Rap&Vogue

About

" Bourgeois rave in a pigeon costume "

Rap&Vogue has borrowed the best from both worlds – the post-irony of the East and the discreet charm of the bourgeoisie from the West. The self-proclaimed “scandalously unknown audio-visual pop art project” plays with French, Spanish, German, Russian, and Belarusian languages to create the perfect landscape for opening a surrealist portal to the dance floor. Indeed, this is one of the most danceable and eclectic art projects that modern Belarus has to offer.

The visual component occupies such a significant place in the work of Rap&Vogue for a reason. Dmitry Levkovsky and Marie Monaco entered the world of music first as directors and video makers. Before creating their own product, they absorbed all the best from the local avant-garde and indie scene in Belarus and Russia, and it shows. Their artistic vocabulary allows them to have fun while being entertaining. Bark – the third member of the band – is responsible for the performative part.

Here you can hear poems in Russian with a French accent, songs in French with a Belarusian accent, samples from Minsk public transport, and the cooing of a Parisian pigeon – all mixed with the Berlin vibe and Belarusian cuisine.

Since their debut EP in 2021 ‘C’est bon’, the project hasn’t released much, but when they do, they aim for hits balancing on the edge of mainstream and contemporary art. ‘The Abductors of Europe’, as they call themselves, tell us a simple recipe for existence: “Life is nothing but absurdity and draniki.”