Music deemed to be too fast or too slow has been banned in the Russian Republic of Chechnya — effectively silencing pop and techno songs.
All music — including vocal and choreographic compositions — will now be limited to a tempo between 80 and 116 beats per minute.
The announcement was made by Minister of Culture Musa Dadayev, according to Russian state news agency TASS, CNN reported.
“[I] have announced the final decision, agreed with the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov that, from now on, all musical, vocal and choreographic works must correspond to a tempo of 80 to 116 beats per minute,” Dadayev said, according to TASS.
Dadayev said under Kadyrov’s instruction, Chechnya would now ensure music and dance creations represented the “Chechen mentality and musical rhythm,” which aimed to bring “to the people and to the future of our children the cultural heritage of the Chechen people".
Under the ban music genres such as pop and techno would be outlawed.
Chechnya was located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the North Caucasus region.
It was nearly an entirely Muslim republic, and included part of Russia's border with Georgia.
Kadyrov has been in power since 2007. During his time in office, there have been reports of waves of violence against gay men, and he has used his time in office to stifle any form of dissent.
This prompted investigations from the United Nations human rights experts in 2017, when they urged authorities to delve into allegations gay men were being detained and targeted. Local media reported some in the region had been murdered for their sexuality.
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