At the end of March the well-known Marlboro MXTronica Fusion Festival will take place in Russia's two capitals! These are the very guys who brought DJ Jose Padilla, Steve Lawler, Dimitri from Paris, Romain BNO, Danny Howells, Seb Fontaine and the legend of the electronic scene – the band Underworld – to Russia. Without slowing its pace, the festival continues the fine tradition of large-scale gatherings of electronic-music connoisseurs. This time the same components of success fit into the fusion concept – sound, light, video, performances and live concerts by Trentemøller and Cicada.
We managed to talk with Aaron Gilbert, one of the founders of the Cicada project.
Greetings from Russia! This is your first visit, after all; tell us: have you heard any incredible rumours about Russia in general and about Moscow and Petersburg in particular?
Oh yes, lots, even too many. But often they're so wild that they simply don't compute, so we'll come and check it all out on the ground.
Do you always play 'live' or sometimes prefer just to spin records? In general, tell us about your attitude to DJ culture. Is it a way to become famous with someone else's music, or one of the forms of contemporary art?
DJ culture is an important part of dance music. Although a few years ago it started being given too much significance, and the emphasis shifted from musicians to DJs. But it seems everything has come back to a certain balance again – that's wonderful.
Tell us your vision of the evolution of dance culture, in which, as I know, you've been for more than 10 years now. What made you abandon acid techno and breakbeat and turn to more humane, sunny and bright music?
Yes, having travelled a long road in dance music, I can confidently assert that I myself have become part of this evolution. Over the years, it seems to me, people have become far more open, they take in dance music with greater enthusiasm. What's more, nowadays they dance to things that would have made the hair of people of the past stand on end – and that's good. As for the change in the style of music I write... In everything I've done there have always been various shades of light and dark, and they are still present in our music.
What's more important and enjoyable for you – to write your own track or to make a good remix?
Making your own good tracks – that's the goal of every musician, but remixes also bring great pleasure.
And who would you most like to remix?
A tough question, because from day to day our priorities change, but today I'll say it's Roxy Music.
What music brings you pleasure at the moment – share a couple of names?
Any and all sorts! For example, right now I'm enjoying the new Arcade Fire album and re-listening to the creations of Sneaky Soundsystem, with whom we were recently on tour around Australia.
And the last question: how did you manage to lure such a beauty and possessor of a gorgeous voice, Heidrun Björnsdóttir, into being your vocalist (before that Heidrun sang in GusGus – 44100hz note).
Well, what can I say... I think it's all down to our charm and taste in clothes. Seriously though, we simply saw in each other something we'd long been looking for and, luckily, it's paying off.
MXTronica will take place in two stages:
30 March – Moscow – Nagatinsky Business Centre (22/30 Andropov Ave)
31 March – St Petersburg – Depot of Tram Park No. 3 (Vasilievsky Island, Sredny
Prospekt, 77)
Performing:
23.00 – 00.30 DJ Vincent Vega (Germany)
00.30 – 01.15 Cicada Live (England)
01.15 – 03.00 DJ Seb Fontaine (England)
03-00 - 04-45 Trentemøller live featuring dj T.O.M. Live (Denmark)
04-45 - 06-30 DJ Omid 16b (England)
