Vladyslav Putistin & Lvcerate - interview for the bRAVEs

For the first interview (first published on Mar 10, 2024) we are happy to invite Vladyslav Putistin & Valera Lvcerate, who are currently still live in Ukraine, to speak with us about their first record release, how did they come together and what does it mean to make body music in time of war.

Vladyslav Putistin is a DJ based in Kyiv with over 10 years of experience. He has performed at some of the most renowned events including Stezhka, Veselka, and ∄ Community Event, as well as in some of the most exciting cities in Europe, such as Berlin and Paris. In the summer of 2023, he began producing his own music with the invaluable assistance of Valera Lvcerate, who has been producing music in genres such as EBM, Electronic, Breaks, Dark Disco, and Industrial for years and is an integral part of the vibrant Kyiv music scene.

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the bRAVEs: “Hot Flashes” (Abre numa nova janela) — your first record release — was released on March 1st on Sharped Records (Abre numa nova janela). How do you feel now?

Valera: I’m extremely excited about this collaborative project, as it marks my first comprehensive release with a label. Previously, my work primarily appeared on various artist (V/A) compilations. This collaboration with Vlad allows me to venture into less familiar territory, contrasting with my usual preference for more aggressive styles. Together, we’re exploring a fresher, more euphoric dimension of body music, which is an exhilarating development for me.

Vlad: Considering the fact that I learned to write music recently and Valera was my teacher, I am super excited with our collaboration and the first EP.

It turned out exactly as I imagined, combining the styles that we love and play.

the bRAVEs: From summer 2023 to March 2024. A little more than half a year for production, mixing, mastering and all the organizational work. How did you manage all that in such a short time?

Vlad & Valera: We finished the first track at the end of July, slowly, but under the impression of the first track, all the other tracks were ready by September. We started looking for a label and agreeing on remixes, and by October we knew the label and were waiting for remixes. Thanks to the label’s interest, the release actually came out quite quickly.

the bRAVEs: Vlad, what was your intention to start producing music after years of DJing and how did Valera lvcerate contribute to it?

Vlad: I always understood that just DJing would not be enough for me and when I felt that I was ready to write my own music, I started looking for someone to teach me this. For me, it was fundamental that this person understood such styles as Italo and EBM. And when I was playing on the k-41, Valera came to listen to me, after that we got to know each other and I asked if he would be able to teach me how to write music and he agreed. In general, I just sat next to him and watched him and asked questions, then I came home and tried to create something myself. And it worked very well, maybe because I had a musical education. I played guitar and piano until I was 16.

the bRAVEs: How did you divide the work between the two of you? Who was in charge of what?

Valera: Depends on the track, but mostly I was responsible for the base, like drums and bass, we worked together on development and leads, and mostly the mood of the track and detailing was Vlad’s responsibility.

the bRAVEs: How did the collaboration with Omon Breaker (Abre numa nova janela), Lennart (Abre numa nova janela), Neu-Romancer & Radondo (Abre numa nova janela) come about and why did you choose them for your first release?

Vlad & Valera: First of all, we chose artists whose music is close to us and which we like. Then we started to write to them, let them listen to the track we chose for them and almost everyone agreed from the first time, for which we are very grateful to them. And when we started receiving ready-made remixes, we were very satisfied with the result, they are different both stylistically and in terms of mood, as we wanted. We are very grateful to all the artists who agreed to do this for us!

the bRAVEs: Why EBM and Italo?

Vlad: I started listening to electronic music in general with electro, then came electroclash. It was from those times that I discovered Miss Kittin & The Hacker, Legowelt, David Carretta and many others. Thanks to them, I discovered the EBM and Italo genres for myself, I began to discover more and more the music of the 80s and realized that I feel it and that it is my mood and totally my vibe.

Valera: I have always loved the messages, aggressiveness and marching nature of EBM and industrial, but body music on its own can quickly become boring, and when mixed with something brighter and more cheerful like Italo, both genres can open up.

the bRAVEs: What is the meaning behind the song name “Between Joy and Fear”?

Vlad & Valera: This track is about the realities in which we now find ourselves and in which this EP was written, about the balance between light and darkness, and also an excellent representation of the main idea of the EP about revealing the contrasting sides of body music.

the bRAVEs: You released this EP under both names “Vladyslav Putistin & Lvcerate”. Can we expect your solo releases in the near future?

Vlad & Valera: We have quite a lot of material. Besides releasing a collaborative EP this year, each of us also plans to launch a solo EP.

the bRAVEs: Is it important to release dance music in times of war in your own country?

Vlad & Valera: It is important to show the Ukrainian scene and its development, to remind or tell about ourselves to the global scene.

In any case, we cannot stop, we must make music, support our army and our country!

Vladyslav Putistin
Instagram (Abre numa nova janela) I Soundcloud (Abre numa nova janela)

Lvcerate
Instagram (Abre numa nova janela) I Soundcloud (Abre numa nova janela)

the bRAVEs — Electronic Music Berlin
linktr.ee (Abre numa nova janela) I Instagram (Abre numa nova janela) I Telegram (Abre numa nova janela) I Facebook (Abre numa nova janela)