Перейти до основного змісту
It is your duty to do what you live for. An interview with Anton Sliepakov and Andrii Sokolov

It is your duty to do what you live for. An interview with Anton Sliepakov and Andrii Sokolov

Ексклюзивно
It is your duty to do what you live for. An interview with Anton Sliepakov and Andrii Sokolov
. Photo: Oli Zitch

Members of the band ВГНВЖ (VGNVZH), formerly known as Вагоновожатые (Vagonovozhatye), Anton Sliepakov and Andrii Sokolov, released the first single from the album called warнякання (a portmanteau of English “war” and Ukrainian suffix “някання”, a homophone meaning “Grumbling”, – Ed.) at the end of March. The new project, associated with VGNVZH only with the names of its two participants, has become a kind of war diary. Anton Sliepakov documents his reflection on the events of the full-scale Russian invasion, and Andrii Sokolov creates musical accompaniment to these poems.

All collected money from album sales on Bandcamp, Anton and Andrii transfer to the needs of Ukrainian volunteers and military personnel. They have also already had many performances in Kyiv (Zhraia volunteer headquarters, Squat17b, Festival 4.5.0), Dnipro (Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture), and Lviv (Secret Place as part of the week of Ukrainian culture in Georgia), where they raised money for the needs of the army.

Suspilne media journalist Mariia Blindiuk spoke with Anton and Andrii about volunteering, the decision to stay in Kyiv, reflection on the events of the last three months, and music.

Ukrainian version is available here.

Translated from Ukrainian by Maryna Bakalo.

Andrii Sokolov and Anton Sliepakov
Andrii Sokolov and Anton Sliepakov. Photo: Oli Zitch

A few months before February 24, there was a tension that Russia was planning a more extensive invasion. Did you have a plan of action?

Anton: I didn't have a plan, but there were regular discussions. About a week before this date, Andrii and I met for coffee in the park. We met and discussed what would happen and how. We thought they wouldn't dare because they're not idiots. I admit I hadn't packed an emergency grab bag.

Andrii: I had, and I had had a plan.

When did you pack it?

Andrii: When there were the first missiles. I arrived in Ukraine on the 22nd evening with a heavy heart. I felt that some irreversible hell was already happening. Something had started even before the first explosions.

Andrii Sokolov during a performance on May 8 at the Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture
Andrii Sokolov during a performance on May 8 at the Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture. Photo: Oleh Samoilenko

To what extent did your plan correspond to your real actions?

Andrii: I understood that there might be an occupation of the city. And there were two options: either to resist, or I would not be able to obey the rules of the occupier and survive. Of course, there was an opinion that such a city should be left. I had had this plan before the first big missile strike nearby. Then I sat down on my things and thought, "Ok, now I can become a refugee," and I couldn't accept it. Then I finally decided to stay.

When you calculate all the options and see how the occupier behaves in dangerous areas like Chornobyl, you see that people understand nothing at all. There is nothing sacred or reasonable there. So, I imagined what they could do in Kyiv. And eventually, I saw it in the Kyiv region.

Options to leave the city sounded fine only in case of the use of mass weapons: chemical, radioactive, nuclear.

Andrii Sokolov and Anton Sliepakov
Andrii Sokolov and Anton Sliepakov. Photo: Oli Zitch

And you, Anton, thought to stay from the beginning?

Anton: Yes, I knew right away. Moreover, there were various materials and questions from journalists, and one of them was the material about Kyiv residents who stay in the city. I was one of the heroes who assured everyone that we weren't going anywhere. We would not sow panic. We would not strain trade, the economy, run and buy up all buckwheat, matches, and toilet paper.

And on February 22, there was an interview with the cult radio called NPR, where I explained why Ukrainian musicians refuse the Russian market and Russian-language content, VGNVZH in particular.

But it's not that I promised so much. I had nowhere to go and had no desire for that. I am also responsible for parents who flatly refused to leave. Therefore, I had the task of sending my girls, my family, and acting on the situation.

I decided to stay in the city and feel everything that happened to it.

Secondly, I understood that the men would not be released, that there would be the last wave of mobilization, in which, I thought, I would also be taken, being unfit for military service. I decided to stay in the city and feel everything that happened to it. It was interesting to explore. If this has already happened to us, then we need to feel it to the fullest.

Performance with the warнякання project on May 6 in Kyiv Squat17b
Performance with the warнякання project on May 6 in Kyiv Squat17b. Photo: Oli Zitch

Do you remember the first time you were ready to listen to music since February 24?

Anton: In about a week. We didn't listen to anything, and there was a lump in the throat. Everyone I saw felt terrible. It was not just about music – books, movies, TV shows – nothing. I felt like I was already one of the dead. As if I were just looking from the outside at everything happening. This is not a metaphor or an allegory.

A week later, I went to visit my parents, went to the subway, and it turned out that the train ran once an hour and a half, and the one I needed just left. So, I found headphones in my backpack and the saddest music on my iPod. It was Morphine, a live recording I hadn't heard yet. It was a background sound that wasn't annoying.

Now I've already started listening to music. I just forced myself to return to the usual at some point. I'm used to listening to a lot of music – this is my defense and my superpower.

Andrii wasn't listening to music back then because when he came to see me for the first time, I turned on the music, and he was surprised.

Performance on May 8 at the Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture
Performance on May 8 at the Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture. Photo: Oleh Samoilenko

Andrii: Yes, consciously and voluntarily I started listening about three weeks ago.

I listened to volunteering. From the second day [of the war – ed.], I made designs for information resistance and then helped with the creation of videos in our structure, and there is a scale there. That is, you listen, but it's a job.

But I deliberately listened to the music when our drummer, Stas, sent me the "Awe Kid" album and said this would definitely suit me. In three days, I dared, listened, and realized that a dude from Europe had written the music of my dreams that I was supposed to write. There's calm electronics with broken rhythms – everything I love about music. This is the first release of this musician. Previously he was unknown.

There were also two Bonobo live shows: one on NPR ​​Tiny Desk and the other on KEXP. Anton shared them with me a little over a month ago. And a new Moderat album.

Anton: And, of course, the music broke out from the side. You go somewhere, the news is turned on, and some "Bairaktar" song is playing there. I remember SLUKH and LiRoom made collections of everything that was released. Someone posted an old track that was in the process and changed something there. You can't help but wonder who's doing what. Dima Koloah started working on an album.

It seems that the music is quite diverse, as it has always been so. I think, even if thousands of certain factors influence a musician, he still runs away in his direction like a subway train. All creative people are a bit self-centered. They know it. Of course, there are insecure people. Although they ask ten times what is wrong, they will still do it in their way.

Andrii: Of course. I had an implicit idea that they had released everything that was lying down as soon as the lousy precedent appeared. It's hard to imagine that everyone has rethought everything so profoundly. Of course, I can be wrong. This is at the level of feelings.

Performance with warнякання project on May 6 in Kyiv Squat17b
Performance with warнякання project on May 6 in Kyiv Squat17b. Photo: Oli Zitch

In an interview for Don't take fake, you said that you don't understand how people can listen to VGNVZH music now. Why is it so?

Anton: These are my feelings. I have a different attitude to my music than the audience. I know it from the inside. I perceive it from the microphone and monitor. In addition, the feelings are different from one interview to another.

The first week was one feeling, but in a month, it was different. Now we are used to it, and if you do not see some bags or military personnel on the street, it seems that everything is fine and everything is working. Everyone rides skateboards and electric scooters as if there is no war. There are some air alarms in mobile apps, but that's a little thing.

Many people wrote that this music had helped them, especially when they were driving. Because at first, there were a lot of traffic jams. And it took very long to leave the city. When you stand and move a kilometer per hour, I think listening to something like "Вогнепальне" (Vohnepalne) [the last album of VGNVZH band, – Ed.] can be appropriate.

Anton Sliepakov during a performance on May 29 at a secret place in Lviv
Anton Sliepakov during a performance on May 29 at a secret place in Lviv. Photo: Yuri Gryaznov

It seems to me that VGNVZH has more anger in music. However, warнякання does not have this emotion. Is it because you don't feel it or don't want to broadcast it?

Anton: Probably, the fact is that when we work on VGNVZH material, I first get a musical blank, demo, and beat. And when pushing away from it, I start to think about what it is about. It's thoroughly different here.

I usually write a text, and after that, Andrii and I are already thinking about what kind of music to adapt it to. It's more of a recitation. It can be done to any rhythm. There is no pickiness when you think over each bit; how best to put a dot or phonetic fuse so that it sounds cool. Sometimes, we have two demos and two poems, and we can swap them. We are pretty ironic about this.

Performance at the Zhraia volunteer headquarters on April 7
Performance at the Zhraia volunteer headquarters on April 7. Photo: Vasyl Osadchyi

How did you work in general? Andrii said he couldn't listen to music, but could you write it?

Andrii: A lot of music was created before warнякання, so this is collecting that I could even play in my sets a couple of years ago.

Anton: I didn't know anything about it. Andrii has his own project – walakos. He sometimes shows it, but I don't remember everything. Sometimes I can recognize something. Moreover, he often changes its setups, and the sound depends on the different devices he plays on.

I tell everyone that Andrii encouraged me to do warнякання. In the first week, I wrote the first text, and I wrote the second in three or four days. I posted the first one just on facebook as an emotion. Andrii saw it and said that we needed to do something and record it.

Andrii: I saw Anton's poem as a diary on facebook for the first time, but I did not feel it like "Let's do warнякання". War is unpredictable, and you need to write something down. Actually, Anton lives by music, and for me, this is also an essential part of life, if not the most important. And it is your duty to do what you live for under any conditions. I think, then, I felt acutely that everything needed to be recorded.

Anton Sliepakov during a performance at the Zhraia volunteer headquarters on April 7
Anton Sliepakov during a performance at the Zhraia volunteer headquarters on April 7. Photo: Vasyl Osadchyi

Anton: Yeah, we wanted to see what happened. Then we thought that it could be released as singles, and we could help friends. At this time, you are acutely aware of your financial helplessness. Everyone knows that musicians live off concerts, but now there are none. Of course, streaming platforms bring some money, but not that much so that you can deal with all the issues.

And you don't think there won't be anything to eat tomorrow. We need to deal with such an important issue. People die and fight, sometimes without weapons and protection.

It's physically challenging to see requests from close friends in the newsfeed. And you don't think there won't be anything to eat tomorrow. We need to deal with such an important issue. People die and fight, sometimes without weapons and protection. So, it's more critical now than some of your ridiculous rear needs.

It worked out. There was a big wave of support for the first single. We were inspired that everything is not so useless. To be honest, during the first week, I felt the guilt. Not in the sense that I didn't do anything, but someone was with a gun, and I was writing songs here. Then I realized that this should also be used as a weapon, in informational terms, therapeutic, and documentary ones.

Performance on May 8 at the Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture
Performance on May 8 at the Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture. Photo: Oleh Samoilenko

How do you feel about what people listen to and spread more: warнякання or VGNVZH albums? Is it difficult to check?

Anton: If they were released in at least the same year or month, it would be possible to compare the likes and dislikes. You correctly said that VGNVZH has anger and an aggressive bit. Everything is much softer here, so it is difficult to compare, although the performer and lyricist are the same. But these are different projects in terms of presentation and perception. Here everything is more thoughtful, and you will never be intimidated by aggressive drums during possible bombardments. I think if Stas [drummer of the VGNVZH band, – Ed.] starts playing, half of the people will lie down on the floor, thinking that planes or rockets are flying.

Performance with warнякання project on May 29 at a secret place in Lviv
Performance with warнякання project on May 29 at a secret place in Lviv. Photo: Yuri Gryaznov

Have you thought about doing something new with VGNVZH?

Anton: We haven't thought of anything new yet. We were all scattered all over the country, all in different places. Stas is working on new music, and his solo project will have a release. I don't know if Valentyn [guitarist of the band VGNVZH, – Ed.] was making music. I do not know what to write about next.

If there hadn't been this invasion, we would brainstorm this spring. We wanted to try moving to a place outside the city and focus on writing new music. There was a particular direction, but it seems a little irrelevant after all these events. I think this is not only our problem. Many people have written books, made films, and all this has become somehow tine – I don't envy them. At least we didn't have time to do anything, even though I already had some notes.

We are currently negotiating performances. If everything goes well, we will be provided with the necessary documents so that we can leave Ukraine for a while and play charity concerts abroad. Several invitations are already available, and we are considering this possibility for June. But now, having some plans even for a week is a great thing.

Do you think you will be able to perform with warнякання after the victory, returning to this reflection and reality?

Anton: We also had entirely different plans for our project, and everything went wrong. What will happen next is unclear. If I am asked whether it is a victory or warнякання, then first it is a victory, and then we will think.

Let's see what happens. I would like to record it. This is the first album that we write like a pyramid. We don't know what the final point is. Since early times, each album initially had a concept and usually immediately had a name.

Performance with warнякання project on May 28 at the Dovzhenko Center during "Kyiv 4.5.0."
Performance with warнякання project on May 28 at the Dovzhenko Center during "Kyiv 4.5.0.". Photo: Oli Zitch

Many people now talk about fatigue, that the initial enthusiasm to work has disappeared. How do you feel? Could you continue writing?

Anton: It all depends on inspiration. This is still not a shooting plan, as in the film process, where there is a storyboard and a plan for the day.

We were motivated when there was an offer to play. For example, when we played for Zhraia volunteers, we realized that there was not enough material; we needed at least three tracks more. I told Andrii that a text would be soon; we needed to write music. I don't know what Andrii is inspired by. Events and thoughts inspire me.

Performance with warнякання project on May 28 at the Dovzhenko Center during "Kyiv 4.5.0."
Performance with warнякання project on May 28 at the Dovzhenko Center during "Kyiv 4.5.0.". Photo: Oli Zitch
If you have inspiration, you do it with inspiration; if you don't have it, you do it without inspiration.

Andrii: Yesterday, we had a meeting on the second phase of our volunteering. And at first, everyone really worked at 200%. And this meeting turns into some kind of horror – no one understands what to do, half of us have burned out, and the other half says that we are doing everything wrong. We discussed this with the girlfriend and came to a common conclusion: if you have inspiration, you do it with inspiration; if you don't have it, you do it without inspiration.

I have a daily list of things to do. And if I need to make a track, I just sit down and work it out. Personally, I get inspired when I start working.

Performance with warнякання project on May 28 at the Dovzhenko Center during "Kyiv 4.5.0."
Performance with warнякання project on May 28 at the Dovzhenko Center during "Kyiv 4.5.0.". Photo: Oli Zitch

Anton: The same works for me. When the date of the performance in Lviv is announced for us [the conversation was recorded before the performance in Lviv on May 29, – Ed.], I'll sit down and write the following two or three texts.

Because we were a little distracted by adapting to live performances, although Andrii had some ideas, we finally started engaging other participants. Even when we wrote the first track, we actively communicated with Anton Ocheretianyi from Ragapop. Like electronic musicians, we try to cut some of these people's ideas and use them as samples.

Andrii Sokolov during a performance with warнякання project on May 29 at a secret place in Lviv
Andrii Sokolov during a performance with warнякання project on May 29 at a secret place in Lviv. Photo: Yuri Gryaznov

I realized how much music I'd missed over the past few months.

Anton: So many things were presented. I envy those people who enjoy the new. I know that many people gradually begin to listen a little to what is postponed. It's like a suspended coffee.

Andrii: My life is now based on the principle of maximum efficiency, so I don't listen, read or watch much. If I stay in the rear, I will do my best from here, and it still seems that I am doing little.

Anton Sliepakov. Performance with warнякання project on May 28 at the Dovzhenko Center during "Kyiv 4.5.0."
Anton Sliepakov. Performance with warнякання project on May 28 at the Dovzhenko Center during "Kyiv 4.5.0.". Photo: Oli Zitch
Russia invades Ukrainelive updates from Suspilne

Further reading

Топ дня
Вибір редакції
На початок