Chechnya introduces bizarre new ban on music
Different countries and regions have frequently banned different music that doesn’t fit a particular ideal. However, the recent rules announced by Chechnya are so incredibly specific that it’s hard to describe them as anything other than bizarre.
In a recent statement, the Russian republic confirmed that they would be banning music that doesn’t sit between 80 to 116 beats-per-minute, deeming the former too slow and the latter too fast.
According to the Moscow Times, the culture minister made the announcement last week. These parameters are relatively slow compared to a lot of modern pop music, so although there is still a wide range of BPM available, the new rules will impact a considerable scope of songs from across different contemporary genres.
The republic’s leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, made the call and told the culture minister, Musa Dadayev, that they need to make sure Chechen music conforms “to the Chechen mentality.” He also said it wasn’t right for the republic to rely upon music from other parts of the world, stating, “Borrowing musical culture from other people’s is inadmissible.”
The republic has allowed musicians to rewrite their music to meet the criteria. If the requirements are not met, the artists will not be allowed to perform their music in public and won’t be able to profit from that music within the region.
Western rave and techno music are some of the most prominent genres that will be impacted. These brands of electronica tend to have much higher BPM, and any attempt to slow them down would render the songs completely meaningless. The tracks have such a high BPM because they are packed with energy, and if they were slowed, they would essentially sound like entirely different creations that don’t appeal to their original fans.
Chechnya has found itself to be at the forefront of controversy recently, having been a very vocal supporter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Not to mention, they have also seen a significant increase in anti-LGBTQ+ violence in recent years. This includes anti-gay purges, which the UN have since described as “acts of persecution and violence on an unprecedented scale.”
The territory is not the first country to ban different types of music. For instance, China is famous for being strict on what music people can and can’t listen to, prohibiting any song that speaks about Tibetan independence or could be perceived as anti-China, such as Chinese Democracy by Guns N’ Roses. However, Chechnya is one of the first places to put limits on the speed at which a song can be played.
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