DJ Mike Spirit

Moscow's Highway Records has published a new compilation, entitled "Milestone Two." Incorporating tech-house artists from the capital, the Black Sea, and southern Siberia, it shows the vital importance of collaboration.

Continuing our investigation of Highway Records, we look at four of the label's other projects. These Russian musicians have spatial and stylistic connections that do much to advocate Highway's credo of "decentralization."

New tech-house recordings from Zaporozhye and Krasnodar lead to some questions regarding "provincial" dance music. Offering one of the most pleasant and optimistic outlooks is Mike Spirit, owner of Moscow's Highway Records.

The southern coastal resort of Sochi, supposedly a place of rest and repose, has been associated with different activities of late. First and foremost, it was recently awarded the right to host the 2014 Winter Olympics; that, in turn, has led to much political and financial wrangling over access...