“We want everybody to have the opportunity to be what they are without fear. We are rare flowers trying to survive in a concrete jungle. Created by nature we are beautiful and strong. We aim from darkness to the light. We are, we exist, we shine. All the boundaries are relative. To define and overcome them is in our power.”
The avant-garde electronic duo from Moscow – IC3PEAK is one of the most popular counterculture bands in Russia at the moment. Their music implements bi-polar aesthetics where melodies which recall the memories of the painful russian winter are juxtaposed with unmerciful and disintegrating instrumentals. This results in a flawless product which can be called both audacious and fearless.
IC3PEAK are solely responsible for the visual form of the band. Their lyrics are comprised of all sorts of surrealistic images and as they say “…[their visuals] are a part of a scary Russian fairytale”. Typical for the contemporary Russian scene is the presence of the social element – IC3PEAK are far from uninvolved in their environment and are amongst the most vocal about the disbalances and injustices concerning the LGBTQ community. Furthermore their song “Death No More” is an open critique towards Russia’s government.
We were proud to be the first to invite IC3PEAK to Bulgaria as part of our ongoing Post Kultura project, choosing to pair them with local rap act STRUGARE. The event took place on the 21st of February 2019 in the Sofia club “Mixtape5”. Over 700 people attended, making this the biggest event we had organized to date.