Boiler Room, a renowned international broadcaster of electronic music events, will return to Ukraine with two raves. One of them will predictably take place in Kyiv, while the other will be held in eastern Ukraine, close to the front line of Russia’s war.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Boiler Room had to put its underground, close gatherings of ravers on hold. But as countries continue to vaccinate and open up their club spaces, the broadcasting platform is celebrating the shift with the Open Dancefloors tour through the U.K. Now it’s moving on to the Eastern Europe edition of the tour.
“We’re proud to announce the Eastern Europe edition of our Open Dancefloors tour, celebrating the joyous reopening of club spaces,” Boiler Room wrote on its website on Sept. 15.
Boiler Room will be broadcasting raves from several different countries kicking off at Riga, Latvia, on Sept. 17 before reaching Ukraine.
Boiler Room hosted two raves in Kyiv in the past. This time, the broadcaster is teaming up with local promoters Dots. The lineup features DJs Projekt Gestalten, Detcom, Kichi Kazuko, Sqeef, Cardioooo, Mode Luke and Panta Rei. The party will be held on Sept. 24 at Keller Bar.
On Oct. 15, Boiler Room will broadcast eastern Ukraine’s rising techno party, Shum Rave, in Sloviansk, a small city in Donetsk Oblast located 650 kilometers east from Kyiv. Sloviansk was occupied by Russian-led militants for three months in 2014.
Shum Rave has been changing the perception of war-damaged Donbas with filmed DJ sets in creative locations in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. It also provides a much needed space for the youth of Donbas to meet and dance.
The lineup of the party in Sloviansk features residents of Shum Rave, DJs from eastern Ukraine, such as Be_ca_di, Darbojiy, Panghoud, Crematorium, JmDasha and Podryzhanya.
It’s easy to reach Slovyansk from Kyiv by train with ten-hour overnight or six-hour intercity day options available. Train tickets for a second-class seat average at Hr 370 ($14).
This will not be Boiler Room’s first event broadcast from a place affected by war and occupation. It has previously filmed techno parties in Palestine, producing a documentary as a part of its Contemporary Scenes project, showcasing underground collectives, artists and subcultures from across the world.
After hosting events in Ukraine, Boiler Room will continue the Eastern European tour. The next party will be held in Moscow, Russia, followed by cities in Belarus, Slovakia, Belgrade, Romania, Croatia, and Kosovo, ending the tour in Poland.
Boiler Room first came to Kyiv in October 2018, teaming up with one of Ukraine’s most popular raves, Cxema. The two collaborated once more this past year in an online festival. Boiler Room returned to Kyiv for a second time in December 2019 as a part of the True Music series.
Dots x Boiler Room. Keller Bar (71 Kyrylivska St.). Sept. 24. 9 p.m. Hr 500 ($19). Buy tickets here.
Shum rave x Boiler Room. Slovyansk, Donetsk Oblast. Monopoliya Krona Hall (67 Torska St.) Oct. 15. 12 a.m. Hr 200-250 ($8-9). Buy tickets here.
