ARTIST OF THE MOMENT: Vera Logdanidi

Communities possess undeniable power to foster a sense of camaraderie and mutual support, and furthermore, this power can be harnessed to affect change on a broader scale. In the realm of music, it would be a miss not to acknowledge the robust and innovative music scene in Kyiv. Ukrainian artist Vera Logdanidi is one of the driving forces behind the local community, as a member of the Rhythm Buro collective, which organizes an unconventional festival and warehouse parties with a devoted following. Additionally, Vera oversees Kashtan, a communal channel and label. As a DJ, Vera's distinctive style is rooted in a diverse range of influences, as you can listen in our podcast. We had the opportunity to speak with Vera about her latest track release on Onboard Records, the Ukrainian community, and the art of DJing.

Hi Vera, great to have you as one of our Artists of the Moment. You prepared a beautiful podcast for us. Could you explain the thought process and intentions that guided the creation of this mix?
Hello, and thank you for having me! Despite my reputation as a Techno DJ, I have never been fond of sticking to one genre exclusively. I started with jungle and drum-n-bass, and over the last 15 years, I've never stopped exploring the diverse and dynamic landscape of electronic music. This mix is a reflection of my personal passion and musical alter ego, and also serves as a tribute to Closer club in Kyiv, where I am grateful to have the opportunity to play from time to time. I typically play intense and groovy music when performing at clubs. However, when I'm with friends or listening to music at home, I tend to opt for something calmer and deeper. I find that exploring different genres helps me maintain my interest in music since each one is suited to a unique context and vibe.

You are part of the Rhythm Buero formation and just recently had the first event outside the home of Kyiv at Tresor in Berlin, a decision that sadly had to be taken due to the war. Rhythm Buero is known for its high-quality booking, warehouse appeal and the welcoming vibe in the audience. How was the Tresor night in this respect?
I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who invited us during our small tour in March. Every night was important and special. It was an incredible experience to showcase our musical vision and reconnect with our artist friends whom we haven't seen in a long time. We also had the chance to meet many Ukrainians across Europe, it was very touching sometimes.

It is worth mentioning that we had showcases in different countries before the war and pandemic. Our parties were held in Bassiani (Tbilisi), Poland, Czech Republic, France, and other places and countries. But this tour was definitely special. For example, it was Igor's first trip abroad in a year due to martial law. Of course, the pandemic has had a significant impact on our project, and the following war made it even tougher. Therefore, being able to reunite on the same stage with the three of us was a moment of joy. We hope to have the opportunity to host larger-scale showcases in the future with our lighting crew as well. 

There are more events planned in the series - what is most essential for you in carrying these events outside Ukraine now?
To be honest, it's difficult to recreate the atmosphere of our Kyiv events, but I believe that cultural exchange is a crucial aspect. That's why I value showcases so highly - it is always a collaboration between different teams and an opportunity to work together, and show a musical vision not just as a DJ, but as a collective that curates the entire night together with a local promoter or club. Even though the events outside of Ukraine are different, for obvious reasons, I still find them very very important. 

Building community and supporting local artists plays an important role for you, not only at Rhythm Buero but also Kashtan which grew from a radio to a label. With the current situation of the community forcefully and sadly spread out, how are you connecting and deepening the community, albeit not necessarily physically in Ukraine?
When I started my radio show, it was important to create a communication platform for everyone interested in our local scene. I remember how important music forums were when I was very young - we communicated and stayed in touch with the local music community. Realizing the importance of such simple tools I created communities on Discord and Telegram. Since Discord is not as popular a platform as Telegram for our music heads, only the Telegram channel remains active in this format. So since 2019, I've been micro-blogging all the news of the scene, especially focusing on local artists, labels, releases and other useful information, trying to inspire people to create music and communicate with each other. The channel also has a chat room where we discuss all the news, hot topics related to music, sometimes politics and other things. It's an ongoing work and my contribution to the unity of the scene. Ukraine is a large country, and the original idea was to bring people closer together, even if they live in different parts of the country. With the beginning of the war, many of us are now scattered around the world and this initiative still keeps us together, which I think is necessary right now.
I would like to add that I did not anticipate anyone creating music during the first phase of the war. But, to my surprise, producing tracks and being able to share them with the community turned out to be a way for many artists to reduce stress and cope with anxiety. At the same time, certain musicians realized that music could serve as a powerful tool to generate financial support for charitable initiatives. 

Looking at your work with younger artists from Ukraine - what observations do you make in terms of what is important to them and their artistic expression?
Young artists are very different and often have diverse influences and goals. Some tend towards geek meetings to immerse themselves in the world of synthesizers, modulars and production in general, while others may look up to successful DJs/promoters and aspire to achieve similar fame and recognition. Some are protesting and expressing political statements through music. What's particularly interesting in the context of today's Kyiv music life - is that the established and experienced DJs have now left the country in search of new venues and connections, and our new generation came to the vacated places. As a result of this unexpected situation - the music in Kyiv has definitely freshened up :) During the weekend you can hear very different rhythms and that's great.

I’m curious to understand a bit more about your musical upbringing and the artists and styles that have influenced your eclecticism and community orientation along the way?
It's a complicated question, because my taste was influenced by so many different factors. All my friends listen to interesting music and I always learn something new from them. It's important to keep in touch with people who have good taste in music. And also parties in Kyiv - I think we were very lucky in our time with drum'n'bass, autonomic, breakcore, dubstep, 2-step garage, breaks, house, techno, ambient events - there was a wide variety of formations in the city and we all influenced each other back then.

What got you into music to start with? 
Parties parties parties :) 

What are your hopes for the communities you are part of for the future - what kind of spirit, both musically and in terms of values, would you like to see?
I have a pretty pessimistic view of where things are headed. I'm probably going to become more grumpy and nostalgic about the old days, as all elderly DJs are supposed to be :D Sooner or later, we'll all be there.

Listening to your tracks and mixes it is apparent to me that these address different moods and states of mind, effortlessly woven together. How do you in general, approach the “art of DJing” and preparation?
I believe it's important to collect quality tracks even if they may not immediately fit into a specific playlist, as this can lead to the formation of a unique and alternative musical collection. Most importantly, conscientious music listening is key to developing a deeper understanding and appreciation of the art form. 

As an artist yourself, it says that you are longing for the “unusual”. Can you elaborate a bit further? 
I think we are all just pleasure seekers and are looking for every way to get dopamine, as music triggers a release of this hormone to the brain. So we have no choice but to give this junkie something new and more sophisticated from time to time :)

You recently released a track on ON BOARD Records with Na Nich. “Journey” is perfect for the early hours of the dancefloor, emotive and floaty. What inspired you for this track? 
We used to work in the studio, but circumstances forced us to go back to the bedroom format. It was a day when we quickly assembled our equipment, tested the new space, and decided to start a new track just for fun. This marked the beginning of our return to producing music after a long period of break and apathy I would say.

What are your next plans for the productions and releases after having contributed to several beautiful compilations?
There are a lot of plans, but as someone very well said on Twitter - there is nothing worse for your production than a lot of touring. I’m a party person and summer is coming soon, so I need to find a way to balance all these processes :)