In Kyiv, a Club “That Doesn’t Exist” Shapes the Future of the Local Scene

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Author: Laurent Bigarella

Photo Credit: Yana Franz

Translation: Una Dimitrijevic

“We're living through one of the most interesting times in  Kyiv's electronic music scene.” As the cold afternoon draws to a close on this Saturday, 20th November, in the Podil district of the Ukrainian capital, Gael is enthusiastically describing the state of her city's artistic landscape. From a bench at the Closer club where she asked us to meet her, the producer and DJ lists the scene's major players: labels, radios, clubs, etc. A few hours later, not far from here, one of them will be celebrating two years of existence. It doesn't have a name, and yet this project is turning  Kyiv into a leading player of European club cultures.

The club that doesn't exist

Located at number 41 Kyrylivska Street, ∄ – or “K41” as its visitors tend to call it for the sake of pronunciation – has been open since November 2019. This club "that doesn't exist" (as per the meaning of the mathematical symbol that serves as its name) is located in Podil, one of  Kyiv's oldest neighbourhoods. In this part of the city, where many of the capital's nightlife venues are histo...