Music is my remedy': how DJing is helping Ukraine's war veterans with their recovery

"In Ukraine, sound carries a different weight: the cautionary blurt of sirens, Shahed drones humming overhead, the concussive thwack of air defence interception and the subsequent explosion. But as well as the sounds of war, which continue three and a half years into Russia's full-scale invasion, music still plays, clubs remain open during the day (closing well before the midnight curfew), and electronic dance music remains an intrinsic part of many Ukrainian lives."

"But the rehabilitative power of dance music is most evident at the Superhumans centre, near Lviv in the west of Ukraine. Here, the most critically war-wounded are treated with prosthetics and reconstructive surgery, and psychological support is given to children and adults affected by the war. And within the range of treatment is music therapy. Howard Buffett, the son of Warren Buffett and one of the centre's chief funders, suggested forming a Superhumans band."

"We were working with a 25-year-old soldier with severe brain damage and limited use of his hand, the charity's founder, Volodymyr Negodada, remembers. We started with a [sound-based] relaxation session designed to calm the nervous system, but stopped almost immediately because the low frequency triggered pain. When he started to feel better, he asked for a DJ console. If I go two days without playing music, that's when the phantom pains and bad thoughts start."

Sound in Ukraine ranges from sirens, Shahed drones and air-defence explosions to music playing in clubs despite curfews. Clubs like K41 doubled as bomb shelters and later as frontline fundraisers, and parties sometimes serve as cleanup operations at strike sites. New venues such as Abo Records opened in abandoned factories, attracting diverse attendees including snipers and medics. The Superhumans centre near Lviv treats critically wounded patients with prosthetics, reconstructive surgery, psychological support and music therapy. Victory Beats teamed with the centre to help veterans express emotion nonverbally. Music can alleviate phantom pains and dark thoughts for wounded soldiers, who sometimes request DJ consoles.

Read at www.theguardian.com