A Ukrainian military veteran who learned to DJ as part of his PTSD rehabilitation and an 18-year-old Ukrainian refugee who fled Kyiv as a teenager will perform a back-to-back DJ set at doof in the park on 4 July 2026, one of Scotland’s biggest electronic music festivals.
The pair were brought together by Scottish dance music charity Turn The Tables, whose founder Robbie Tolson met civilian, turned military veteran, Andrew Kosolapov, aka Perekos, during a visit to Ukraine in December 2025 as part of the Music Saves Ukraine humanitarian delegation. On the final night of the trip, amid blackouts and air raid sirens, the two played an impromptu DJ set together at Kyiv venue HVLV. Robbie promised he would bring Perekos to Scotland to perform and raise awareness of EnterDJ, the Ukrainian non-profit using electronic music to rehabilitate veterans and civilians living with wartime PTSD.
Perekos volunteered to fight following the 2022 Russian invasion, was injured on the front line and lost fellow soldiers during the conflict. He discovered DJing through EnterDJ during his recovery, a childhood dream that became a lifeline and now performs across Ukraine to raise awareness of its work.
“When the enemy approaches your home and your loved ones, I saw no other option than to take up arms and go to war,” he said.
“After my injury on the front line, I needed something positive to help me recover and that’s when I discovered EnterDJ. DJing had been a childhood dream of mine, so I was really excited to get involved and I could never have dreamed it would one day take me to play at a music festival in Scotland. I am proud to fly the flag for Ukraine & EnterDJ.”
Performing alongside him is Oleksandra Korol, known as Sasha, who fled Kyiv during her high school years following the outbreak of war and settled in Dundee. She learned to DJ through Turn The Tables before becoming a regular at doof studios, the community DJ space founded by Hannah Laing, Turn The Tables and Street Soccer Scotland within the Change Centre Dundee. She has since performed at Dundee Dance Event and Hidden Door Festival.
The appearance forms part of a huge second edition for doof in the park, which returns to Camperdown Park on Saturday 4 July. Curated and headlined by Hannah Laing, the sold-out festival will feature performances from Grammy-nominated trance legend Paul van Dyk, hard dance heavyweight Eddie Halliwell, techno superstar Lilly Palmer, global rave sensation Clara Cuvé, Irish hard bounce producer ALT8, Maddix and more than 20 artists across three stages.
“doof studios has become so much more than a place where I learned a skill,” Oleksandra Korol said. “It helped me grow my confidence and connect with the music scene in Dundee, which has really helped me feel at home here.”
The back-to-back set, supported by Hannah Laing, will see the pair close the Highlander Stage at doof in the park, a dedicated platform for emerging DJs programmed in partnership with doof studios and Turn The Tables. Inspired by Hannah’s formative years in Ibiza, the stage celebrates grassroots talent alongside the festival’s internationally renowned headliners.
Hannah Laing said: “I’m really proud to give the opening and closing slots of the Highlander stage to up-and-coming DJs from doof Studios. I want to support Turn The Tables in any way I can because supporting my community is really important to me.
“I’ve watched Sasha grow in confidence since she first started attending workshops at the studio and it’s an honour that we can now host this collab and give her a platform to represent her home Ukraine at doof In The Park in such a meaningful way”.
Robbie Tolson added: “We want to shine a light on just how powerful music is, because it genuinely works on so many levels to help people going through tough times.
On stage will be one DJ who evacuated to Scotland because of the war and another who volunteered to defend his country against violence we thought was resigned to the history books. Now they’re performing together at doof In The Park. If that doesn’t show the power of music, I don’t know what does.”
Sasha and Perekos are not the only emerging talents being given a platform. Opening the Highlander Stage earlier in the day will be DJ Guffers B2B Johnny Reid, two Dundee DJs aged under 18 for whom, like Sasha, doof studios has been a launchpad.
Doof in the park takes place at Camperdown Park, Dundee on Saturday 4 July 2026. Tickets are available here.