Spin Zone

It’s extremely doubtful whether a DJ can influence Middle East diplomacy – even one as hot as this. But we naturally applaud her for at least trying. And, well, if it wasn’t for her new single “Peace in the Middle East”, she wouldn’t be on these pages at all. The Russian-cum-Dutch MC and vocalist Vika Kova, who has performed with the likes of David Guetta, Felix da Housecat and Armand van Helden, is a regular visitor to our part of the world, Cairo and Beirut in particular, and as part of her Peace in the Middle East project, she’ll be back again soon.

NOX: Why do you care about peace in the Middle East?
Vika Koya: I perform a lot in Egypt and as I started to make friends, I felt connected to the people there. Last year, I was invited to go on a trip through the desert and was overwhelmed by the whole experience. It was bigger than life! My friends and I decided that no matter what happens between our countries, we would remain friends. We held hands under the stars and said: “Peace in the Middle East!”

NOX: As a DJ, what’s so great about the Middle East?
VK: It has amazing energy! You can feel it not only through people – it is all over the place. In Jordan, the intensity was inspiring… probably too much history happened there! The hospitality and the warmness of people also appealed to me a lot. Did I forget to mention hot Arabic beats and grooves?

NOX: The single has got a very ambitious name. What can it do – if anything – to help? 
VK: I don’t really make political plans for my music, I just write songs about the things that my heart screams about, and music is an honest reaction to the things I see around me. The “pact of friendship” in Egypt was one of the most impressive moments of my life, and I wanted to seal it for as long as possible. The song is sort of my offer of friendship to my favourite part of the world.

NOX: How does Beirut compare with your hometown of Amsterdam?
VK: Beirut rocked my world! I played at White and in only one day I met so many cool people. I honestly didn’t want to leave. There is a possibility I will establish myself in Lebanon – I would definitely love to have my second home-base in Beirut, and I do have a couple of personal reasons for returning here on a regular basis...

NOX: When will we see the tour in the region?
VK: We really want to do the tour through the Middle East, but nothing concrete has been planned. In the meantime, Hany Sadek designed t-shirts with participating DJs on them and some famous DJs are now wearing them. We believe that just by wearing this t-shirt you already support peace – and if you want it, celebrate it!