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This week in dance music: The scene went international, with the MTV EMAs announcing that David Guetta and Bebe Rexha will perform at the awards happening in in Düsseldorf, Germany on November 13. (The pair is nominated for best electronic and best collaboration for their unstoppable collab “I’m Good (Blue),” which they will also presumably perform.) Even further afield, Tiësto and Tate McRae partnered on the single “10:35,” which was created in partnership with Dubai’s new ultra-luxury resort Atlantis The Royal. The song is accompanied by a music video highlighting the new high-end destination, and will appear on Tiësto’s upcoming album Drive, due out Feb. 24 via Atlantic Records.
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Whether you yourself are getting out this weekend or hanging closer to home, we’ve got the tunes to fill your headphones. Let’s dig in.
John Summit feat. Hannah Boleyn, “Show Me”
Few dance artists have had as big a 2022 as John Summit, the hard-partying mega-productive house wunderkind who’s been tearing through clubs and festivals in a post pandemic blaze of glory. The latest from the Chicago producer is “Show Me,” a wind-up house-leaning electropop heater with an intoxicating earworm vocal loop from London singer Hannah Boleyn. “from edc to coachella to ultra and more, Show Me has been my go to track all year and it’s finally out,” Summit wrote upon the track’s release at midnight. Now available for your on-demand listening pleasure, “Show Me” comes in at just under three minutes as a petite but mighty slice of peak time intensity. That said, we recommend the five and a half minute extended mix, both of which are out via Summit’s own Off the Grid imprint. — KATIE BAIN
Jason Derulo & Shouse – “Never Let You Go”
Have you been yearning for the big room anthems of the peak EDM era? This new one from Jason Derulo and Shouse taps a bit into that epic feeling, but with a modern and tempered R&B twist. Mr. “Want to Want Me” delivers a silky-smooth and sultry vocal performance over the Australian-New Zealand duo’s synth-heavy house rhythms. “Never thought the legend Jason Derulo hearing our music evrywhere [sic] in Ibiza would lead to a collab like this,” Shouse writes on Instagram, “but love what he’s done!” Let this one play loud when you’ve got to dance yourself clean of a heartbreak, or are just looking to let loose from Friday to Sunday. – KAT BEIN
Mount Kimbie, MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning
The setup of Mount Kimbie’s latest double-album, MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning, is a bit unusual. In the vein of OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, the LP is presented in two halves, each half produced by one of members Dom Maker and Kai Campos. No surprise then that they’re also stylistically different. Maker’s Die Cuts, inspired by his move from London to L.A., takes advantage of his new collaboration-ready environment to build a feature-stacked (slowthai, Danny Brown, James Blake, Kučka, et al.) record swirling with rap, R&B, and soul.
Meanwhile, Campos’ City Planning goes deeper into electronic music’s futuristic roots, producing almost sketch-like, textured instrumental loops, each some combination of driving, dreamy, and industrial. In its entirety, City Planning could be the soundtrack to a 4:00 a.m. drive, perhaps on the way home from a warehouse party. Somewhere between the drum-focused drive of opener “Q” and the white-noise ambient of closer “Human Voices,” “Transit Mat (Flattened)” plays out like a tense highway trip in pouring rain. With its relentless rhythm, waterlogged atmosphere and blunt blockiness, it instantly evokes stark, grayscale images of concrete, metal and bright headlights softened by the storm. MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning is out now on Warp Records — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ
Skream & Jansons, “World Is Empty”
Lace up your roller skates and put on your blacklight reactive neon. Skream and Jansons just dropped a freestyle bass banger that feels like adult night at the entertainment-plex. A beautiful vocal sample from The Surpremes complements a haunting vibe, thanks to the deep, dark and minimal production, matching the emptiness of Diana Ross’ broken heart. Truly, the synth organ breakdown is downright spooky, but the bumpin’ ‘80s beat pits this night time tune squarely in the dance floor space. It’s a cool one, and it’s out now on CircoLoco Records. We even think the extended seven-minute version is the proper way to catch the electro groove. – KAT BEIN
Hugel & Blond:ish feat. NFasis, “Tra Tra”
After Hugel remixed Blond:ish’s single “Sete” earlier this year, the two producers have teamed up for their own collaboration, “Tra Tra.” Like on the former song, Blond:ish continues to explore different cultural influences alongside international collaborators, this time pulling up with the Latin house-loving Frenchman as well as Dominican rapper NFasis. Together, the three made a total bump-and-groover of a track: the production seems most at home in an Ibiza superclub, with a bass-heavy rhythm that’s as melodic as it is hip-grinding, and as dark as it is sexy, while NFasis’ gravelly vocal delivery feels like a command to dance and never stop moving. With a recent shout by Pete Tong on his BBC Radio 1 Dance show, “Tra Tra” already has a big stamp of approval. — K.R.
The Toxic Avenger, Yes Future
The Francophile vibes are strong on the latest from French producer The Toxic Avenger, who’s back with his first album in 15 years. The all-around excellent Yes Future gives heavy French Touch, synth and electro vibes, giving equal parts Justice, Kavinsky and the best of The Toxic Avenger himself. Released in September, the album’s lead single (the aptly titled “Getting Started“) is a stunner, and the rest of the LP is also equally tough and sensual and tres, tres cool. — K. Bain
Gryffin & Maia Wright, “Sometimes You Know”
Gryffin has long been a purveyor of brightly massive bangers big enough to fill the large-scale venues he frequently plays. No surprise then that the producer’s latest LP, Alive, is absolutely full of them, with the high-energy, high-emotion LP containing a flurry of previously released singles including the recent and exceedingly sleek Tinashe collab “Scandalous” along with the pop-forward chest-beater “Sometimes You Know” featuring Swedish singer Maia Wright. Alive is the San Francisco producer first album since his 2019 debut Gravity, which hit No. 1 on Dance/Electronic Albums, and the fanbasae that sent him to the top spot is still clearly here for Gryffin, who this weekend plays a pair of headline shows at Los Angeles’ 20,000 capacity State Historic Park. — K. Bain
As part of our annual Indie Now package, we asked notable figures in the independent scene to offer advice on how to succeed in the industry. Below, electronic producer/digital artist Pat Lok talks to Billboard’s Katie Bain.
I was lucky enough to write an NFT clause into an indie single deal of mine back in February 2021, via the Australian label Club Sweat [a subsidiary of Sydney-based record label Sweat It Out]. Verbatim, the contract said, “Licensers shall retain exclusive rights to create and exploit NFTs in connection with license masters.” I actually did exploit that for my Alaska drop, a collaboration with Party Pupils, on [NFT marketplace] Catalog in October 2021.
[These clauses] allow you to be versatile in a way that’s reminiscent of the SoundCloud and Hype Machine era, where the energy was, “Who knows what we’re going to do today?” You can talk to your audience and get them excited about something you’re dropping tomorrow. That’s something labels traditionally shy away from. Often, it’s hard to get even a same-day response from a label because they’re so busy.
The thing to keep in mind is that a lot of NFT collectors are already following artists they like or have found [out about] through the Web3 space, so the marketing of NFTs is really driven by artists doing the legwork. My perspective is to consider the value-add [of a label]. There are a few different scenarios of how they may be involved with an NFT project, but a lot of labels are not even really thinking about it yet because even the majority of artists don’t yet know how to do this. It’s cool if you’re able to say, “We agreed upon 10% for the gross of my share.” That seems super fair, as it’s similar to an agent contract. Meanwhile, the manager/artist split on this stuff is also all over the board, and that should be as important [as a conversation with a label] because the manager is going to be talking to the label side.
These clauses are niche, but very important, and I think the standard is being built deal by deal right now. It’s important we have conversations about NFT clauses so that artists, especially new artists, don’t just give up their NFT projects before knowing what they’re worth. It’s just like with your masters.
This story will appear in the Nov. 5, 2022, issue of Billboard.
“Miss You” continues to double up on Billboard‘s multimetric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart (dated Nov. 5), with one version surging by Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz and one by southstar.
Oliver Tree and Schulz storm three spots again this week (7-4), after debuting three weeks ago at No. 10, earning top Streaming Gainer honors with their version of the song. “Miss” motors with 5.9 million official streams, up 16%, and sales of 500 downloads, up 193%, in the U.S. in the Oct. 21-27 tracking week, according to Luminate.
Concurrently, the track improves on Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs (4-2) and bows on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales (No. 13).
The twosome is not alone with “Miss You,” as Berlin-based southstar (aka Leon Kirschnek) starts on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with his version of the song at No. 11, fueled by 1.6 million domestic streams.
“Miss You” has the distinction of having two separate but very similar versions, with the first released by southstar in late July; a second, by Robin Schulz and Oliver Tree (whose track “Jerk” is sampled on the southstar version), dropped less than a week later.
Fred again.. Again
London-based producer/singer/DJ Fred again.. (real name Fred Gibson) debuts at No. 25 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with “Delilah (Pull Me Out of This).” The track, which begins with 803,000 stateside streams, is the fourth and highest charting hit from his album Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022), released Oct. 28.
Fred Again.. has tallied 10 titles on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, starting with “Don’t Judge Me,” with FKA Twigs and Headie One (No. 23, February 2021). His haul includes “Delilah” and three other songs from Actual Life 3: “Bleu (Better With Time)” (No. 30, Oct. 1), “Danielle (Smile on My Face)” (No. 45, Oct. 8) and “Kammy (Like I Do)” (No. 48, Oct. 22). His collab with Swedish House Mafia, “Turn on the Lights Again..,” featuring Future, is his top-charting entry (No. 16, this August).
TELYKast Has Good Reception
Shifting to the Dance/Mix Show Airplay tally, TELYKast bounces into the top 10 with “Body to Body” (11-6). It’s the act’s third top 10, after “Nobody to Love,” with Loren Gray (No. 8, June 2021), and “Unbreakable,” with Sam Gray (No. 2, December 2021).
“Body” is scoring core-dance airplay on SiriusXM’s BPM, Music Choice’s Dance/EDM channel and iHeartRadio’s Evolution Network, among other outlets. (The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 70 top 40-formatted reporters.)
Grammy Award-winning DJ and producer Tiësto joined forces with multiplatinum singer-songwriter Tate McRae and Dubai’s new ultra-luxury resort Atlantis The Royal to create their new single “10:35.” The song is accompanied by a music video highlighting the new high-end destination, and will appear on Tiësto’s upcoming album Drive, due out Feb. 24 via Atlantic Records.
“I’m very excited to be partnering with this iconic new property,” said Tiësto. “Tate and I wanted to create a song that captured the energy of an experience at Atlantis The Royal, and I’m proud to say the feeling of 10:35 and this property are both infectious! So excited for the world to finally hear it.”
“I’m happy to announce I’m doing a partnership with the Atlantis The Royal property in Dubai with Tiësto,” added McRae. “It’s always exciting to branch out and work with different brands and artists,” added McRae. “The music video is unlike anything I’ve seen before, and the hotel is just unreal.”
Encapsulating the essence of Atlantis The Royal, “10:35” is inspired by Dubai’s newest addition to its skyline. When first introduced to the resort’s architectural plans — the resort was designed by NYC’s Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates — Tiësto honed in on the duality of the daytime experience of luxury versus the nighttime’s focus on entertainment. This juxtaposition fueled the idea for the time where day turns to night and the experience that comes with that shift — hence, “10:35.”
McRae, who spent time growing up in the Middle East, proved a perfect partner for the track.
Slated to open in early 2023, Atlantis The Royal is 43 stories at its highest point and boasts nearly 800 rooms, dozens of pools, multiple celebrity chef-led restaurants and a skybridge connecting the two main sections of the resort.
Atlantis The Royal Dubai
Courtesy Photo
“We are beyond excited that Tiësto, a music icon, and Tate McRae, one of today’s hottest stars, have joined forces to create this incredible track to celebrate Atlantis The Royal,” said Tim Kelly, managing director of Atlantis Dubai. “’10:35′ completely captures the vibe and energy of the hotel and expresses the unmatched daytime and night-time experience we have to offer. Shooting the music video at the resort is a show stopping way for us to tease our guests and demonstrate the unrivaled luxury Atlantis The Royal promises ahead of the Grand Reveal in January. This is it.”
“The whole team at Atlantis The Royal have been a pleasure to work with throughout this campaign and Atlantic Records couldn’t be more grateful for their partnership,” added Jonathan Feldman, svp of brand partnerships and sports marketing at Atlantic Records. “Tiësto and Tate McRae created such an incredible song that aligns perfectly with the property. From start to finish the stars have aligned on this and we’re thrilled for the launch of “10:35′.”
Check out the music video for “10:35” below.
This week in dance music: we recapped the whirlwind that was ADE 2022, the dance world mourned the loss of producer Mighty Mouse, we went inside the Kyiv club that opened for one night amidst the ongoing war, we got exclusive Dirtybird Campout West 2022 sets from a trifecta of acts, we met the production wizards behind Porter Robinson’s Second Sky festival this weekend, David Guetta and Bebe Rexha hit the apex position of Dance Mix/Show Airplay and the CW Network announced that it will air the U.S.’s first ever all electronic awards show in May.
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As for new music, we’ve got that too. Let’s dig in.
Fred again.., Actual Life 3 (January 1-September 9 2022)
It’s here. After months of waiting and what’s felt like an open faucet of singles — including scene-uniting collaborations with Four Tet and Swedish House Mafia — Fred again..’s Actual Life 3 is out today. AFter becoming the moment’s most relevant electronic producer following a post-pandemic run of buzzy, teary sets including Coachella and record-setting Boiler Room performance, Fred Again..’s latest album makes good on the considerable hype, providing 13 sonically and emotionally nuanced tracks cobbled together from digital ephemera, pulling off the rare achievement of being as rich in meaning as they are effective on the dancefloor. — KATIE BAIN
Alison Wonderland, “Down the Line”
When you’re feeling low and the future looks dark, one of the best forms of medicine is a scream-along anthem about being down in the pits. Alison Wonderland is a magician when it comes to moody lyrics and spirited drops, and her latest single “Down the Line” is exactly the sort of re-energizing depression candy any good “I can’t get off of the couch because life sucks” moment requires.
“We need the dark times in order to get to the light,” the artist says. “We need that experience to know that it’s going to be okay one day. The track is me acknowledging that I was alone during a difficult time but knew that I was going to get through it and be okay, down the line. We’re all going through a dark time right now, and sometimes we need to be reminded that it’s going to be okay. No matter what happens, we will be okay.” – KAT BEIN
Jimmy Edgar Feat. LIZ, “EUPHORIA”
With his new single “EUPHORIA,” Detroit producer Jimmy Edgar shares another preview of his forthcoming album LIQUIDS HEAVEN, out on November 11 via Innovative Leisure. The track is a concentrated dose of ear candy, made of pastel synths that swirl with the richness and silkiness of milk chocolate, and bright background melodies that sparkle like sonic Pop Rocks. And like how eating sweets leads to a woozy sugar rush, “EUPHORIA” too is about chasing that buzzy peak in love. Through the track’s chest-swelling builds, vocalist LIZ declares: “I’ll keep looking for you / I’ll keep looking for euphoria.” Edgar’s latest is all confectionary goodness without the risk of cavities. — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ
Anyma & CamelPhat, “The Sign”
CamelPhat make their debut on Tale of Us’ Afterlife Recordings with “The Sign,” a collaboration with producer Anyma. A moody, multi-movement progressive house soundscape made for that moment late night turns to early morning, “The Sign” delivers a lot of head nodding deep in the dancefloor moments along with a few satisfyingly crunchy synths, all over an urgent beat that sounds like it’s being beamed to your earholes from deep space. — K. Bain
Ten City, “Love Is Love”
When you know, you know, and true love can’t be stopped by parents or friends or ne’er-do-well of any kind — not when it feels this silky smooth. True Chicago house and R&B legends Ten City come through with a jazzy, feel-good number that’ll get you real cozy on the dance floor with your favorite cuddle buddy, and remind you that “Love Is Love,” no matter what form is takes. In the words of Ten City co-founder and vocalist Byron Stingly, it’s a “modern Romeo and Juliet meets West Side Story!” This is for the grown and sexy among us, but it’s a message that will resonate with anyone who’s found themself enamored or thinks they’ve found the one, and certainly those among us who have been told their choice in partner isn’t “right,” even though nothing about it could ever feel wrong. It’s the second and titular single from Ten City’s forthcoming album Love Is Love, due out in 2023. – K. Bein
J. Worra feat. Nathan Nicholson, “Lightning to Strike”
From opposite sides of the Atlantic, Los Angeles’ Insomniac Records and London’s D4 D4NCE—Defected Records’ imprint for rising stars—have joined together in a new collaborative venture. Their first joint release, the single “Lightning to Strike,” comes from J. Worra, who’s previously graced both labels with her modern house sound. On “Lightning to Strike,” J. Worra dips into a bolder palette with a bouncy, retro-futuristic bassline; melodic keys and laser-beam synths which balance out Nathan Nicholson’s breezy croons and wispy vocals. Altogether, they create a song that’s as mellow and melancholic as it is hopeful. — K.R.
While KiNK may not yet be a massive name in the States, the Bulgarian producer is revered by those in the know. Both Diplo and Claude VonStroke have called him one of their personal favorites, while many in the scene cite him one of the best live acts in techno at large.
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Born Strahil Velchev, the producer is based in his native Sofia, Bulgaria, where he grew up behind the Iron Curtain, the only music he had access to being that which was government-approved. That era is a long way from Velchev’s current reality, which involves traveling freely across international boundaries to play music that likely wouldn’t have been approved behind the Iron Curtain.
Having released music under Ovum, KMS and his own Sofia label, KiNK’s latest release is a swirling, brightly ravey edit of the 1999 Midfield General track “Coatnoise,” with Midfield General’s Damian Harris himself requesting that Velchev take on the song. Out today (October 28) via Harris’ Skint records, the release comes ahead of KiNK’s upcoming whirlwind run of U.S. shows, which includes a November 10 date at Elsewhere in New York, a November 11 show at Public Works in San Francisco and a November 12 set at San Diego’s Love Machine festival, the lineup for which also includes Dixon, Denis Sulta and Pan-Pot.
Here, Velchev reflects on the “two extremes” of U.S. fans, his love of Silk Sonic and the best advice his grandmother ever gave him.
1. Where are you in the world right now, and what’s the setting like?
I’m just back in my apartment in Sofia, Bulgaria after an exhausting weekend, which started on Friday and finished yesterday. My two-year-old daughter is getting her afternoon sleep; I’m in the living room, enjoying the silence after a few days of loud sound blasting in my ears. It’s a bit of chaotic here, my daughter’s toys — blocks of Lego, cars, some animal figures. And other toys we share together — two little synthesizers and some cables. You have to watch your step!
2. What is the first album or piece of music you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?
It was vinyl, probably around 1986, an album by the German Euro Disco band called Modern Talking. It’s one of the very few projects I’m a little bit embarrassed to admit that I liked, but back in the day in Communist Bulgaria this was some of the most exciting dance music the government would approve to appear in the record stores — alongside another act produced in Germany and I really loved back then, Boney M.
Back in the ’80s, all the music on the Bulgarian market was manufactured by Balkanton — the only record label, also owned by the state. The vinyl was cheap, probably costing the equivalent of one Euro or a dollar in the modern terms. But there was not that much of a choice, you wouldn’t see Chicago House or Detroit techno on the shelves in the store.
3. What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid, and what do or did they think of what you do for a living now?
Both of my parents studied law and worked for the state, which meant not getting a big paycheck, but having some sort of stability. They never understood my passion and didn’t support it, but also they didn’t try to stop me. They hated their jobs. They were happy I was spending my time in a creative way. My mom would often say, “I don’t mind what you do, but the sooner you realize it’s not going to work, the better for you.”
Luckily they were wrong, so far. After about 10 years completely committing myself to producing and DJing, around 2009 I was able to support myself financially and my parents started helping me with some office work related to my trips; they still do it til today. They still don’t like the music, but they are happy for me.
4. What’s the first non-gear thing you bought for yourself when you started making money as an artist?
To be honest, nothing significant for myself. The most notable treat was a second hand Opel Astra, I think it was model 2008, for my girlfriend, now wife. It was for her, because I still don’t know how to drive. Still, beside some of my extravagant purchases of music gear, we don’t spend that much money on material things. We like to travel and to try good food. I guess this will change as our child is growing.
5. If you had to recommend one album for someone looking to get into dance music, what would you give them?
LFO’s Advance is a very important album for me, and I used to recommend it to friends who were getting into electronic music, because I believe it’s easy to digest, but also its very musically rich and intelligent. There are tracks with different energy levels, fast and slow. Dreamy melodies and punishing kick drums. A bit of everything, but it all sits together extremely well on this album. It still grows on me after 24 years of existence. I’m sure these days there are better records to introduce somebody new to electronic music, but I guess you are most impressed with music when you are a teenager or in your 20s. I was a teenager in the ’90s, and I’m very connected to that era.
6. What’s the last song you listened to?
We were in the car with my wife earlier today and our good friend Krista, a Bulgarian singer, was presenting her new album on the radio station we usually listen on the road — Jazz FM. So we listened to Krista’s U Doma. The song she describes as Bulgarian Folklore singing tradition meets gospel. The lyrics are about home. Today I can relate to that, after such an extreme weekend spent at hotels and airports.
7. You’re the favorite producer of many producers. What are you doing that no one else is doing that’s elevated you to this status?
I don’t think my approach in the studio is unique, I’m just very dedicated, because I really love the process of making sound and music. I’m trying to do what I would like to hear from other artists. I love simplicity in any kind of art form. I’m looking for a strong element in my tracks — it could be a drum pattern, a catchy melody or a really unusual sound. If I feel like the demo is boring and I have to improve it with studio tricks in the arrangement, I would rather delete the sketch and start again.
I also like the music to be a bit irritating. When I got into Techno in the early ’90s, I loved it, because it was like nothing I’d heard before, and it was that irritating, atonal element of this music, which fascinated me the most. I try to keep that in my music too. And last but not least — I love to have a certain character in my sound. Regardless if I record my track through a pair of guitar pedals or I use software plugins to achieve a non-existing sound color, that last touch is important to me. And it can take a lot of time, sometimes longer than arranging the track.
8. You’ve also got a sort of enigmatic mystique. Do you consider yourself mysterious? What’s a normal day like for you?
I believe I’m the opposite of mysterious, but indeed I don’t share much about my private life on the internet, because I haven’t got that much of a private life for a long time. I was learning how to become an international artist for a decade, and now I’m an international artist for over another decade with crazy touring and recording schedule, and that sums up the past 20 years of my existence as an artist.
Luckily for me, my wife Rachel Row is a singer/songwriter and she has been very patient with me over the years, because she has the same passion for music. Normally our day would be doing office work in the morning, going together for lunch — and the rest of the day it would be studio, together or separately. We love to jump in the car spontaneously and escape from Sofia for a few days every now and then. Since we are parents, everything is more compressed — no private time, less studio — but also a lot of fun right now. We are even more offline beside announcing work, because we want to give our daughter the privilege to be anonymous, until she can decide for herself.
9. Tell us a bit about the dance scene in your native Bulgaria. What are the parties like? What do audiences respond to?
The scene over here is similar to the rest of the world. There is a massive commercial EDM scene, which gets the biggest crowds, but I can’t say much about it, because I don’t follow it. From the promoters I follow, on the bigger scale, my friends Metropolis stand out. They have been active since the mid-’90s and still deliver high-quality techno and house events with up to 10,000 visitors — giving the crowd what they want, but also educating with fresh international talent.
Faza (Фаза) is another party organization, which is doing very well, specializing in a more cutting-edge, niche sound of techno, and I really appreciate their work for the scene in the past few years. There are also a lot of warehouses and underground clubs around the city, which I am excited to discover. I can say I am missing out a lot being on the road every weekend.
10. You don’t play in the States all that often. Why? Where do you spend most of your time?
I generally don’t play as much as the DJs do. I mostly play live sets, which means harder traveling, getting very little sleep — because I need to soundcheck before the venue opens. Also flying out from Sofia often means more connecting flights. I play mostly in Europe. Then I go to North America and some parts of Asia twice a year, and once a year touring Australia and New Zealand. I completely ignored big parts of Asia and Latin America, but I’m excited to discover new territories when my setup becomes simple enough.
My trips to the U.S. are short, in and out in the more recent years, but it’s always a pleasure. My favorite music comes from the States. The crowd that comes to my shows is very educated, and every visit is quite inspirational. Saying that, I’m just in a process of renewing my U.S. work visa in order to come to play in November — really looking forward to it!
11. What do you make of American audiences and the U.S. scene in general?
The American audience is great. I see two extremes: people who have tremendous knowledge about this music, which is born in the U.S., and other people who have no idea and just want to have a good time. I love both. I can’t decide what’s a bigger compliment. If someone with great knowledge tells me I played great, or a new clubber to tell me he or she heard of me for the first time and it was amazing.
12. What cities are the most exciting for you to play in, currently?
After the pandemic I’m excited to reconnect with a lot of the usual suspects like London, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, Chicago, Tokyo. I’ve been to all these places since we are back to normal, but I can’t get enough!
13. Midfield General’s “Coatnoise” was released in 1999. How did you come to remix a song that’s 23 years old?
I have massive respect for Skint records, for the amazing music they released through the years. Some of it was made by the founder of the label, Midfield General. When the General himself asked for a remix, I had to do it! It was a pleasure. I am quite happy with the result and flattered to rework a solid classic!
14. Do you have any guilty pleasure music? Would we ever catch KiNK listening to pop? Country? Is it all techno all the time?
I don’t feel embarrassed by any of the music I listen to right now. I was not into bands or pop music through most of my life, but since we started to travel often with my wife in our car around Bulgaria in the past few years, I started enjoying the music Rachel is listening to. I started liking Beyoncé, also Solange, I’ve been a big fan of Sabrina Claudio for few years now. I love Anderson .Paak also, and his project with Bruno Mars, Silk Sonic. We are enjoying Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino. I love everything Pharrell Williams is involved with.
15. What artists are you most excited about right now?
From the dance music scene right now, I can’t get enough of Fadi Mohem and Stef Mendesidis — both amazing DJs, producers and live acts. I’ve seen Fadi once and I couldn’t stop dancing. Cant wait to experience Stef, I think he is coming to Sofia soon. Outside the techno circle I am very exited about Kamaal Williams — absolutely amazing keyboardist, mixing jazz music with new influences. I had a chance to see him live and he delivers! Also Kaelin Ellis, a multi instrumentalist and studio wizard, doing modern instrumental music, based on funk.
16. The most annoying thing currently happening in electronic music is _____ ?
Seeking perfection.
17. If you could go back to any era of dance music history, when would you go and why?
I would go back to experience the early to mid ’90s. This is my favorite period, because thats when I discovered this music and I was most passionate about it as a music fan. I would like to experience it again, but not as a kid listening to the records at home. I would love to experience the actual raves happening back then, which I missed.
18. What’s the best business decision you’ve ever made?
Having my focus on my art and skills instead of the business side of my work. All artistic decisions I took had fantastic effect on my business. Of course, that wouldn’t be possible if I hadn’t gotten a strong team who believed in me and helped me with decisions, which are out of my competence. Starting with my first agent Kai Fischer, who helped me to kickstart my career, my current agent Alma Ernst, who helped me to grow as an artist in the past nine years, and Ryan Smith, working with him for North America from day one.
19. Who was your greatest mentor, and what was the best advice they gave you?
My grandmother was my greatest mentor, unfortunately she passed many years ago. She couldn’t see me touring the world, but I still remember her strength and her words. She was constantly pushing me to dedicate myself to arts and to be a citizen of the world and that everything is possible. All this sounded like an hallucination back then in bankrupt, post-communist Bulgaria, but somehow she saw the future for me. Sometimes when I feel weak I think of her, one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.
20. One piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
To be much braver in everything: music, business and personal life.
A new awards show is bringing dance/electronic music to prime time. On Thursday (Oct. 27), The CW Network announced it will air the World Electronic Music Awards this May 27.
The show will be taped on May 18 in Las Vegas as part of the run-up to the annual dance music mega-festival Electric Daisy Carnival. The festival takes place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway May 19-21. It’s not yet clear if the festival’s producer, Insomniac Events, will have a hand in the awards show.
The two-hour prime-time event plans to award electronic music greats from around the globe and will feature the first Electronic Music Hall of Fame inductions. Producers note that the major awards categories are European, Asian, North American and World Artist of the Year. Performers and hosts for the show will be announced in the coming months.
“We are so excited to be working with The CW on the World Electronic Music Awards broadcast,” says the show’s creator and executive producer Andy Ruffell. “We are introducing a new format for the show, including regional and world awards, plus Hall of Fame honors with EDM superstars accepting. We are also working with The CW digital team on global livestream, Metaverse and Web3 components. We will be announcing some big music industry partners shortly.”
While the Grammys include two dance/electronic categories — best dance/electronic album and best dance/electronic recording — the awards have never put these categories on the telecast, instead including the genre in the livestreamed Premiere Ceremony. Other awards shows, including the Billboard Music Awards, also include dance/electronic categories; however, the World Electronic Music Awards is the first prime-time awards show in the United States devoted entirely to the genre.
David Guetta and Bebe Rexha ascend to No. 1 on Billboard‘s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart (dated Oct. 29) with “I’m Good (Blue).” Guetta gets his record-tying 12th No. 1, matching Calvin Harris and Rihanna for the most dating to the chart’s August 2003 inception. Rexha achieves her first leader on the list.
“Good” is scoring core-dance airplay on KMVQ-HD2 San Francisco, SiriusXM’s BPM and KNHC (C89.5) Seattle, among other stations. (The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 70 top 40-formatted reporters.)
Here’s a look at Guetta’s dozen dominations on Dance/Mix Show Airplay:
Title, Artists, Year (weeks at No. 1, if more than one)
“The World Is Mine,” feat. JD Davis, 2007 (two)“Love Is Gone,” with Chris Willis, 2007“When Love Takes Over,” feat. Kelly Rowland, 2009 (nine)“Sexy Chick,” featuring Akon, 2009 (six)“Gettin’ Over You,” with Chris Willis, feat. Fergie & LMFAO, 2010 (two)“Without You,” feat. Usher, 2011 (two)“Turn Me On,” feat. Nicki Minaj, 2012 (three)“Stay (Don’t Go Away),” feat. RAYE, 2019“Let’s Love,” with SIA, 2020“Bed,” with Joel Corry x RAYE, 2021 (three)“Heartbreak Anthem,” with Galantis & Little Mix, 2021“I’m Good (Blue),” with Bebe Rexha, 2022
“Good,” which interpolates Eiffel 65’s classic “Blue (Da Ba Dee),” a No. 6 Billboard Hot 100 hit in 2000, also leads the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart (for a fifth week), Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs (sixth) and Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales (also sixth). “Good” garnered 26.8 million all-format radio airplay audience impressions, 11.5 million official streams, and 7,000 downloads sold in the U.S. Oct. 14-20, according to Luminate.
The song concurrently pushes to a new No. 13 Hot 100 high. On Pop Airplay, its hits the top 10 (11-10), becoming Guetta’s seventh top 10 (and first since 2015) and Rexha’s fifth (and first since 2018).
Speaking of the Hot 100, the chart’s new No. 1, Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy,” surges to the Dance/Mix Show Airplay top 10 (22-10). Smith’s seventh top 10 and Petras’ second, the collab is drawing significant core-dance airplay on SiriusXM’s Diplo’s Revolution, among other outlets, thanks to Disclosure’s remix.
“Unholy” is only the third song to reach the Dance/Mix Show Airplay top 10 in just two frames this year, joining Diplo and Miguel’s “Don’t Forget My Love” (12-3, in March) and Drake’s “Massive” (17-9, July).
On the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, Oliver Tree and Robin Schulz’s “Miss You” also rises in its second week (10-7), earning top Streaming Gainer honors. The track, whose profile has been boosted by TikTok, tallied 5.1 million streams, up 174%. Concurrently, “Miss” lifts 5-4 on Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs, marking Oliver Tree’s first top 10 and Schulz’s third.
Further on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Farruko flies in with “Viaje,” the chart’s leading debut (No. 23). Starting with 942,000 streams, his latest Latin-EDM crossover follows three consecutive top 10s (which upped his career total to four): “Nazareno” (No. 7, this June); “El Incomprendido,” with Victor Cardenas and DJ Adoni (No. 4, October 2021); and “Pepas” (No. 1 for nine weeks, beginning in August 2021).
Plus, Tove Lo and SG Lewis team on two Hot Dance/Electronic Songs debuts: “Call On Me” ( No. 27) and “Pineapple Slice” (No. 48). Tove Lo’s 10thand 11th appearances and Lewis’ 11th and 12th, the former starts with 836,000 streams and the latter with 484,000. Both cuts are from Tove Lo’s Dirt Femme, which debuts on Independent Albums (No. 24) and the Billboard 200 (No. 153), among other surveys.
When the Oasis Tree emerges, it brings worlds together. This surreal intersection of realms provides a transcendental place to rave to futuristic music. Cartoons come to life in speakeasies. Cuddly animated DJs stand proudly as statues.
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No, these aren’t plot points to a far-out science fiction novel. They’re real things to be found at Porter Robinson’s ambitious Second Sky festival, happening this Saturday (October 29) at the Oakland Arena Grounds in Oakland, California.
Founded in 2019 in tandem with Goldenvoice — the promoter behind events like Coachella and Stagecoach — Second Sky provides a space for prominent electronic artists across myriad strains of electronic music to share a stage.
This year’s Second Sky features performances from artists including RL Grime, Bladee and Hudson Mohawke, on top of a full band live set from Robinson, who will also perform as his alter ego Virtual Self during a b2b with G Jones. Skrillex was also added to the lineup on October 14, after Fred Again.. dropped off the bill.
But the stacked lineup is far from the only selling point. For the second time, Robinson and Goldenvoice called upon theme park industry veterans Nassal to transform Second Sky into an immersive experience, essentially building a Porter-themed theme park that comes to life for a single day.
Second Sky 2021
Courtesy of Goldenvoice
The Orlando-based design company is behind endeavors like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios locations in Florida, Los Angeles, and Japan, and Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland. The Nassal team initially got involved with Second Sky in 2021 after Robinson’s manager, Aaron Greene, hit them up out of nowhere through their website to ask if they were behind the aforementioned theme park work. Greene felt there was a bigger story to tell with Second Sky than just a bunch of artists on a stage, and he and Robinson had a hunch that Nassal could help manifest their vision in a meaningful way. That instinct proved wildly correct.
Nassal’s work leading up to this weekend has taken 11 months to design and six months to build in myriad warehouse spaces. Installing Second Sky on site has taken 28 specialists 11 days, in addition to two days of teardown. The production is so ornate that it takes six days for three people to just sort and prep all of the flowers used.
Both the Nassal team and a representative for Robinson declined to comment on Second Sky costs, although a source close to the event notes that festival and touring costs are 30-40% above pre pandemic numbers across the board and that the team “knows how to stretch a dollar the most we can,” adding that “Porter’s production team is incredible, and Nassal are some of the best creatives I’ve ever worked with.”
“Everything has to be story-driven first,” Nassal’s Vice President of Global Development Melissa Ruminot tells Billboard. “A guest doesn’t actually need to know the details of the story, but they have to get it inherently the second they walk in… You need to enfold somebody into it. You need them to feel like they weren’t just involved in it, they were actually part of creating it.”
Last year, Nassal executed this mission by using elements like synthetic nature and statues of Robinson’s quasi-mascot Potaro to subtly establish the cartoonish whimsy that the Nassal team frequently refers to as “The Porterverse.” This year, they’re adding even more of these elements to build on what they previously explored.
The two teams collaborated over Pinterest to integrate the physical infrastructure of the event site into a narrative experience that would guide what Morrow describes as the “eco-brutalist” aesthetics of its design. There is a lot of intentionally mysterious depth to the story, but the primary theme is that once a year Second Sky materializes; it can go wherever it wants, and it’s anchored by the Oasis Tree, which brings worlds together. After Second Sky appears and draws people to it, it then quickly disappears, leaving no trace. In the year between festivals, this elusiveness allows new lands to emerge.
B Morrow Industries’ Creative Director of Theming Brian Morrow teases that this year will include a new realm and new characters from the video for Robinson and Mat Zo’s 2013 collaboration “Easy.” There are also gathering spaces for fans to rest, pulling focus away from the stage to further establish the festival’s universe. The Robinson and Nassal teams even worked together to devise a made-up language that appears in lieu of English everywhere except for essential spaces like restrooms.
The team listened to Robinson’s music while they designed, with this soundtrack helping Second Sky’s designers, creators, and builders connect with the brand and visual language Robinson uses in his work.
Second Sky 2021
Courtesy of Goldenvoice
But when the Nassal team started lifting ideas from Robinson’s videos and album covers, Robinson was quick to steer them in a different direction. They were pushed to create a nuanced world that feels welcoming for all of his colleagues and friends, with Second Sky tethered to a utopian feeling that considers every artist on the lineup. With the exception of a few elements lifted from the “Easy” video, its world is agnostic to individual creative identity, focusing more on nestling each artist’s set against a cohesive backdrop.
“As theme park designers, we’re, like, ‘Let’s crack open the movie and figure out how to manifest it in the real world,’” says Morrow.
This year, the production team also worked to create a VIP-only experience that includes access to an exclusive space called the Easy/Speak lounge, a speakeasy with custom refreshments and other exclusive offerings that’s intended to add context to the “Easy” video. Next year, the team plans to move this VIP lounge into the GA area, while creating a new world for 2023 VIPs to explore.
“Porter is really breaking a mold when it comes to a festival experience for a guest,” Ruminot says when asked if there were festivals Nassal turned to for inspiration. The team intentionally avoided taking cues from other music-centric events, instead drawing from story-driven architecture at theme parks like Disney and Universal to make Second Sky unlike any other festival production out there. Ruminot cites the general feeling of Wizarding World as key sources of inspiration for Second Sky.
Such care proved effective at last year’s Second Sky, a homespun, wholesome affair during which Robinson’s parents roamed the site in matching blue vests that announced “I’m Porter’s mom/dad, say hi!”
Adds Morrow of the family feel: “We were nervous that people were going to climb things or take things. What we found is that the fans and the guests of Second Sky treat the space with this love and respect that we’ve never seen before.”
Nassal’s admiration for their audience seems to have impacted their willingness to put such a concentrated effort into a short event. Morrow says Goldenvoice recognizes that the festival is more than a spectacle, and rather that the promoter is invested in its heart and meaning, identifying a loyal fanbase looking for a loving, soft environment.
And while Morrow and Ruminot aren’t able to give away too many specifics about the surprises in store, they’re quick to assert that they believe their work is truly one-of-a-kind. They recommend fans try to translate the language and stay on the lookout for a Halloween-centric Potaro — and that VIPs should hang out inside Easy/Speak Lounge for at least 30 minutes to see how things unfold, noting that attendees will find the answers to their questions slowly over the course of the festival.
“It’s what you would expect from last year,” says Ruminot, “plus so much more.”
KYIV, UKRAINE — “Respect my borders,” the large entry stamp reads, pressed in bold black block letters down my forearm.
Here, a massive courtyard is flanked on one side by a crumbly brick building well over a hundred years old and on the other side by the yellowing building’s new, stainless-steel addition. Techno is pulsating through the open door of the building — the leading techno club in Kyiv, Ukraine.
The space officially has no name. Located at the edge of Kyiv inside a former brewery, the club’s logo and de facto identifying mark is a mathematical sign, ∄, used in high-level calculus to indicate the value for a formula that does not exist. It also reflects the club’s interest in self-promotion — nonexistent. For pronunciation and reference, Kyiv’s techno community knows ∄ as “K41,” a moniker that combines the venue’s street name and building number.
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And in keeping with the ∄ symbol’s meaning, team members at the club don’t want to insert themselves into the club’s bigger story — they prefer to remain anonymous and peripheral to their venue and community. “Instead,” several from this group explain to Billboard, “we are all just members of the ∄ team.”
Though initially intended to remind guests that despite the world of possibility inside the club, personal boundaries are to be observed and respected, my entry stamp’s commandment has taken new meaning since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February. It is a reminder that Ukraine is in an existential fight for its existence.
The ongoing invasion ended ∄’s latest season, called Dance.Delivery, just two days before its scheduled opening weekend in this past February. But on Oct. 15, after nearly eight months of war, ∄ reopened its doors to Kyiv for the first time and revived the canceled season, in a defiant display of Ukrainian resiliency during the war.
At the Oct. 15 event, hundreds of club goers clad mostly in black revel on the dance floor. For many, their first time clubbing in nearly eight months provides an outlet for joy and the release that comes from dancing together. “The crowd today is different,” one of ∄’s team members says. A palpable lightness filled the space. “Less naked bodies,” she quips. “Maybe because it’s the first event, maybe it’s because of the music today; it’s calmer.”
Much of the building’s original texture is preserved. Dancefloors and soundsystems are woven into the brewery’s architecturally complex interior, which has been fashioned into nine separate dance spaces that can altogether host upwards of 15,000 attendees. Original 1870s-era logo mosaics are juxtaposed against glittering glass-and-tile DJ booths and pits that once housed enormous copper brewing vats are transformed into vast, pool-like seating areas.
The front lines of the war are hundreds of miles from the Ukrainian capital. And while the city is slowly removing the concrete-and-sandbag checkpoints and steel vehicle obstacles it had scrambled into place during the early days of the Russian invasion, the decision to reopen ∄ and revive its aborted season did not come easy.
On Oct. 10, just days before the planned reopening, early morning blasts shook the Ukrainian capital awake as Russian rockets and missiles struck civilian targets in Kyiv and other cities throughout Ukraine. The attack in Kyiv killed at least eight people and wounded scores of others. ∄’s team wrestled with their desire to revive techno in Kyiv. Could they kick off the canceled Dance.Delivery season? Should they go forward with the event?
All of Ukraine is currently under martial law, a response to the Russian invasion that provides the legal framework necessary for curtailing movement during the war. Military-age males are not allowed to leave the country and large gatherings like sporting events are forbidden.
Kyiv’s ∄ club
Kateryna Smirnova
After deciding to move ahead, ∄’s team members opted to cap the first installment of Dance.Delivery at a few hundred attendees, opening just one of the venue’s spaces to keep the event intimate and out of concern for guest safety amidst potential Russian shelling. And rather than throwing a typical night event, the space opened in the afternoon and closed its doors before 10 p.m. in order not to run afoul of Kyiv’s city-wide nighttime curfew restrictions.
Practical hurdles had to be overcome as well. During the early days of the Russian invasion, ∄’s team members took advantage of the former brewery’s thick concrete and brick architecture, transforming the building into an ersatz bomb shelter and temporary housing for the displaced. Sound equipment and DJ booths were moved to make space for bunkbeds and cots.
One of ∄’s sound engineers voiced his worry that sound equipment might not work because of humidity exposure during its nearly eight months of storage. “If the electricity cuts out because of a blackout or any other reason,” he says, hinting at the slight but genuine possibility of an explosion somewhere in the city, “we have backup generators. We’ll be fine.”
The first installment of Dance.Delivery was thus undoubtedly far from typical — but it was a defiant and resounding success. As afternoon turned to evening, dancers gradually fill up ∄, with a mishmash of fresh, youthful faces mixed in with ∄’s veteran crowd all moving to sets by Ukrainian artists Cantrust and Human Margareeta. Three flavors of dress prevailed: blacks and whites, leathers and fishnets, and not much at all.
A Small But Growing Scene
Ukraine’s techno scene is smaller than scenes in other European cities, but it’s burgeoning — and no less fervent. Though relatively new, ∄ offers a space for the kind of easy abandon enjoyed by techno communities in Berlin or London. At the former brewery in Kyiv, clubbers and dancers enjoy the freedom to experience music, dance and community, restricted only by the boundaries other visitors make for themselves, boundaries that are scrupulously respected.
For Vlad Shast, an exuberant 40-something drag queen and one of the club’s wide ensemble of standout regulars, ∄ is a profoundly meaningful space — and not just because of the music. “Before K41 opened, I never felt like I had a place where I belonged,” Shast explains between stints on the dancefloor. Shast has been fixture at ∄ since the space opened in 2019 and is closely involved with ∄’s ХІТЬ, a word that translates to “lust,” and the name of a regular queer party series the club held before the Russian invasion.
“I can show my inner creator and be fully accepted by people around me. I can be truly myself, truly me,” he says of ∄’, twirling the edge of a translucent gossamer dress he made in February before the Russian invasion, specifically for the first installment of ∄’s Dance.Delivery season. “After the beginning of the war, I didn’t have time to realize how much [the club] meant to me,” Shast adds, brushing strands of an ornate, homemade headdress made of woven black zip ties away from his face.
But, he acknowledges, at first, after the rocket attacks, he couldn’t imagine going back to ∄. “I felt like I would be dancing on people’s graves,” he says.
After deep conversations with ∄’s organizers and friends, Shast concluded that reopening is a question of prioritization. Following the rocket attacks in the capital, “we were so focused on the dead,” Shast says. And while this is entirely understandable for a community so directly faced with the challenges of war, “we should be focused on the living,” he says.
The decision to reopen is one that Shast appreciates. It was only during the middle of the party, “when I had a moment by myself, that I fully felt what the Russians took away from me,” Shast says. The invasion, he continues, took away the “ability to share my art, my ability to connect with my people, my ability to connect with my community.”
For him, this night on ∄’s dancefloor was a celebration of life, not a commemoration of death.
A Tie to Berghain and German Ravers
The space has a deep connection to Germany. ∄’s founders tapped the same group that designed the world capital of techno — Berlin’s Berghain — for their space. In 2020 and 2021, Berliners took weekend trips to Kyiv en mass to escape Germany’s strict Covid lockdowns and Berlin’s shuttered techno clubs.
Cognizant of both the techno scene’s particular proclivities as well as the increasingly international audience that ∄ pulls into its orbit — international acts including LSDXOXO, Ben UFO, and DJ Stingray have all played there — the club passes out fliers to partygoers in Ukrainian and English that explain how various drugs can interact if taken together, how to prevent overdosing and hangovers, and how to navigate sexual consent while partying. Other cards carefully explain what to do if stopped by police, citizens’ rights, and how police in Ukraine are allowed to interact with people on the street.
Several of ∄’s team members sought refuge in Berlin during the early days of the Russian invasion. And though grateful for the initial support Germany offered Ukrainians fleeing war, many Ukrainians who came to Germany had what they call a profoundly frustrating, even maddening experience during their stay.
“Before the Russian invasion, I thought Europeans were very privileged,” a ∄ team member explains over a beer at ∄’s bar. “Affordable health insurance and a high standard of living” are certainly things to be admired, she says, draining her beer and setting it resolutely on the bar counter. “But now I know that Ukrainians are the ones that are privileged.”
When asked why, she stares me dead in the eye. In this war, “Ukrainians know that pacifism is not an option,” she says, voicing frustration with some European countries commonly heard in Ukraine — and with Germany in particular.
Kyiv’s ∄ club
Kateryna Smirnova
Exasperation is felt particularly acutely towards the clamoring for the laying down of arms and calls for immediate peace — viewpoints many on the ∄ team call increasingly out of step with the reality of battlefields in Ukraine, where civilians are regularly targeted and where evidence of brutal Russian war crimes in recently liberated towns and villages is steadily mounting.
Though some of ∄’s approximately 130 team members are still abroad, many have returned to Ukraine, homeward journeys that brought them back to a country at war. Their reasons for returning are myriad, but the ∄ team member at the bar says that some of their security staff enlisted in the Ukrainian army and are now fighting at the front lines.
∄ is throwing everything it has behind its friends and family fighting at the front. This first Dance.Delivery event ultimately raised 150,855 Ukrainian hryvnia (nearly $4,100) through donations at the door. The money went towards the Hospitallers paramedic group, a Ukrainian organization of volunteer paramedics.
Just two days after the first installment of Dance.Delivery, another series of explosions ripped through downtown Kyiv, striking cultural sites, one of the city’s primary power substations, and other non-military infrastructure. The attack killed at least four people and injured dozens more — a stark reminder that despite the weekend’s semblance of normalcy, conflict elsewhere in the country has not ended.
“Our building survived two world wars,” one of ∄’s team members explains. “I hope it will survive this war too.” Yet, despite the air raid alarms and the explosions, for a single night, both ∄ and Kyiv were alive — and dancing.