DJ Tapolsky at Burning Man + 5 Other Unusual DJ Sets

For the third consecutive year, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been proving that Russia’s second army is, in fact, in... Ukraine. However, aside from keeping the pressure on the Russian invaders, they’ve also been turning up the heat for ravers gathering from across the globe at the Burning Man festival. The difference lies in the fact that the Ukrainian soldiers scorch the barbaric Russians with armed fire, while they ignite the souls of civilised music lovers with electrifying DJ sets.

Recently, veteran of the Ukrainian DJ scene and active soldier of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Anatoliy Topolsky, also known as DJ Tapolsky, performed against the backdrop of the "I’m Fine" installation at Burning Man 2024, created by artist Oleksiy Sai and producer Vitaliy Deinega. The installation features the phrase "I’m Fine" weighing 10 tons and standing 7 metres tall, made from artefacts of the Russian-Ukrainian war. These include street signs riddled with bullet holes by the occupiers, damaged fences, scratched solar panels, broken satellite antennas, shattered city name signs, and more.

This installation is a transparent and sorrowful hint that when you ask a Ukrainian acquaintance "How are you?" and they politely reply "I’m fine", it shouldn’t be taken literally. The reality for all Ukrainians is dire – the war has spared none. For example, the installation heavily features "pedestrian crossing" signs – a reminder that from the very first days of the occupation, Putin’s forces shot civilians for simply crossing the street. There are also several "caution, children" signs, one of which was taken from a school completely destroyed near Kherson.

The primary goal of this installation, according to the Ukrainian artists, was to draw attention to the destruction of over two thousand cultural institutions, more than three hundred of which can never be restored. Music lovers who came to hear the DJ set of a Ukrainian Armed Forces soldier against the backdrop of this harrowing sculpture saw and heard another message: Ukrainians do not consider themselves victims, but warriors, and this artistic-musical performance is a symbol of their resilience and indomitable fighting spirit. DJ Tapolsky's set left visitors deeply moved, and some, touching the jagged, damaged metal, were unable to hold back tears.

Vlad Fisun in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone

Ukrainian DJs generally love performing in unusual places against extraordinary backdrops, turning music into an important message for all of humanity. For example, in 2019, another Kyiv-based DJ, Vlad Fisun, played a set in the unfinished cooling tower of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the infamous fourth reactor. This was quite dangerous, as being in such a location for more than 4-5 hours, due to elevated radiation levels, could easily lead to irreversible health consequences.

However, Vlad Fisun was well-prepared in advance, managing not only to play his set as planned on the first take but also to film a musical documentary about his extreme experience titled Chornobyl: Territory of Change. The film is not exactly entertaining (young people likely won’t appreciate it), but adults who understand the significance of this location will sit through all 45 minutes, holding their breath. After all, the Exclusion Zone is not dead, as it’s often perceived – it has its own energy, which, under the dance music of Vlad Fisun, can even be felt through the YouTube video.

Paul Oakenfold and Carl Cox at Stonehenge

Naturally, it’s not just Ukrainian DJs who love choosing stunning settings for their sets. After all, if you're going to have an epic party, it’s best to do it in a cool location. Over 4,000 years ago, the inhabitants of the prehistoric British Isles gathered at one of the most famous megalithic complexes in the ancient world – Stonehenge, built around the same time as the pyramids. Today, we don’t know exactly why this complex was created or what people did there (astronomy? sacrifices? surgery? just gathering for council or military meetings?). But we do know why Paul Oakenfold and Carl Cox played an epic DJ set there in modern times – because with the addition of light music and lasers, and shaking to the beats of dance music, Stonehenge seemed like it had been built as a port for future aliens, and finally, a dream spaceship from a distant galaxy had landed there.

Peggy Gou and Artwork in the "Y-40" Pool

The depths of the world’s oceans are the least explored part of our planet. That’s because they’ve been studied by overly serious scientists. If all the budgets for studying the underwater world were handed over to DJs, believe me, in a couple of years, we’d be seeing concerts at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. At least, the first step in that direction has already been taken. In 2018, DJs Peggy Gou and Artwork performed their underwater techno-house double set in one of the world’s deepest pools, Italy’s "Y-40" (42.15 metres deep). For this, the music lovers were given special helmets – not only providing air but also allowing them to enjoy the underwater acoustics, which, as all whales and sharks know, hit the bass and drums directly in your head.

Mathew Jonson & Isis on the Teufelsberg Hill

Once, Hitler began the reconstruction of Berlin into the "World Capital Germania" by building a campus in the Grunewald forest to train future engineers for the defence industry. But after the war, the vast unfinished lecture hall, which was supposed to be the new Parthenon, was buried under the debris from the ruined city. This is how the man-made Teufelsberg hill came into existence – a forbidden area in West Berlin during the Cold War, shrouded in legends and myths. That’s because at the top of the hill, the USA built a station for radio surveillance of the Warsaw Pact countries. Today, Teufelsberg, planted with trees and covered in graffiti, has become a cultural retreat for the youth. For example, Mathew Jonson & Isis performed a DJ set at this former spy station.

Fatboy Slim in Westminster Palace

In the mid-1990s, British politicians disliked DJ music so much that they even passed a law banning "monotonous rhythms" in public places. They aimed to influence the younger generation and curb the epidemic of drug abuse, which was igniting anew after each rave party, like a barbecue flaring up after pouring lighter fluid. But times change. In the 21st century, raves ceased to be perceived solely as drug-fuelled music orgies, and in 2013, something happened that would have been considered impossible 20 years earlier. Musician Norman Quentin Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, became the first DJ in history to play in the sacred heart of British politics – Westminster Palace. The idea was simple: to engage young people in public life, which, according to Conservative MP Mike Weatherley, the country needed "Right Here, Right Now."