Imagine yourself chilling on the sunny sea coast during summertime, among mountains, salty air, cypresses and junipers, listening to dub and wistfully nodding your head to the rhythm. It is not a meditative mantra, though. It is the Odessa band Chillera, listening to which, you can easily move yourself to these landscapes.

Not only their creativity but the whole atmosphere of our conversation suggests such associations. Anya Brizhata, Polina Matskevich, and Nastya Marikutsa speak smoothly and confidently. Their speech sounds tranquil and connection with nature seems unquestionable. As if the environment and the rhythm of the southern resort town found in them the very embodiment they searched for.

Chillera started in Crimea where Anya and Polina worked together at a construction site. For three summer months after a hard day’s work, they played musical instruments, listened to hi-life and King Tubby, and enjoyed the beauty of the Crimean landscapes. Some workers wore jackets with “Chillers” labels of air conditioning systems, that turned into the band’s name “Chillera,” that signifies relaxation, meditation, and chill.

“One musician said that our band is a group of profanes (Rus. Profan – ignorant, incompetent). We thought that, in principle, it makes sense. Profan is like a ‘professional fan.’ So we made a track. We began to imitate some jazz-funk stuff and joke about it. That’s how the idea of Pro Fan. came about.”

The title might also be read as Pro Fun, or ‘About Fun,’ if transliterated. That’s where the unique charm of Chillera is, in their ability to find a positive meaning in the things far removed, transforming it into the source of their main strength. It is the music, which paints breezy summertime landscapes in our imagination.

Text: Maya Baklanova (Tight Magazine)