Potras23 - PTRS

A Closer Listen

One of the most fascinating artists interviewed in Ukrainian Field Notes XXXVI is Kyrylo Potras (Potras23).  Potras lost a leg in a landmine explosion, but continues to serve as a Marine in Ukraine.  He’s also a devoted father and an electronic music artist, whose PTRS has just been released.

Potras’ backstory is compelling, but the appreciation of the album is compounded by his admission that “there are almost no fans of electronic music” in his regiment.  PTRS may change that, as it is reflective of the current conflict and energetic in a way that might pump soldiers up for combat duty.  The tone borders on the industrial: percussive and uncompromising, but with an undercurrent of deeper emotion that is especially apparent in the opening and closing tracks. “Introrchestra” starts the set in a gentle fashion with piano and string tones, leading to the first hints of sirens and drums.  The track is in effect an overture, exposing the drama in which the entire country has been embedded for over two years.

Before the darker tracks arrive, “Boo!” displays the artist’s playful side.  A pure dance track, the selection is drum-dominant, with teasing portions of trance and electro.  The exclamation point (visible in iTunes, but not on Bandcamp) makes one think of trick or treating.  “Olyva” (“Olive”) remains playful, with a fun percussive breakdown, a reminder that good times can still be had despite the horror of invasion.

The center of the set seems perfect for a regimental workout, especially “M.A.R.C.H.” and “Rank.”  One is tempted to invent an acronym for the first (“Make all russians come home”), but it’s likely just a march, with sampled words and a militaristic beat.  The drums pause mid-track like a break between explosions, with clashing metal heard over a rising drone before the hostilities resume. “Rank” seems to contain radio transmissions, its pace slow yet resolute, the metallic sounds even louder, traveling speaker to speaker like an exchange of gunfire.  The tone sounds aggressive, but not mean, reflecting the fervor of defense, rather than the evil of invasion.  “Ghost” flows directly from “Rank,” its sobering title a reminder of companions lost; in “Patashka,” the patterns begin to vary wildly, mirroring the pandemonium of war.

We learn more about the composer from the closing track.  Sofia Leshyshak’s a cappella version of the Ukrainian lullaby “Koyyku siren’ky” had been effective in helping Potras’ youngest child to fall asleep, so he asked the singer for permission to embed the song in an electronic framework.  The contrast speaks volumes about the coexistence of terror and comfort, death and life.  By ending on a family note, Potras expresses his hope for a lasting peace that comes not from a lullaby, but from an enemy withdrawal.  (Richard Allen)