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As we write, the national drum & bass tour "Pirate Station" (Piratskaia stantsiia) is winding down. The images in this post were taken from a wide range of Russian cities over the first three months of 2010; these concerts have grown steadily from a show on Radio Rekord that was begun by D&B impresario DJ Gvozd. The live functions evolved from this early broadcasting format around 2003, when the city of St Petersburg hosted the debut Pirate Station events on stage.
Success looked assured after 8,000 people turned up.
Nowadays these D&B festivals lay claim to being the world's biggest, thus attracting interest a wide range of international DJs and broadcast media, noticeably from London's Radio 1. Interestingly enough, a couple of recent changes have taken place in this arrangement that reflect the workings of today's economic climate.
The first of them occurred last year, when - in an unprecedented move - the festival and live functions were not broadcast on the radio. This change in policy came about after some of the DJs claimed that a simultaneous radio broadcast would cut into their income. On one hand, worries that such significant audience losses might occur are a positive sign of both public interest and the DJs' renown; only big shows stand to lose big money. On the other hand, the air of slight desperation in such broadcasting rules also suggests that the same DJs are nowadays needing to save every penny they can from an eroded market.
Less fountains, more frugality.
The second change is likewise related to various scaled-back operations. The festival in 2009 did not release a traditional "deluxe" CD-mix of the guests' performances. DJ Gvozd said explicitly that the crisis was to blame. The absence of this disc was quickly compensated for by a so-called "Immortal" mix that started doing the rounds, supposedly as an approved recording. Once again Gvozd had to make an official statement, this time pointing out that the "Immortal" disc was - and remains - nothing but a fake.
Given the (troublesome!) popularity of this festival and the radio show, together with the contrary forces of today's economy, the organizers of Pirate Station have just made an intriguing decision vis a vis their further development. They justify their plans for the near future as follows. "Big music festivals tend to differ from one another in the same old ways: in their history, the status of the headliners, the quality (or quantity!) of sound, their lighting and set design, their atmosphere and overall popularity. There's barely a month in Moscow, for example, that goes by without major events. The thing is, people have already accepted them as the norm..."
Nothing says "humdrum Moscow existence," apparently, more than a glowing alien.
"There's always a choice, [of course,] but some people are starting to complain about the general similarity of all these functions and the [negative] predominance of big-name trance DJs." Hoping to address these problems and imbalances, the organizers of Piratskaia stantsiia will - in April 2010 - henceforth offer a new kind of presentation: The Pirate Station Network. How will this differ from past extravaganzas? "It'll be a kind of theater with lots of actors and stuntmen taking part."
There's always a choice, [of course,] but some people are starting to complain about the general similarity of all these functions and the [negative] predominance of big-name trance DJs.
And that's not all: "The shows will be full of special effects and pyrotechnics, too. Performers will be clothed in all kinds of different costumes, hosting song & dance numbers that will be choreographed and directed by experts." Thus far we seem to be moving in the general direction of Cirque du Soleil, which makes a certain degree of sense. Not only does Cirque du Soleil currently employ about 4,000 people worldwide. It also pulls in about $800 million dollars profit annually. A Russian version of this Canadian company might even be a logical stage of development, in that Russia has a centuries-old circus tradition too, fueled by unflagging public interest and cultural prestige.
Who, though, is going to pay for all this?
Unperturbed by such worries, the plans grow grander and grander: "The concept behind the Pirate Station Network is being followed through on every front. A networked organization will capture more and more cities. With each and every day the number of people falling in love with this unique music is already growing. The Pirate Station Network encapsulates the internet, radio, and television. This all comes to a vibrant, vivid head in shows around Russia, the Baltic coast, and Ukraine."
As the PR grows, so does the expectation. On 27 February 2009, approximately 14,000 people were expected at the Moscow Piratskaia stantsiia gig. And then, all of a sudden, it was canceled. The problem, allegedly, was one of fire regulations. The concert organizers complained loudly about being informed only at the last minute. "Everything was set up and ready to go: the lights, sound, stage, and design work... All of the artists were already flying to Moscow. And all of the tickets were sold, too..."
Everything was set up and ready to go: the lights, sound, stage, and design work... All of the artists were already flying to Moscow. And all of the tickets were sold, too...
The event will, apparently be moved to another day. The people at Piratskaia stantsiia have overcome their anger and are no longer perturbed: "Get ready! We'll soon be opening our own network! Everything will depend on you... Our headliners are all original artists and well-known thanks to their music. There will be no banal rubbish - or PR blowhards, either. Nothing but top-quality talent and the respect of the audience."
All of this brings us to the music in this post, which comes from the "Russian Version" (Russkaia versiia) of the most recent Pirate Station compilation. A wide range of Slavic D&B artists are used, not all of whom can lay claim to the kind of fame that the radio station trumpets. Some, in fact, operate with no web presence whatsoever.
The general modus operandi here is, nonetheless, to make D&B accessible. The first few tracks are heavy on the vocals and function as clear attempts to soften the edges of a notoriously "unfriendly" genre that rarely shows sufficient time or patience for anyone to start singing.
We begin with a remix of St Petersburg rap/R&B outfit, 3XL Pro (above), whose lack of humility fits the general scale of operations here."When a star is ignited on the Mount Olympus of music, it's a real discovery. When, however, a beautiful shower descends from those same slopes, casting a veil over human logic, that's a revelation. When that happens, it [i.e., the phenomenon] deserves its own name and story - as a tale dappled with the magical sparkle of stardust."
Modesty and Moscow. Two words rarely uttered in the same sentence.
The second track comes from Samara's Stim Axel, who have been in existence for almost six years and have always represented a real opportunity to bring D&B into the Russian mainstream; as a result, we took at look at the value of their efforts back in 2008. The vocal capabilities of frontwoman Loona (above) have long embodied a real crossover potential, and circa 2005-2006 the duo (completed by male colleague Telly) were collecting all manner of national awards.
Sadly their media presence has faded a little, but their track here proves - yet again - how it might indeed be possible to brand D&B for a primetime audience; Stim Axel continue to weave soaring melodies into the gruff, grimy fabric of Piratskaia stantsiia's catalog.
As the compilation rolls on, two tendencies are noticeable. Firstly, the pop-centric tracks with Russian vocals drop off precipitously. In other words, after a few attempts to showcase some lighter, more tuneful works, the CD's editors resort swiftly to the generic norms of thunderous instrumentals.
Secondly, the issue above of fundamentally anonymous artists again comes to the fore. Admirable though it may be for Piratskaia stantsiia to chose and publish these Russian artists, it seems a shame that the festival's website does a great deal more for foreign DJs than it does for its fellow countrymen. Take, for example, the track by Grinda and ZigZag (above), "Beat Weapon." One or two places can be found online where this duo gather and archive their music, but neither they nor the festival staff ever mention their hometown.
Any chance, therefore, of fostering a local scene, seems to have been missed.
When we are indeed able to discover the hometown of artists placed further down the CD's running order, they can often be very distant, such as Murmansk's M4Mind, shown above at work. This geographic disconnect leaves the plans for Piratskaia stantsiia in an interesting state of limbo: ready to hold huge events, the organization is currently stopped from doing so Moscow authorities. Likewise, wishing to save music by holding live events rather than producing "deluxe" CDs, the same organizers are not spending much time creating a sense of regional significance.
There's a slight irony in that D&B, as a style designed to combat the glossy, almost delusional aspects of much dance music, is not here being used to foster a sense of provincial activity and pride. Even if the Moscow authorities let Piratskaia stantsiia hold their event, it will still function as a very "centripetal" activity, with - as we heard above - all the artists flying into the capital.
Fingers crossed, then, that the Moscow gala will indeed take place - and that Radio Rekord is subsequently able to help people like Stim Axel and M4Mind foster financially consequential activities a little closer to home. Murmansk, for example, is more than 900 miles from Red Square.
It would be nice to cut down the commute.
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