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The Arma17 nightclub in Moscow has, as the saying goes, a reputation to precede it - by almost 150 years. The building most commonly associated with today's venue was built long ago in 1865, designed as part of an industrial complex for a burgeoning city. Those lofty structures, despite their pragmatic origin, held a growing aesthetic appeal over the years, since their circular towers - perfect for housing gas! - were increasingly at odds with today's box-like civic architecture. Curves looked nicer than angles.
Sadly, though, a major disaster occurred two years ago, when a fire claimed most of the complex. As a result, the functions previously housed in the oldest buildings were now forced to look for another home. The parties and dances once promoted as Arma17 kept their name, in honor of their early abode, yet they morphed into a mobile series of events - both in a neighboring edifice and then further afield. A benefit, it seems, had emerged from tragedy. As the organizers put it: "Arma17 was no longer associated with a particular place. In fact, since the fire [and against all odds] the project has become something of an international phenomenon."
That claim was made not only on the subjective grounds of self-promotion, but also because the organization has - over the last two years - undoubtedly grown into a prestigious (shifting) venue, a PR group, "and a cultural movement as a whole." Any goals within the world of fashion, however, probably lie a little further in the future.
This general activity around Arma17 has now begun a new phase with the appearance of an associated record label. The label's debut release is showcased here. It is designed not only to promote some local talent - such as Anton Zap, Easy Changes, Andrey Zots Vakula, and others; the record also involves overseas sounds from the US (Bruno Pronsato) and Romania (Piticu). We're reliably informed that the compositions have all been road-tested on the dancefloor - where they've been "met with great enthusiasm by the club's audience."
Just as this first record marks an immediate move outwards, beyond Slavic realms, so the label as a whole hopes to "support talented exponents of electronic music, both from Russia and the international scene. We aim to discover new names and bring the club's atmosphere to people worldwide."
...talented exponents of electronic music, both from Russia and the international scene
Even though the club usually - and happily - defines its dresscode as rather fussy, there's also a certain raison d'etre within the organization that is able, thankfully, to keep snobbery at arm's length. In fact the club's management is keen to state in various venues that "when Arma17 launched, it was virtually the only [fashionable] place in Moscow that wasn't built around notions of luxury or profit."
Simple attire for a spartan process. This penchant for minimalism is something we'll encounter a little later, too.
It would seem that Arma's trial by fire, so to speak, has led to a somewhat "feisty" DIY spirit, one that probably trumps any glitzy norms at other establishments. In that light, it's worth paying some extra attention to the youngest domestic project on the new record, known - with high levels of self-deprecation - as iD10TS (i.e., IDIOTS). All inclination towards chic self-assuredness is jettisoned, at least briefly - which begs the question... why?
Members of this semi-anonymous ensemble include Andrei Antonets (who usually performs in Moscow as Alexandroid - or simply Andrei Oid), Pavel Kamakin (a key figure in the city's 16 Tons club), and Il'ia Shapovalov (tied to projects such as Masha Era and Pro-Tez). Together they promise "a new musical world with psychedelic guitars, electronic rhythms, and unique vocals." The musicians claim that viewers have already drawn associations with Talking Heads (circa the Eno collaborations), though it's the band's moniker that seems the clearest reference point to anything Western.
The project's logo alone would incline us away from the knowing, urban(e) intellectualism of Byrne's output.
The term iD10TS in this context seemingly recalls the 1998 Lars von Trier film of the same name, in which a group of middle-class individuals - completely undressed in public settings - begin faking mental retardation in search of what they call "the romantic ideal of disability." The extreme nature of that goal, casting logic and shame to the wind, says much about the heartless pragmatism of a surrounding city... if the only escape is through (faux) mental illness.
Given those tensions between civic pressure and a desire to escape them, it seems logical that we turn next to the Shanti club in Moscow, which has also just released new music. Shanti remains one of the capital's most important venues, not only as a watering hole or dancefloor, but also as a small, discerning record label. We've written of the same address on a few prior occasions, specifically for this reason. A fresh release warrants another visit.
...Moscow's best techno venue and a leading exhibition space
Then, as now, the club claims that "Shanti has perhaps earned the right to consider itself not only Moscow's best techno venue, but also a leading exhibition space. Over and above the regular parties that are staged across several dancefloors, Shanti plays host to all kinds of festivals, fashion displays, installations - and even children's parties." Fishing expeditions seem an unlikely addition.
The club's name comes from the Sanskrit term for peace or tranquility and - not surprisingly - that same emphasis is extended into a general chillout aesthetic. In the venue's early years, it worked actively to establish a suitably calm crowd - on a small scale. The dimensions of a stadium rave, for example, were hardly conducive to reduced levels of stress. And so the primary markers of Shanti's initial efforts were a "small dance area and comfortable sofas."
A core of enthusiastic support soon developed. "A spirit of unity was uppermost, evident not only among club regulars, but also the performers." Certain days were given over to certain styles; as a result, the danger of an obsessive (and ultimately outmoded) dedication to any given format was avoided. Relaxation and eclecticism worked to mutual benefit. Put differently, a dual avoidance of grandeur and goal-driven enterprise remained vital. Minimalism and multiplicity were the order of the day.
That early, small dancefloor has since been expanded and added to more complex architectural forms - specifically with the intention of mimicking a "labyrinthine" pattern. As the outside world becomes less attentive to individual desire, the need to hide away apparently increases. A club necessarily becomes a cave.
Likewise, the enduring significance of Indian motifs at Shanti points to increased levels of escapism. In fact to speakers of English, the term "shanti" may be most familiar from T.S. Eliot's poem "The Waste Land," where its is interpreted as a "peace which passeth understanding."
Shanti: the peace which passeth understanding
Outside the club, both logic and corporate pragmatism of course prevail, so relaxation needs to involve a certain degree of willful illogicality - that which also "passeth understanding." Changing musical styles almost every day is a good start - and designing a venue as a labyrinth also helps. After all, in many premodern cultures, labyrinths were built to capture evil spirits and keep them well out of sight. "Idiocy" likewise helps to sidestep the nasty logic of a cruel metropolis.
The picture of Moscow life that's drawn by these promo-materials from both Arma17 and Shanti gives us a strong impression of excess on the streets outside. It may not come as a surprise, therefore, to hear the stripped-down, insistently sparse aesthetic championed by most of the musicians under discussion. Suitable facial expressions are adopted in respect of the newest release: some remixes of Detroit techno pioneer Terrence Dixon, including a track by Kausto, shown above.
It's a style that we see elsewhere this week, for example, in the release of "Blowball," a new River 'n' Sea 12" with remixes by Korablove and Combinator.
As for River 'n' Sea themselves, authors of the original track, they are Sasha Khizhniakov (below, left) and colleague Dima Iakovlev (right). They first met in the Siberian city of Irkutsk and now perform together under their topographical stage-name. In December 2009 these two young men mustered the courage to move to Moscow, where they became RTS residents and frequent guests at the popular venues amongst our featured musicians, like Shanti. The risk of moving across multiple time zones paid off.
Put differently, these two men have long since come to terms with the amazing physical dimensions of their homeland; only later would they develop digital - noisy! - tools for conquering the same spaces. In fact, their early whereabouts, far from a laptop and soon after meeting in Irkutsk, led precisely to the stage name of River 'n' Sea. Once in the Big City, however, other challenges would emerge: they're best countered, it seems, by the insistent, unrelenting patterns of techno. Those rhythmic patterns mark out the disciplined tempo - and temper - needed to survive major fires... in buildings once designed to house gas. Welcome to daily life in Moscow.
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