Chechnya's Bizzare Ban on Musical Tempo

Chechnya's Cultural Minister just banned all music outside of 80-116BPM...why?

well....

This is probably just a clever way to make sure that Lezginka is legal (which is crazy fast, but whose half time tempo fits within this window) but foreign music like House and Techno does not.

Thanks to Dr. VanHandel for joining me! Follow her on twXtter...

Sources:

Chechan Music Playlist

(⌐■_■)

Peace,
Adam

[mike_ere]

Anything can be 80-116bpm if you count it like a nerd:)

[samuelmartin]

Your honor, my song is not in 79 bpm, it's actually a 79/80 polymeter

[Soshikix]

RIP Chechnyan technical death metal scene.

[ArcenusJ]

As others have said, it is not a music ban, it's an excuse for a culture ban. Chechen authorities will not count the beats and then prohibit something, they'll just take down any concert or festivity they don't like alleging this law and be done with it.

[umarelimbaev]

Being from Chechnya myself, I'm actually really happy that you, Adam (fun fact: my father's name is Adam too), really liked ''Lezginka'' and even made some kind of analysis on it, even if that happened because of a weird reason to be honest, but anyways, thank you!

[DuncanHarbison]

I'm going to write a piece that alternates between 80 and 116 every couple of bars. Don't dare perform it slightly wrong.

[DaudAlzayer]

"If you want the arts, fund them" is a simple message they aren't ready to hear

[gytux]

Laws like this are just a technicality. On the books to give them the ability to ban something whenever. Selectively enforced and never meant to actually be followed to the letter.

[CossackGene]

As a huge fan of lezginka: this video ROCKS. I've never heard someone discuss its technicalities in English before! Should note that it's not just Chechen dance - it's performed in slightly different variations all around the Caucasus and by the Caucasian diaspora worldwide. Your first example video is from Kabardino-Balkaria, and while I can't find the original version of the second, it's got to be in front of Gostinny Dvor in St. Petersburg. Looks just like it.

Also, in case anyone was wondering, there will be no one in the Chechen government measuring the beat of every song. The law will be used reactively against individuals the state/community dislike already. Just like every repressive law in Russia.

[jkRatbird]

So to summarise:
40-58 is OK!
58-80 is FORBIDDEN!
80-116 is OK!
116-160 is FORBIDDEN!
160 - 232 is OK!

[johnopalko]

Good, they can still perform CPR in Chechnya. "Stayin' Alive" is 104 bpm.

[normalizedaudio]

Drummer's perfect pitch is where they know the exact BPM right away.

[Fokadas]

They will soon regulate what speed you breathe.

[traildoggy]

But your honor, she told me she was dancing at 90 bpm. I didn't know, I mean, she looked fast enough.

[IPODsify]

Most music bans are really just culture bans but trying to seem non racist. When there were jazz bands they just made different genres with similar themes

[ImaginaryMdA]

The Chechen cultural ministry won't measure bpm, they'll just ban "degenerate" music (or whatever the Chechen alternative of degenerate is).

[gcd]

German Nazis put up signs "Swing Dancing prohibited". But one of their biggest movie stars Hans Albers did a song "Beim ersten Mal da tut's noch weh" (from the movie "Große Freiheit Nr. 7", filmed in 1943) that is pure big band swing, especially the part with the trumpet. So dictatorships seem to have a tradition of not doing what they preach, weird 😂

[onlychance]

UK Government: _Bans "repetitive beats."_
UK Ravers: _Makes Breakbeat and Jungle._

[thomassmith]

Ironically, I think this video might do more to promote Chechen music than the law does

[LON]

One district mayor from my city banned all concerts. Luckily, they didn't specify what a concert is, so bands are now doing "recitals" and "public rehearsals".