Spring Fever

After a cold, windy and rainy winter, spring must come. No one will argue with that. We can spend more time outdoors, meet friends more often, go to cafés, restaurants and clubs. It's important for us to recover from the stress caused by the long absence of the sun and to channel our energy into something pleasant. A time of changes and discoveries is arriving. Some decide to start everything with a clean slate, some prefer to maintain stability, and some to keep moving relentlessly forward, trying something new. We decided to find out what the prominent figures of Moscow club culture have in store for us and asked them about their plans for 2007.

As we know, you're directly involved with the club on Solyanka, building 11 - could you tell us in more detail about this place?
- I'm involved with the musical programme at this club on Solyanka. By the way, that's exactly what it's called - Solyanka. It's a club that hasn't opened yet, but it's already built and will open soon, literally in a couple or three weeks.

And what can you say about Solyanka's musical direction?
- Well, the music will be electronic, of all kinds: hip-hop, nu-rave, techno, reggae, dancehall - it'll be a full cross-section of what we consider the most aggressive music at the moment.

Are you planning performances by foreign electronic music stars?
- Of course we're planning them, but it's hard to talk about that right now, since at the moment I don't know when the club will open, so there's not really much to talk about yet. I know that this year there'll be a musical revolution on a small scale. And it'll be connected not only with clubs, but with what's happening in the music world. Many new musical talents will be discovered. There are styles that maybe one or two music critics paid attention to last year, and this year they'll write about nothing but them.

Which styles exactly do you mean?
- I mean styles connected with indietronica and everything connected with hip-hop culture. Only the proper kind, not the awful MTV-style R&B. People will listen more to music that goes back to the roots, because it'll be trendy, it'll be fashionable.

Alex, tell us, what changes will affect the club Podval in the new year?
- If there are any changes at all, they'll be the most minor ones. By the way, we recently installed great new sound in the club - I think that's one of the most wonderful changes. We're also planning to broaden the range and increase the amount of alcohol at the bar - also, in my view, a very good change.

Oh yes, our crowd will welcome a change like that with open arms! And in terms of the club's design, will there be any changes?
- I don't think there's much to change, everything's already excellent. We like the club's design. Special decorations may be set up for major events.

And will the club Krysha carry on existing in the summer?
- Unfortunately, it's hard to say anything definite about Krysha right now; that'll only become clear closer to spring. It's unknown whether we'll manage to continue at the same spot on Starovagankovsky or will have to look for a new venue - it all comes down to that.

How do you plan to surprise the public this year?
- Well, our crowd is hard to surprise with anything anymore, even with famous world-class musicians. But I can say that we're preparing surprises - we'll continue the tradition of bringing in guest acts, and there'll be plenty of them. At the moment we're planning at least 1-2 guest bookings a month.

Are you planning to take part in new projects or open something new?
- I can't say anything specific about that. Our main goal is opening Krysha, the only question is where. Right now we're actively searching for a new venue, in case we can't stay at the old spot.

What are your plans for the club Gorod in the new year? Will there be any changes to the concept of the parties, and if so, in which direction?
- Honestly, we're happy with everything as it is, so there won't be any noticeable changes to the club Gorod or the parties held there. So far everything's going great for us, and we don't see the point in changing anything. I can only say that we won't move, won't close and won't change the music format - in other words, we'll carry on operating in the same mode.

Stability is a good sign. How are you prepared to surprise the public in the new year - will there be high-profile bookings of foreign musicians?
- Again, there won't be anything new for us in this respect. I'm afraid we won't be able to surprise the public with our bookings anymore, since we've already brought in the best musicians by our rating, some of them even several times. All our contracts with musicians are signed through the end of March and the beginning of April, and as for what comes after, I don't think it's worth talking about yet, so it doesn't turn out that we promised first and then didn't deliver. Closer to the time it'll become clear.

Are you going to take part in any new projects?
- Nothing new will happen in my personal life either. I have two jobs and that's quite enough for me. For five years now I've been involved in organizing projects like Fortdance and Kazantip, and this year I'll continue. Fortdance for sure, but Kazantip is still in question.

Tell us about your plans and goals for Gaudi this year?
- The most important goal at the moment is developing the Gatecrasher event - an English festival first held in 2004. Back then the Zeppelin Production team handled the organization, and the event took place at a venue called Gaudi Pavilion. Developing this festival in Russia is also good in that, during the organizing process, we get a lot of useful information from foreign specialists regarding the use of equipment, lighting and so on.

Gaudi has always been famous for its vivid kaleidoscope of stars from the world dance industry - what are your plans this year?
- On 23 February this year Gaudi held the event Woman at Work, in which Asia Argento took part. The core idea of the event is that all the DJs are women. In April we plan to bring in Paul Oakenfold. Then in May we have the celebration of Gaudi's birthday coming up. For July we've scheduled a visit from Armin Van Buuren, and in autumn we want to do a World Drum&Bass Festival with famous musicians. In short, our plan for the year is to keep the bar high and bring in renowned DJs, as always.

Are you going to open any new projects?
- Yes, for half a year now we've been meaning to open the bar "Na Gorizonte", and in general everything's been ready for a while, but there are big difficulties with the premises. It's not even about the money, but that it's hard to find a place that's safe to invest money in, that fits all the criteria and that won't be demolished a year later. So we're looking for premises.

Tell us, how will First appear in the new year? Will it undergo any changes?
- In March we'll have a small refurbishment of the club. We're also already developing a new project - a new First, which will open sometime toward the end of next year.

Will this First replace the old one? Or will it be a separate, independent project?
- No, it'll be a continuation, it'll be a kind of rebranding.

So the First that exists now will be closed and this new one will replace it? Presumably that'll be accompanied by some changes?
- Well, yes, something like that. And as for the changes - everything will be new, everything will change for the better, toward modern trends.

Do you have any aces up your sleeve? Something you're ready to surprise your visitors with in the new year?
- Well, of course we'll surprise them! All the most fashionable, all the most modern things will be here, as always. Also, one of the planned events is bringing in Erick Morillo this year.

And have you had any thoughts about opening a First outside the capital? If so, where?
- We do have such thoughts - we want to open both in the regions and outside Russia. The plans include opening Firsts in cities like Sochi, Rostov-on-Don, Paris, London, Dubai. When exactly all of this will happen isn't known yet, but negotiations are already under way on all the projects.

Tell us about your plans for Krysha Mira in the new year?
- We only recently reopened after renovation - the rest of the time we were closed, building, so our plans are only just beginning to take shape, that is, we literally have to start everything from scratch. Honestly, I don't even know what to say about this, because the place is fairly private, and nobody really flaunts their plans or announces anything specific.

And what goals are you setting for yourselves right now?
- Basically, the main thing in Moscow is to hold on and carve out your place, and until that's happened, we're not setting global goals. Though, looking a bit ahead, new parties have appeared - Elektro Shik; we'll develop the weekdays - Wednesdays, then Thursdays, Fridays and, of course, Saturdays. In summer there'll be a pool and the roof - all of it organized differently, open-air style. In short, the plans are fairly grand.

The name Krysha Mira sounds very promising and, in my opinion, carries a lot of obligation. Tell us, what do you want to make Krysha Mira into?
- Right now the most important thing is to make Krysha Mira truly the roof of the world. As you understand, winter is a hard time, not a very successful one. But for my part I can say that, all the same, as long as we're there we'll strive to make Krysha Mira genuinely, so to speak, reconcile everything under its roof. And Krysha Mira isn't quite in the sense of "Top of the World", but rather because different people came together and peacefully spend time to music.

Tell us, what would you like to change at Gazgolder in the new year?
- Changes... we want to work a bit with the audience, toward filling the club with creative people, because we've started positioning ourselves as the Gazgolder creative association. Besides club activity, we're also engaged in film projects, music projects, art projects and so on - that is, a great many directions, so we already want to somehow go beyond the bounds of the club industry.

In that case, will such changes be accompanied by changes in the club's design, in its appearance?
- No, Gazgolder in itself is an object of, so to speak, the most powerful art, and only the expositions and paintings will change. On the whole the club's style itself won't be changed. In my view, apart from the audience and the musical design, there's nothing else to change at Gazgolder.

Will any new projects adjacent to the club be opened?
- One of the main recent projects is the opening of Gazgalereya (Gazgallery), a club space of sorts. It's also located on the factory grounds and has been operating since December. There we hold both concert programmes and creative evenings; there have already been several big bookings, such as Vacant and Foundsound.

And what have you planned for this year in terms of the musical programme? Perhaps some bookings at Gazgolder or Gazgalereya?
- The nearest one for us is DJ Ralf, then we're bringing in Gaudi in March, and after that as offers come in. That is, we steadily have major bookings two or three times a month at both Gazgolder and Gazgalereya.

Such are the surprises the figures of the capital's club industry have prepared for us. It only remains to draw the bottom line. So: the club Podval changes only for the better in the new year - new sound and more alcohol at the bar. Unfortunately, Krysha's location will remain in question until spring. The club Gorod will hold to the principle of constancy and stability in its work. Gaudi, as always, will keep up its reputation, bringing in only genuine stars. A small refurbishment awaits First, and in time it will even expand beyond Russia. The "aggressively musical" club Solyanka will open soon. The glorious Gazgolder is changing exclusively in a creative direction, and now it's complemented by Gazgalereya. The club Krysha Mira is to become truly the roof of the world, and also, in time, to open its doors to a wider public...