Russian republic Chechnya bans music under 80 BPM and over 116 BPM

The Russian republic of Chechnya has banned all music under 80 BPM and over 116 BPM (beats per minute) in an effort to promote traditional music in the region.

The new limit on tempos was announced by Chechnya’s Culture Ministry last week, according to The Moscow Times. The ban hopes to stop Western music, including fast dance music, from “polluting” Chechnya.

Russian news agency TASS reported from the meeting on Friday, April 5, that all vocal and musical compositions above and below 80-116 BPM will be banned with the passing of a new law.

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“(I) have announced the final decision, agreed with the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov, that from now on all musical, vocal and choreographic works must correspond to a tempo of 80 to 116 beats per minute,” said Minister of Culture Musa Dadayev, TASS reported (per CNN).

“We must bring to the people and to the future of our children the cultural heritage of the Chechen people,” he said. “This includes the entire spectrum of moral and ethical standards of life for Chechens.”

The ban will ensure that those in Chechnya conform to the “Chechen mentality and musical rhythm,” Dadayev reportedly announced last week. "Borrowing musical culture from other peoples is inadmissible,” he said (via Sky News).

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The new rule means that any dance music over 116 BPM - which traditionally includes genres like house, techno, electro, drum ‘n’ bass, dubstep, and more - will be banned.

Artists in the area have also been asked to “rewrite” any music that does not conform to this rule by June 1, Dadayev reportedly said on the messaging app Telegram.

Chechnya is a Russian republic in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. In recent years, there have been reports of violence against LGBTQIA+ people in Chechnya, including imprisonments and even murders.

[Via Moscow Times]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter