The Sundowner. Mix #18 comes from Ukrainian DJ & Event Curator of Rhythm of Love parties series: Róse. Check out his fresh new mix and get to know him better in the interview we had with him on Tuesday. We have been in touch with him since Thursday morning when the Russian invasion of Ukraine started and decided together to go ahead with publishing the interview as it is since music is what brings people together! He said: If you would like to support Ukraine, please check the following official link:
Our hearts and minds are with our friends and the people of Ukraine at this time, stay strong and stay safe!
Sundowner.: Hi Rose, how are you?
Róse: Hey, Sundowner. Thank you for inviting me to your show.
In general, I’m fine, I spend a lot of time at home. I was born and live in Lviv, in the west of Ukraine. As you know, the war in the east has been going on in my country for the last 8 years. It definitely affects me. Lately, I try to be calm and focus in case the situation worsens. At the same time, I KNOW that we have a strong army, thanks to it, we can sleep peacefully. Music helps me to distract myself from this terrible situation, especially the records. Their magic is mesmerising. I like to listen to vinyl after a hard day – it’s soothing.
Peace to all!
Sundowner.: Why did you choose the nickname DJ Rose?
Róse: ( |rəʊz| ) I’ve been thinking about a nickname for a long time, to be honest. Based on the tale of the famous author of Saint-Exupery “The Little Prince”.
For the first time it is a symbol of purity and love of neighbors, always open to sincere people. It also describes the connection to other worlds, as each track for me is a different world. From time immemorial, the rose has been a symbol of loyalty, symbolizing my loyalty to music and my craft. This is if you do not delve.
Sundowner.: Who or what inspired you to start DJing?
Róse: Outside the window – January 2016. It was a difficult period of my life, I graduated from university, but by that time I already understood that I did not want to do economics. I was looking for a job to start my career. I could not find her for a long time, so I was in despair, for which I spent the following 6 years of my life. My best friend knew the whole situation and offered to let me go. So he told me about a party at a warehouse, and I decided that I needed to relax. When I arrived, I saw that it was a vinyl only party. When I saw it I thought “Wow! How cool, I didn’t know that such great music was played on records.” After this thought, I felt what I had never felt before, this is a profession that I want to pursue all my life. All party long, I just stayed close to the DJ’s table, watching the process with admiration, and trying to figure out how it worked. I studied by myself, watched videos on YouTube, rented a cdj-1000mk2 and djm 350. I recorded music on CDs, and tried how it all works. Until then, I listened to genres such as rock, hip-hop, RnB, but after that night, I fell in love with electronic music forever.
Sundowner.: Are there any movements or developments within the scene recently that you find exciting/interesting?
Róse: Certainly, I was very inspired by the experience of the guys from Georgia, Zviada Gelbahiani and David Chikhladze. They organize the Ickra festival on the territory of the Soviet sanatorium “Хвиля” near Kyiv. For them, it’s not just about music or rave, but also about art, education, and sports. I definitely recommend visiting it on July 1-3, 2022.
Sundowner.: How is the music/party scene in Lviv?
Róse: My city is very specific in this regard. A few years ago we had 1-2 parties in 3 months, now almost every weekend there are many parties. In my opinion, we have a lot of low-quality projects that think that putting a sound system anywhere and inviting a few DJs who play non-purchased music and a bar is a guarantee of success and a cool party. Although, there are good projects that develop our local scene. I hope that the musical level of visitors will increase and people will learn to distinguish quality parties from low-quality ones. However, I live here and will continue to try to convey to people that parties are not only music but also culture, art, community, communication, recreation, and much more.
Sundowner.: You are running the party Rhythm of Love, how does everything start? Are there more people involved in the project? What differentiates this party from others in Lviv?
Róse: Rhythm Of Love started because I wanted to show Lviv what a perfect party is. It’s about sound, comfort, art, and music. On February 14, 2020, I held the first party of the series before the lockdown and gathered 275 people, which was super cool. I like to look for fabulous locations around our city. As an example, I love parties in the woods. Last time I spent four days in the woods, building morning to evening event infrastructure, bar, fireplace, dance floor, DJ place, dumps, chill zones & tea room. My parties are very different in the sound of the artists I invite, comfort, and prices at the bar from other Lviv parties. I want to bring more artists from abroad, but it is challenging to gather 400+ people in my city. For now, I plan to assemble a new team of like-minded people and start a new series. Stay tuned (instagram.com/rhythm_of_love_ua/)
Sundowner.: Are there any particular online or physical record stores in Ukraine you consider favorites?
Róse: Unfortunately, there are no such shops for me in Ukraine. I buy everything from abroad, in Ukraine there are unreasonably high prices in the music industry.
Sundowner.: Is there a crowd that really inspires you?
Róse: Of course. I am very inspired by people who remain as natural and straightforward despite their popularity in the music world as they were before.
Sundowner.: If you could pick any DJ or act to play with, who would it be and why?
Róse: I would like to play and talk to many DJs, but the first on the list will be DJOKO, Gene of Earth, Chris Stussy, Sweely, East End Dubs, and many others. Why? The answer is simple. They know how to control hundreds of people with their music and not only their own. Moreover, they are all very cool producers who make fantastic decisions in their music.
Sundowner.: Thank you so much Róse. It was very inspiring to get to know you better and we are happy to hear there’s people pushing for a change to create new experiences through events and parties and sharing the love for music! We as community stand together and from the Sundowner. team we send all our love and support to Ukraine.
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