Meet Vladimir Putin’s favourite DJ
- Text by HUCK HQ
The whomp-whomp beats of EDM could very well be the soundtrack to Kremlin meetings as Vladimir Putin attempts to rescue Russia from its worsening economic crisis.
DJ Fenix aka Alex Mamonov has become a Kremlin favourite after becoming the first turntablist to play there publicly in November and entertaining prime minister Dmitri Medvedev with a series of private sets.
While an exclusive slot spinning wax for British prime minister David Cameron would be the kiss of death for any self-respecting DJ in the UK, it seems playing for members of Russia’s wealthy elite is much sought after by the country’s aspiring EDM DJs. “He plays for the elite [In Russia],” his manager Rostik Rusev recently told The Guardian. “Let’s just hope he can play for the elite everywhere.”
His cosiness with the country’s political and economic high-rollers clearly hasn’t hurt DJ Fenix’s public image, as he was recently named “Russia’s most eligible bachelor” by Cosmopolitan magazine. But Russia’s wealth and celebrity-obsessed dance music culture seems a far cry from the scene in the UK, where playing the grottiest possible East London warehouse is the way to earn your stripes, or the US where dance music evolved from its black soul and disco roots in Detroit, Chicago and NY.
Russia’s wealth and celebrity-obsessed dance music culture seems a far cry from the scene in the UK, where playing the grottiest possible East London warehouse is the way to earn your stripes, or the US where dance music evolved from its black soul and disco roots in Detroit, Chicago and NY.
But DJ Fenix’s cosiness with the country’s political and economic high-rollers clearly hasn’t hurt his public image as he was recently named “Russia’s most eligible bachelor” by Cosmopolitan magazine.
Head over to DJ Fenix’s website for his live dates.
Latest on Huck
This erotic zine dismantles LGBTQ+ respectability politics
Zine Scene — Created by Megan Wallace and Jack Rowe, PULP is a new print publication that embraces the diverse and messy, yet pleasurable multitudes that sex and desire can take.
Written by: Isaac Muk
As Tbilisi’s famed nightclubs reawaken, a murky future awaits
Spaces Between the Beats — Since Georgia’s ruling party suspended plans for EU accession, protests have continued in the capital, with nightclubs shutting in solidarity. Victor Swezey reported on their New Year’s Eve reopening, finding a mix of anxiety, catharsis and defiance.
Written by: Victor Swezey
Los Angeles is burning: Rick Castro on fleeing his home once again
Braver New World — In 2020, the photographer fled the Bobcat Fire in San Bernardino to his East Hollywood home, sparking the inspiration for an unsettling photo series. Now, while preparing for its exhibition, he has had to leave once again, returning to the mountains.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Ghais Guevara: “Rap is a pinnacle of our culture”
What Made Me — In our new series, we ask artists and rebels about the forces and experiences that have shaped who they are. First up, Philadelphian rap experimentalist Ghais Guevara.
Written by: Ghais Guevara
Gaza Biennale comes to London in ICA protest
Art and action — The global project, which presents the work of over 60 Palestinian artists, will be on view outside the art institution in protest of an exhibition funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai
Ragnar Axelsson’s thawing vision of Arctic life
At the Edge of the World — For over four decades, the Icelandic photographer has been journeying to the tip of the earth and documenting its communities. A new exhibition dives into his archive.
Written by: Cyna Mirzai