Acidcorecrew are a Russian underground hardcore and breakcore crew organizing parties in St. Petersburg and most recently in Moscow. After visiting Acidcorefest.Moscowedition I decided to interview Igor (Shotgun Orchestra) to ask more about the crew and the local scene.
Who are the Acidcorecrew and how did Acidcorefest start?
ACIDCOREFEST and ACIDCORECREW appeared in 2007-2008 and the idea and was implemented in late 2008 as a festival of heavy electronic music. In fact, at the time we first focused on breakcore and gabba styles, but over time other styles were added as well. During the period of 2008-2016 we have organized 10 Acidcorefests in Saint-Petersburg, 1 in Moscow this year, as well as some other parties. Acidcorefest was on hiatus from 2011 until this year.
First members of ACIDCORECREW were me and Anton DistoNN. When we revived the festival in 2016 few people also joined us to help with the organization. Now ACIDCORECREW are Anton DistoNN, Mila, Slava, me and other guys who took photos, made promos and video.
The name does not seem to refer to the hardcore techno subgenre acidcore. Is there a story behind the name?
The name of the festival is not associated with the name of the style of music, it was more likely due to the fact that in the breakcore and gabba music there were a lot of acid riffs at that time.
How did the Acidcorefest.Moscowedition go in your opinion?
I think it was not quite bad. Perhaps one of the biggest festivals in recent years. However, there were some negative aspects, but these errors are considered in the future.
What has been the most memorable Acidcorefest event for you?
All. Literally. I remember every one of them, they were all unique and unforgettable.
Which international artists have visited your parties?
Techdiff (UK), Rotator (FR), Klitorix (FR/ES), M1dlet (LT), Xäcksecks (SE), Belladonnakillz (CA), C64 (CA), Kodek (LV), Gabba Front Berlin (DE), Bonehead (NL), Jensen (DE), Passenger of Shit (AU), Ars Dada (NO), Zutsuu / Teknoaidi (FI), Zeuge (BY), Gexider (BY), CJClip (BY) and Airborne Drumz (RU/DE).
How was the Russian scene before Acidcorefest started? And how did Acidcorefest influence the scene?
Before Acidcorefest there were many other organizers in Russia like Breakcore.ru, IDM-group, Soundclash, Gromov and his parties. Almost all of these promoters either do not exist anymore or are not active. I think we can assume that ACIDCOREFEST is the biggest regular breakcore/hardcore festival in Saint P from 00’s that returned today.
What plans do you have for the future?
We always have plans, unfortunately more than opportunities, but I think in the near future we are waiting to do the next ACIDCOREFESTs in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of Europe.
Tell us a bit about your hardcore/breakcore projects Shotgun Orchestra, Action Agenda and the label SickBrokenBrothers.
Shotgun Orchestra is probably my longest project and perhaps the most important to date, when viewed in the context of time. The project was started in 2003, when I made a few tracks, which became the basis of the first albums published later. Then had quite a long break until 2007, related to my service in the Russian army, and in 2007 I started to perfom with this project. At the moment I don’t give much time to this project anymore, mainly due to the activities with Action Agenda, but I promise to create a full-length album in 2017 and noisily celebrate the 10 years of the project.
Action Agenda is a new page in my music life. We are doing this project with Vyacheslav Vincent Nine. We started it in 2015, but I have great hopes for it.
SickBrokenBrothers Records is a young Russian independent record label focusing on hardcore, breakcore and crossbreed stuff. We try to publish the highest quality materials from the area of the former Soviet Union and neighboring countries, but the history of the label has only just begun.
What do you think about the Russian core scene?
Unfortunately the Russian scene is not as great as we would like it to be, but it is now in the stage of regeneration, and what it will be in a few years is difficult to predict.
What are the challenges in organizing parties in Russia?
The low attendance and low ticket prices. There are of course also really small parties for friends where you know all the visitors. We’ve done similar parties for many years and wanted some progress, so we wanted to make Acidcorefest something bigger and more interesting. The main challenge right now, with music in general, is that people are more interested in the image, the brands and the atmosphere. There is a real revival going on in the flourishing Russian gabba, but young gabbers are more interested in how they are dressed than what they listen to. This used to be secondary. Earlier people went to parties for the music (like to listen to good foreign visitors).
What subgenres are popular in the Russian core underground now? Are there any specific influences from abroad or interesting local developments?
As a whole I think I will not be mistaken if I say that the Russian scene is developing in parallel with the European, but with some delay. It doesn’t have some distinct differences. Only the style of dress that has appeared in recent years – many dress up as at parties in Holland in the 90’s.
Which Russian core artists would you recommend for the readers to check out?
Would not want to leave anyone out, many musicians in Russia are worthy of paying attention to, many you already know now. Those of you who are paying attention, let me draw your attention to the duo (RI) and Doc and DJ QuintaEssentia.
Thanks for the interview!
As a bonus here’s an aftermovie from Acidcorefest.Moscowedition made by Hardcore Russia TV: