A UKRAINIAN military veteran who learned to DJ as part of his recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is to perform a set at one of Scotland’s biggest electronic festivals.
He will be joined at doof In The Park by 18-year-old Ukrainian refugee Oleksandra Korol, who fled Kyiv at the outbreak of the Russian invasion in 2022.
The pair were brought together by Scottish dance music charity Turn The Tables whose founder, Robbie Tolson, met military veteran Andrew Kosolapov during a visit to Ukraine as part of the Music Saves Ukraine humanitarian delegation.
On the final night of the trip, amid blackouts and air raid sirens, the two played an impromptu DJ set together at Kyiv venue HVLV.
Tolson then promised he would bring Kosolapov to Scotland to perform and raise awareness of EnterDJ, the Ukrainian non-profit using electronic music to rehabilitate veterans and civilians living with wartime PTSD.
Kosolapov, who is known as Perekos, volunteered to fight following the 2022 Russian invasion but was injured on the frontline and lost fellow soldiers during the conflict. He discovered DJing through EnterDJ during his recovery and now performs across Ukraine to raise awareness of its work.
“When the enemy approaches your home and your loved ones, I saw no other option than to take up arms and go to war,” he said. “After my injury on the front line, I needed something positive to help me recover and that’s when I discovered EnterDJ.
“DJing had been a childhood dream of mine, so I was really excited to get involved but I could never have dreamed it would one day take me to play at a music festival in Scotland.”
Korol, who is known as Sasha, learned to DJ through Turn The Tables before becoming a regular at doof Studios, the community DJ space founded by Hannah Laing, Turn The Tables and Street Soccer Scotland within the Change Centre Dundee. She has since performed at Dundee Dance Event and Hidden Door Festival.
“doof Studios has become so much more than a place where I learned a skill,” Sasha said. “It helped me grow my confidence and connect with the music scene in Dundee, which has really helped me feel at home here.”
Laing, who is curating the doof festival, added: “I’ve watched Sasha grow in confidence since she first started attending workshops at the studio and it’s an honour that we can now host this collaboration and give her a platform to represent her home Ukraine at doof In The Park in such a meaningful way.”
Tolson said they wanted to “shine a light” on the power of music.
“It genuinely works on so many levels to help people going through tough times,” he said.
“On stage will be one DJ who evacuated to Scotland because of the war and another who volunteered to defend his country against violence we thought was resigned to the history books.
“Now they’re performing together at doof In The Park. If that doesn’t show the power of music, I don’t know what does.”
The appearance forms part of a huge second edition for doof In The Park, which returns to Camperdown Park in Dundee on July 4.
