In the earliest days of the invasion initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24th, Kraviz shared a video of herself writing the Russian word for “peace” on Instagram with the caption “I am praying for peace!” Nastia (real name Anastasiia Oleksandrivna Topolska), a Ukrainian, was among the most outspoken critics of the gesture. She called on Kraviz to clearly denounce the Russian government in a volley of social media comments and posts, accusing her of harboring pro-Putin views.

On May 16th, Clone Distribution in the Netherlands announced that they had discontinued their business relationship with Kraviz’ трип label on the grounds that she “ignored personal requests to talk” and clarify her position on Putin and the invasion. Shortly thereafter, The Crave Festival in Hague and Pollerwiesen Festival in Dortmund shared in statements that they had chosen to remove her from their lineups. Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit simply wrote that she was “unable to play” in a statement of their own.

Topolska did not specifically name Kraviz in her post about Awakenings, although Kraviz is currently slated to perform at the Dutch festival. “As Ukrainian DJ I cannot play in the same lineup with Russians who are tolerant of war in Ukraine,” she wrote. “Those who can’t call war a war. Those who don’t realize the crimes that Russia is doing in my homeland: raping, killing, stealing, torturing and destroying.”

 

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The post continues: “I am a Ukrainian citizen with clear position. My position is much stronger and important than my business and career, so I will go to the end until the war is over. Representing Russia in silence or ignorance means representing its ideas and image.”

Putin authorized the use of military force in an invasion of Ukraine’s Donbas region that he called a “special operation” following Russia’s 2014 invasion of the region that resulted in the annexation of Crimea. According to the Ukrainian government, over 2,500 soldiers and 4,600 civilians have been confirmed dead with tens of thousands more estimated. Russia reports having suffered over 1,300 military personnel deaths.

Defenders of Nina Kraviz argue that Russian censorship laws prevent her from safely speaking out against the invasion. According to Human Rights Watch, journalists and activists have been arbitrarily detained thousands of peaceful protestors since early March.

Topolska argues that a number of other Russian celebrities have spoken out against the war. The website Human-Nonhuman.info cites TV presenter Ivan Urgant, actor Danila Kozlovsky, and singer Valery Meladze among a long list of the war’s open critics. In an April Instagram post, Topolska wrote, “I expect her to say that she is ‘scared for her parents’ and ‘they are in danger’ which is the main excuse for those Russians who try to escape from responsibility … There is not even one case when parents of those who made a statement got arrested.”

The organizers of Awakenings have not publicly addressed to Topolska’s announcement at the time of writing.

The party is part of Awakenings’ annual ADE program. As every year, the local promoter hosts a string of large techno gatherings at iconic venues. This is not only the biggest Awakenings indoor event – it is also the first techno event held at Ziggo Dome. As Amsterdam’s biggest concert hall, it has seen many world-famous live acts throughout the years. 

“After more than a year of no Awakenings events, we are excited to be back with a new ADE event which will be our biggest indoor production ever,” reads a statement by Awakenings Marketing Manager Tim Middelesch. “The fact that we can do this together with Reinier Zonneveld, a great home-grown techno artist, is great.”

“In order to get the real Awakenings feeling in the Ziggo Dome, as fans are used to, we will renovate the entire Ziggo Dome,” he continued. “We will move the entrances and put up the widest and highest stage that has ever been.”

Awakenings has organizing techno events for more than 22 years now. The event brand started out at the famous Gashouder in 1997. Since then, the massive productions have taken place at locations like Now & Wow in Rotterdam, Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam, and the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven.

Find tickets and information on the other events at Awakenings.com.

Derrick May, an artist often credited as one of the originators of Detroit techno, has been removed from the 2021 lineup for Dutch festival Awakenings.

The decision follows a Resident Advisor article by Annabel Ross citing six anonymous accounts, as well as one given on the record by DJ Paulette, alleging acts of sexual harassment and assault by May over a 25-year period. The piece followed one penned by Ross in November containing six separate allegations, some of which overlapped with those of a report written by Ellie Flynn for DJ Mag the previous day.

For nearly a year before the aforementioned articles were published, sports writer Michael James had accused May of varying degrees of sexual misconduct in near-daily Facebook posts. For many months, James’ allegations were largely brushed aside due to a longstanding royalty dispute between him and May over his contributions to May’s definitive 1987 single, “Strings of Life.”

Shortly after the September death of Erick Morillo, who was fighting a sexual battery case in Florida, James made a post comparing May to Morillo that drew more attention to his claims. May’s appearance at Paris Electronic Week was then called off by the event’s organizers “pending a clarification of the situation.” May also lost billings at TV Lounge and Paxahau‘s Movement Selects Vol. 1 live stream event in addition to having to resign from the MOCAD board of directors.

In an October appearance on Dutch podcast Bakkie Bakkie, Awakenings Founder Rocco Veenboer said he didn’t believe the allegations involving May. This week, however, Ross has said that Veenboer told her via direct message, “It’s really over for Derrick at our events.” Veenbooer has declined Selector‘s request for comment on why the Awakenings team has now chosen to distance the brand from May.

On Friday, a Michigan court hearing took place via Zoom as part of the proceedings for May’s lawsuit against James for defamation of character and invasion of privacy – false light. Because May was found by the court to be a public figure, Judge Edward Ewell ruled that he would have to pay a $10,000 bond for the first round of discovery to determine actual malice on the part of James. May and James are scheduled to appear for another court date on February 26th.

Selector encourages anyone with information regarding incidents of sexual misconduct in the electronic music industry to email info@Selector.news with guaranteed confidentiality. 

Awakenings 2020 was canceled in April due to COVID-19 restrictions. In its place, the Weekender promises a 3D experience of Amsterdam club Gashouder from June 26th-28th featuring performances by the likes of Kölsch, Nina Kraviz, Amelie Lens and Pan-Pot. The event is free but includes a portal through which viewers can purchase donation packages with 100% of profits going to the Netherlands Red Cross.

With house and techno’s origins in black culture as relevant a topic as ever, the absence of black artists has nonetheless landed Awakenings in the crosshairs of activists. Some have accused the event brand of performative allyship for participating in the June 2nd industrywide blackout with no apparent action as follow through. Others have called upon specific headliners to withdraw from the event.

This is a primary example of performative allyship from one of the biggest event series in our scene. To the leadership at Awakenings, plz make a conscious effort to do better moving forward.

— ? Ryan Clover ? (@RyanClover) June 22, 2020

Hey @AmelieLens, checking in to see what you’ve done since we spoke. You’re taking part in an all-white stream organized by @awakenings which means you should do more, cancel the booking and use your platform to address this issue publicly. https://t.co/kYkTU0ivDf

— Curve Gotti (@Sorayea) June 24, 2020

At the time of writing, Awakenings has not issued a public statement in regards the Weekender’s lineup diversity.

Bigger Awakenings

Over the past month, protests have erupted in countries across the globe in response to May 25th death of George Floyd. Bystander videos all but confirm Floyd’s murder at the hands of since-fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who apparently knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes as he lay handcuffed and begging for his life.

In addition to calls for reform of law enforcement systems that unfairly target people of color, demonstrations have drawn attention to how systemic racism permeates through other aspects of society. Awakenings is not the first electronic music brand to land on the wrong side of the narrative. Last week, Native Instruments apologized for a 2017 promotion that contained the N-word after being called out by a former employee.

A spokesperson on behalf of Awakenings has not responded to Selector‘s request for comment at the time of writing.

“It is with a heavy heart that we have to inform you that Awakenings Festival 2020 cannot take place in June,” reads Awakenings’ official statement. “Tonight the Dutch government announced the extension of its measures concerning the outbreak of Coronavirus. All events scheduled to take place until the 1st of September are called off.”

It is with a heavy heart that we have to inform you that Awakenings Festival 2020 cannot take place in June.

Tonight the Dutch government announced the extension of its measures concerning the outbreak of Coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/LOnmt7EDl3

— Awakenings (@awakenings) April 21, 2020

Awakenings was one of the last major festivals to postpone amid the unfolding novel coronavirus pandemic. Events such as Movement Electronic Music Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, and EDC Las Vegas rescheduled for the fall, although health experts suggest event bans may extend until after the 2021 warm season. Economic impacts of the virus reach far beyond music, affecting nearly every industry worldwide.

The statement went on to say that the festival will be postponed until June 26th and 27th of 2021. Ticket holders are promised an email in the next 24 hours that will explain the options available to them.

Tastemakers who test the limits of minimal techno such as Dr. Rubinstein, Speedy J and Surgeon will perform at the two-day event in The Netherlands. Also billed are hard techno mainstays like Rebekah and Dax J. Detroit techno sees representation on the lineup as well, with Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May and Robert Hood among the headliners.

The first edition of Awakenings took place in 1997 in Amsterdam’s famous Gashouder venue. Sven Väth, Juan Atkins, Ricardo Villalobos and Stephan Bodzin are but a few of the artists who have performed throughout the event brand’s lifetime.

Awakenings will take place in Spaarnwoude in North Holland, the Netherlands from June 27th-28th. Tickets, history and additional information can be found on the event website.

Paul Kalkbrenner, Nicole Moudaber, Joris Voorn, Jeff Mills and Ben Klock are but a few of the more notable artists slated to perform over the course of the five-day event. ADE special stage takeovers include Figure Nacht, Drumcode and Joseph Capriati Invites, with each curator offering up a set list that appeals to their own distinctive techno niche.

The first edition of Awakenings took place in 1997 at Gashouder, an industrial space located in north Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek gasworks complex. Originally, several single-day Awakenings events would take place throughout the year – but it was eventually consolidated to coincide with ADE, which takes place across over a hundred venues throughout the city.

The 2017 edition of Awakenings will take place from October 18th-22nd in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Find tickets and other information on the event website, and the full lineup in alphabetical order below.

Adam Beyer
Agents of Time
Alan Fitzpatrick
Âme
Amelie Lens
Andhim
Anna
Anotr
Arjun Vagale
Artefakt
Ash Roy
Audion
Awanto 3
B.Traits
Bart Skills
Ben Klock
Ben Sims
Black Coffee
Black Rose (Henrik Schwarz and Jesse Rose)
Blawan
Britta Unders
Butch
Charlotte de Witte
Chris Liebing
Claptone
Colin Benders
Daniel Stefanik & Mathias Kaden
Danny Tenaglia
Darling
Dasha Rush
Dave Clarke
Dax J
De Sluwe Vos
Dense & Pika
Dimitri
Dirty Doering
DJ Pierre
DJ Rush
dOP
Dr. Rubinstein
Dubfire
Eagles & Butterflies
Enrico Sangiuliano
Etapp Kyle
Fatima Hajji
Ferro
Floorplan
Format B
Henrik Schwarz
Hot Since 82
Ici Sans Merci
Ilario Alicante
Illesnoise
Jeff Mills
Jeff Rushin
Joey Daniel
Joris Voorn
Joseph Capriati
JP Enfant
Julia Govor
KiNK
Klaudia Gawlas
Kobosil
Kölsch
Lady Starlight
Layton Giordani
Len Faki
Loco Dice
Luke Hess
Luuk van Dijk
Maceo Plex
Marcel Dettmann
Marco Faraone
Matador
Michel de Hey
Minimum Syndicat
Monika Kruse
Monoloc
Nastia
Nicole Moudaber
Nikita Zabelin
Nina Kraviz
Noir
Obscure Shape
Oliver Koletzki
Oliver Schories
Olivier Weiter
Overmono (Truss and Tessela)
Paco Osuna
Pan-Pot
Paul Kalkbrenner
Paul Ritch
Paula Temple
Phuture
Pig&Dan
Randomer
Regal
Reinier Zonneveld
Ricardo Villalobos
Ritzi Lee
Robert Hood
Roman Poncet
Rødhåd
Sam Paganini
Secret Cinema
SHDW
Shlømo
Simina Grigoriu
Slam
(TBA Guest)
Stab Virus
Sven Vaäth
Tale of Us
The Black Madonna
The Martinez Brothers
Tim Wolff
Truncate
Under_score
Weval
Wighnomy Bros
Ø [Phase]

Source: Mixmag