Nina Kraviz has been removed from three big festival lineups, with the Russian DJ being accused of holding “pro-Putin” views.
PollerWiesen (Dortmund, Germany), The Crave (The Hague, Netherlands), and Movement (Detroit, U.S.) all confirmed the removal of Kraviz on social media.
“After long and intensive discussions both internally and externally we have decided that Nina Kraviz will not play The Crave Festival 2022,” The Crave explained. “Nina Kraviz is unable to play Movement this year,” Movement simply said. According to their Instagram post, PollerWiesen’s decision “was made by us following a process of open dialogue with all parties involved.”
Kraviz’s exclusion doesn’t seem to be solely because of her nationality: the DJ was recently dropped from Clone Records due to her alleged “pro-Putin” views. Clone Recordings founder Serge Verschuur cited her “CCCP/USSR sentiments” in a blog post, stating that Kraviz was “using Putin’s law as an excuse not to speak out.”
The DJ hadn’t spoken publicly about the Russian war in Ukraine in the first few months of the invasion, with other musicians in the Eastern European electronic music scene criticising her silence on the subject.
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As many others pointed out, however, being a high-profile Russian didn’t necessarily mean Kraviz had to speak out about the war. To her credit, she recently shared a statement online attempting to explain her position on her country’s actions.
“I am a musician and was never involved in supporting the politicians or political parties, I am not planning to do it in the future,” Kraviz said. “I don’t understand politics or the social processes it creates. So I don’t think it is right to talk about it on social media.”
Kraviz still remains on the lineup for other festivals this year, including Parklife (Manchester) and Primavera Sound (Barcelona).
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Nina Kraviz is unable to play Movement this year. Stay tuned for updated lineup and set times.
— Movement Detroit (@MovementDetroit) May 19, 2022