Clone Distribution has dropped Nina Kraviz and her трип label over the Russian artist’s response to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The decision was outlined in detail last week via a post on Clone’s blog, written by founder Serge Verschuur (aka Serge). He criticized Kraviz for her alleged “pro-Putin” views and “CCCP/USSR sentiments,” as well as her decision “to stay silent” on the atrocities in Ukraine.
“By refusing to choose sides, and by not speaking out, Nina enables herself to continue her lifestyle and her life as a performing artist as if nothing is happening,” Serge wrote, “while the looting, the raping, the murdering, and the destruction of a country by her countrymen continues.”
Clone’s decision was mentioned in a recent TIME article, which examined how Kraviz’s response has divided the electronic music scene. While criticisms of Kraviz — whose only post about the war is a video of a handwritten note with the word “peace” in Russian — extend beyond Clone to artists such as Nastia and Pavel Milyakov (aka Buttechno), there are also those who have supported her right to keep a low profile.
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The latter camp often cites Russia’s recently introduced laws forbidding anti-war protests, slogans, and independent journalism, as well as the potential threats that come with being a Russian dissident.
“She is free to stay silent, and of course, she is allowed to keep her political views to herself and to live her life as she wishes,” Serge wrote. “She may well have her personal reasons to justify that behavior, but as a business partner Clone Records is equally free to not conveniently accept those reasons.”
Read Serge’s post in full here. Resident Advisor has also approached Kraviz for comment.
Originally reported from Resident Advisor.
