Ukrainian rock band Vopli Vidopliassova

The World

In 1989, the Ukrainian punk rock band Vopli Vidopliassova released a semi-official cassette tape called “Tantsi,” or “Dances.” In 2019, the original session tape was rediscovered, and in 2023, Tantsi was finally officially released. It now serves as a time capsule from late-Soviet Kyiv, where Ukrainian punks were rebelling against repressive rule from the Kremlin, and imagining new possibilities. The World’s Daniel Ofman reports from Kyiv.

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.