On 23-25 July 2021 ICKPA festival took place in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Modern ukrainian electronic music culture spiced by the post-soviet fleur and curated by the team behind renowned Tbilisi Nightclub, Bassiani.
The blue retro shuttle bus from the soviet era in 30 mins took you through the bumpy roads to the old Soviet Sanatorium "Khvylia" where the grandparents of the the DJ's seemed to have vacation. It tastes like the childhood of those who were born in the USSR. It tastes like my childhood. The Sanatorium is surrounded by the stunning ukrainian nature with fresh air and giant trees.
Versatile music genres could be heard on four stages - from classic Detroit techno to experimental eclecticism. Among the artists are such big names as the father of Underground Resistance and Detroit techno JEFF MILLS , star guests DVS1, LENA WILLIKENS, VTSS, NICOLAS LUTZ ; impressive residents of the Tbilisi club Bassiani: HECTOR OAKS, HVL, NDRX, KANCHELI, NEWA and favorite local heroes NASTYA MURAVYOVA, STANISLAV TOLKACHEV, KOLOAH, SA TWEEMAN and others.
The festival wasn’t only about rave culture, but also about art, education and sport. The guests of the festival witnessed the extraordinary queer cabaret Magic Infant with the participation of Panda Volkova and Vlad Shast, listeners of the panel discussion “Underground, which is reborn from the post-socialist ashes” where speakers from Kyiv, Tbilisi, and Belgrade shared the history and nowness of underground cultures in their respective cities, and even football fans at a charity match between teams FORMA, BASSIANI, ICKPA, 20FT RADIO, VESELKA, PLANET B, RHYTHM BURO, and KULTURA ZVUKA.
Chaotically moving between the dance floors, people came across art installations - in particular, the sculpture “Reflecting Toy. Dzerkalna igrashka ”, which became a queer dazzle in the landscape of the festival.
The stellar atmosphere of the festival - from the tropics in the greenhouse to the cosmic light on the Ickpa stage was captivating; guests were also involved in cinematic dances based on Gaspare Noe - in the corridor of the Veselka stage or even better - in the very thick of the underworld; opened a second wind and closed their eyes to the melodic sound at HotHouse open air stage.
ICKPA chose to be located in Kyiv because of its connecting location between Western Europe and Post-Socialist Space. Music and dance is a language that doesn't need translation. It's the connecting point of meeting at the heart center. It's the connecting point of East-West culture meeting in Kyiv.
