Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Aussie music producer What So Not knew the risks of venturing into war-ravaged Kyiv to perform and collaborate with local artists, yet he did it anyway.
In early July, the well-travelled musician — who has worked with Daniel Johns and electronic heavyweight Skrillex — was invited by Ukrainian singer Alina Pash to re-discover the nation’s vibrant creative scene that has continued to flourish under the threat of Russian attacks.
Speaking to PerthNow, Chris Emerson, as he is also known, recalled the unsettling experience, admitting he “was warned by Ukrainian people” of the potential danger.
“I went in knowing that I was naive,” he said.
“But you don’t know what that’s going to actually feel like, and you don’t know how you’re going to respond to it either.”
The Aussie said flying to the capital was impossible, forced to travel via a 15-hour train ride that offered little respite from the uncomfortable summer heat.
Immediately upon his arrival, it was apparent war had entrenched itself in everyday life.
“The second we get off the train station, the air raid siren’s going off. I don’t know how serious that is. I don’t really understand it yet,” he said.
“And then everyone’s pretty chipper and lively, and I find out it’s because there was some huge bombings, and everyone was pretty okay, and no no was in trouble or injured, everything was all good.”
Emerson said residents had maintained an air of positivity and optimism, and celebrated upon learning no serious injuries or deaths had occurred.
He then continued his planned itinerary, taken to cafes and restaurants by local friends, and enjoying studio time with artists who had become “nonchalant” about fears much of the world could not fathom.
“It was very impressive to see, and it really gave me a lot of perspective about things we complain about elsewhere in the world that really aren’t that bad compared to how high-spirited everybody was there with all that’s going on,” Emerson added.
He performed a spontaneous rooftop show in the city alongside his friend Pash, hailing the “amazing energy” and gratitude of local fans.
The Ukrainian is a former Eurovision contestant, and features heavily on What So Not’s recent album, I Saw A Trap DJ And It Changed My Bio Chemistry.
Soon making his way to an after party, the performer learned of the midnight curfew imposed on residents prohibiting them from being on the street.
Another reality check.
Following a full day of peace, the next night brought deadly drone strikes that lasted close to four hours in the most damaging display of war he’d seen.
“2am it started, and (I was) literally seeing flashes in the distance out the window. You’re feeling the whole building shake, you’re hearing it, of course, and then just talking to everyone pretty calmly about, ‘What do we expect from here? How does this play out?’” he said.
The musician was calmed by friends who had experienced the familiar shock waves many times before, advising him attacks would typically hit the same location to wear down air defences.
“It’s meant to be that they’re going for ‘military buildings’ or resource buildings, but they were flat out just hitting residential areas, that’s kind of the saddest part,” he added.
“I was at this house where people had gone to bed because we were a bit stranded and we hadn’t slept all night, and I was like, ‘Oh, where’s everyone else? And it was like, ‘Oh, they’ve gone to college. The other person went to service to go and serve that morning. Someone else just went to work’,” he recalled.
“And it really dawned on me, “Oh, this is just a normal morning. It’s nothing special and nothing unusual to them. This is just what they’ve learned to accept and to deal with every day.”
A similar experience was shared by Aussie band Breathe in late July, who had become a surprise hit in the nation despite never having played there.
The group — joined by 2024 Australian Idol winner Dylan Wright — were rushed into a bomb shelter just hours before playing the country’s biggest music festival.
They later took the stage, with a teary crowd appreciative they had made the journey, and had been humbled by a newfound respect for what Ukrainians had endured.
“We were nervous going into it. The unknown of heading into war zone to play music. It seems crazy from the outside but I have come away from it with so much more respect for the Ukrainian people, such a love for them and the country they are defending,” Wright said.
