(interview)

‘5 Vymir’ (5th dimention) is a well-known Ukrainian music band, whose debut album was included in the TOP-100 albums of independent Ukraine. And finally, we got the opportunity to talk to the band’s vocalists Konstantin Pochtar and Roma Garkavenkо.

‘ You once studied together at school, and have been playing together ever since. What kind of music united you then, who did you focus on?”

“K: No one. It is interesting to see how bands fall into two categories: those who go and those who do not go to concerts with their colleagues. In the period when the band begins its existence, it cannot happen immediately, from the first day to create something of their own.

When we got together, we didn’t have a band to focus on. We are united by a love of music.”

“R: There are still bands that are doing something cool right now. Even look on the Internet, how many cool albums come out. For example, I never listened to ‘Foals,’ but I really liked the last album.

“After the concert in “Sofa” you, Kostya, said that you finally understood that ‘5 Vymir ‘ would change. How exactly?”

“K: Well, that’s actually what we were talking about. We have too many “nots.” There are very few cheerful things. People like some more or less good pop songs.’

“R: You know, it’s very individual. In Kyiv, one audience, in Ternopil or Frankivsk, for example, is another…”

“Do you often rehearse?”

“To: Rarely, but aptly. No, we are leading them steadily.”

“Where do you plan to go next? You already had a tour around Ukraine; you spoke in “Crystall Hall”, at a level higher than, for example,”44″ and “Sofa.” What’s next -television, radio?”

“K: Our task is to play music. If you do your work well, then they pay attention to you. We don’t have any pathos there; we easily get in touch with people.”

“R: It seems to me that the next level is something like O. Torvald.”

“Do you plan to take part in any festivals in the summer?”

“K: Yes, we are planning. We already have three in which we will take part, but we will not say yet which ones.”

“In your opinion, what are the problems of the Ukrainian music community, apart from the lack of funding?”

“R: It seems to me that people have such a biased attitude to music, which was created in Ukraine. Most people think we have nothing good to play… Everyone wants some cool band from abroad. Although in Kyiv, for example, there are enough music groups that play high quality music.”

“K: We need advertising, in any case. Advertising is money, and money is what no one wants to invest.”

“About money. You still don’t earn enough from your music?”

“K: Of course not. We don’t always play for money. But it seems to me that this is not the case, ok, we play for free.”

“R: We do not have any crazy fees, but I hope that will change someday.”

“Does the situation in society somehow affect your work?”

“K: Of course, these things depend on each other.”

“Q: But we are definitely not a group with political slogans.”

“Regarding Ukrainian music: which fellow musicians can you single out?”

“R: Our friends from Ternopil are the ‘Orange band,’ then ‘Plastic Drops.’ They are the same guys, but in these two bands they play completely different music: I mean ‘Plastic Drops. This is such an experimental mat-rock. These are probably the musicians who did it foremost of us – they opened another way for us and showed how to play.”

“K: They showed us the world in general, and everyone. The first concert with Semyon was in Ternopil. That is, subconsciously we learned a lot of things there, in terms of music, and in general…”