Russian city bans 'immoral' DJs

Officials in a south Russian city are to impose restrictions on discos and attempt to "educate" DJs in an effort to improve public morality.
The new decree in Belgorod, 700km (400 miles) from Moscow, limits the kind of music which can be played as well as the kind of DJs permitted to play it.

Most Russians view discos simply as innocent fun.

But officials in Belgorod consider them to be a potential danger to society, hotbeds of drugs, drink and debauchery.

Now the regional governor has ordered DJs to face the music and clean up their acts.

He has imposed heavy restrictions on local discos or, as they are described in the decree, "mass cultural youth events".

From now on, only music which is considered to be of a moral nature can be played.

Recommended works include folk music, Russian and western classics.

Disc jockeys must have completed secondary education and they must know Russia's law on culture.

Special courses will be organised to help DJs improve their qualifications.

As for the audience, from now on anyone boogieing in Belgorod would be well advised to take along a tape measure and a watch.

According to the decree, there can be no more than two people dancing on one square metre and the music has to stop at 10pm.

It all smacks of Soviet-era control. Under communism, censors usually decided which songs could be played and which were too ideologically unsound.

This is not the first time that officials in Belgorod have tried to raise the moral standing of society.

Early this year they launched a campaign to stop people swearing and encouraged police to fine anyone heard using "four-letter" words.

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Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3987123.stm

there goes the chances of manumission touring that part of russia

I agree with them but then again i am close to russia ! Theres a few djs around who should be banned dont you think ?

This is a very interesting dimension to a debate that has been rearing its head in various forms. I would like to add a layer to this debate:

Q: Given that Russia has extreme gangster problems, and that something has to be done, do you think it is more effective to control DJs or to examine the links between gangsters and members of the government and bureaucracy?

Supplementary question:
Q: No matter what answer you gave to the first question, which measure (DJ control or exposure of state corruption) is in your opinion more likely to be enacted?

It would be my personal opinion, and I mean this very sincerely, without causing offence to anyone, that this is an example of the means/end inversion that looking at symptoms rather than causes produces.

Russia where is that please

I agree that there is a lot of questionable content on some of todays so-called "music" which I don`t like. But I don`t think it should be censored by Governmental bodies who use it as an excuse to impose curfews and brain-washing.

You would not believe the amount of control the russian mafia has and we are not just talking night clubs but just about every form of business you can think of . They are extremely violent and it is safe to say that your life as a foreign dj working in russia is worth nothing. I know a jock who is currently doing a 2 year stretch in a russian jail for something he didnt do. In answer to blackvinyils question, just past me on the right.