​Western DJs criticised for performing at Russian techno festival Outline

Western DJs who recently performed at Moscow’s Outline Festival have been criticised for “normalising war”, The Guardian reports.

Over 110 names were added to Outline’s line-up earlier this month, which included Western artists from France, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, the US, and beyond.

The event took place in Moscow over the weekend from July 18 - 22 - one of Russia’s biggest techno and experimental festivals attended by thousands.

The festival, run by the team behind the Russian club Mutabor, is held close to the Kremlin, where Russia ordered its invasion of Ukraine just two years ago.

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In an interview with The Guardian, Ukrainian activist Maya Baklanova - who is involved in the dance music scene in Kyiv - claimed that all Western artists performing at Outline “are normalising the war and the Russian regime”.

She added: “For the Kremlin, it is important to show to its own audience that western artists are still ready to travel to Moscow and play as if nothing is going on and Russia is not isolated.”

Baklanova went on to say that “by participating, these artists are also helping the Russian economy and contributing to the military budget,” adding: “I see a total lack of awareness, ignorance and greed among some in the electronic scene.”

In 2023, Outline Festival made a controversial return for the first time since 2016 when it was cancelled by local authorities, who claimed the festival failed to meet permit requirements. Organisers disputed these claims.

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After its cancellation in 2016, reports of potential rioting emerged, claiming that military personnel were spotted outside the scheduled MoZAL plant venue.

In 2023, during the festival’s return, a tent with military recruiting posters was seen at the entrance of Outline’s car park on its first day.

One headliner at this year’s event, German DJ AtomTM, said in a statement on his website that criticism against his performance at Outline was a “smear campaign”.

“I consider myself a profoundly non- or rather trans-political person,” he said. “Unlike politics, which is the mode of separation, I had chosen music, which is the mode of unification.”

[Via The Guardian]

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