Sam GreenwoodCalvin James from the Wardog Foundation travelled to war-torn Kharkiv, Ukraine, to attend a party by Some People, a resilient collective keeping the city’s club culture alive. With war just 18 miles away, he dives into Kharkiv’s thriving underground rave scene, where pounding techno rhythms echo amidst the sound of falling missiles.
With the Russian Army 18 miles away, the city half empty and missiles landing on the regular, one collective is staying put and reviving Kharkiv’s electronic scene for those who refuse to leave.
In an industrial estate in the west of Kharkiv City, my Google map location has me some 40 km inside Russia. I turn it off and on again and now I’m 15 km to the south of the city then suddenly back in Russia. I switch it off completely and try to find the rave the old fashioned way; pinpoint the source of the sound that’s reverberating off every wall and building around me or wait for an obvious group of buzzers and cling to their coat-tails. I succeed with the latter and within minutes I’m at the gate, patted down for weapons and through the door of Some People’s ‘Centre of New Culture’.
There’s a decent crowd in the sun trapped outdoor area where everyone clearly knows everyone. Through another door via the bar, the main room is filling up, with local stalwart Alpha Centauri on deck duty. His mixing is flawless while he switches breakbeat from 4/4 to 5/4 and even 13/16 (I think), all at a modest 140 bpm. He paves the way for Lithuanian DJ, producer and regular Ernests Sadau who gets the very best out of the not-so modest Funktion One. Soon there will be 300 people on the floor who have also decided not to leave Kharkiv.
I meet Some People’s co-founder Anton Nazarko. Some People – a collective formed 8 years ago – had been at the forefront of music and culture in the city until the invasion. ‘Kharkiv was a city with 400,000 students so every 3-5 years there would be new blood and new energy in the city,’ he states.
This all changed with the Russian invasion in February 2022. Due to its proximity to Russia, Kharkiv was one of the first cities hit and definitely the hardest. 600,000 people were evacuated and the Russians weren’t pushed back until that September. With regular attacks since then people continued to flee in droves and all aspects of life in the city suffered, particularly culture. Strict curfews and bans on gatherings put a halt to all and any vibes. In recent times, however, these rules have relaxed somewhat, giving new opportunities to those who’ve decided to stay. ‘Not many people stayed but a lot of interesting people did. They could have gone to Berlin or London but they decided to stay,’ he says. ‘That’s what makes it so magic.’
A year ago Anton and Some People decided to go at it again. They lost their original digs to a rocket attack a month into the war but acquired a new space and started again from scratch. ‘We thought if we don’t do something now, the stagnation process will begin, much like Detroit.’ Speaking of Detroit there are many comparables between the two cities. In their prime, both were Industrial powerhouses in the north-east of their corresponding countries. Both had populations of roughly two million which were cut in half when their respective shit hit the fan. Both have a large portion of their cities boarded up and abandoned. However, off the back of these adversities, they cultivated new music and scenes and climbed to the forefront of their countries, albeit Motown slightly further along the road than Rap City.
The summer months of May to September are officially the off-season, however they churn out sessions every week offering a space to established DJ’s and producers from around Ukraine and local debutants alike.
Some People have no plans to rest on the laurel of boshing heads every week either. Their warehouse plays a big part in several cultural aspects of the city. In the various wings and nooks of the space it is open to theatre groups, punk events, cinema and art exhibitions. They even have a philosophy club starting in the coming weeks. Their reach goes far beyond the warehouse too.
There’s the Ssweep store that we’re sitting in, a hub for Ukrainian streetwear brands and designers such as Low Blow, O, Unmere, Objekt X and VVHY ME. They run rap.ua, a media site covering all things hip-hop in the country. They have Sneaker Mate, a runner dry cleaning service that they’ve managed to spread to four other cities. And to top it off, all members of Some People form the group Tysk, playing big beat live throughout Ukraine and Europe.
Not bad for a year. In wrapping up – after securing a shot on the decks next time I’m in town, of course – I ask what lies ahead.
‘Right now we don’t know anything except we must keep doing it. I don’t know the future or how long the war will last. I love this city so we must do it.’
With a new offensive spearheaded by the Russian mercenary group The Africa Corp (formerly known as The Wagner Group) in full swing only 18 miles away and missiles continuing to hit the city on the regular, no one can know. But one thing I’m sure of is that Some People and their clan aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
