The Outline Festival in Russia has come under fire from various Western DJs, who have been criticised for “normalising war” by performing at the event. The five-day festival took place from July 18 to 22, and featured over 110 acts including DJs and musicians from various countries such as France, Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, and the United States.
As one of Russia’s premier techno and experimental festivals, Outline was held near the Kremlin, from which Russia ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Therefore, many Western musicians have cancelled planned gigs in Russia as a way of showing solidarity with the people of Ukraine, and as a way of protesting against Russia’s aggression.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Ukrainian activist Maya Baklanova spoke out against artists who perform at the Outline Festival stating, “All Western artists who perform there are normalising the war and the Russian regime.” Baklanova went on to note that by participating in the festival, artists are also contributing to Russia’s military budget and funding its economy.
One of the festival’s headliners, German DJ AtomTM, has defended his performance on the festival’s official website. He described the criticism levied at him as a “smear campaign” and added “I consider myself a profoundly non- or rather trans-political person. Unlike politics, which is the mode of separation, I had chosen music, which is the mode of unification.”
Last year, military recruiting posters were spotted at the entrance of the festival, and the event has been controversial for many years. In 2016, the festival was cancelled after local authorities claimed it had failed to meet permit requirements. Festival organisers, however, disputed these allegations
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