that euphony and civilization are nan champion intends Ukraine has to conflict against Russian propaganda. “It’s an world language, it tin beryllium understood everywhere, by everyone. You tin effort and person group of everything that’s happening here, but it’s difficult to touch them successful a large measurement because they’re truthful acold distant and it tin beryllium difficult to understand. But pinch music, you tin walk connected greatness.”