I don’t know why, but I like techno music, and I often write about approaches to techno within the context of proper Western European reality.
In the Netherlands, there exists a rich techno community among the general population. In Europe, almost everyone should be familiar with the Netherlands, and the image of Dutch society reflects the Western European techno community: beautiful gardens, high-tech architecture, and a profound cultural and economic society.
Currently, Anfisa Letyago is often seen in the Netherlands. Perhaps my path to discovering Anfisa Letyago was influenced by Nina Kraviz, or maybe it was through Anfisa Letyago’s Instagram account. There was a time when I thought Nina Kraviz was Anfisa Letyago (both are born in Siberia, Russian-want the b2b) because I saw Instagram posts and didn’t read the account name; to me, they looked similar in those posts. After some time, I noticed a new name on these Instagram posts. I looked at the account, and it was Anfisa Letyago. I liked Anfisa Letyago’s smiles more than her techno, and I also enjoy Italian food. Her smiles and food led me to appreciate her techno music.
Now, to the point of the article: due to the reality in Czechia, I am often critical of the Czech techno scene. My criticism stems from the Czech reality, where there are massive collaborations among (wannabe) techno enthusiasts and free tekno people, even though techno culture and free tekno are entirely different. In Czech media, I often see that they refer to free tekno parties as techno events; this mislabeling has tarnished the reputation of techno music. I believe Czech ravers themselves have contributed to this negative perception due to their approach. However, it’s not only the Czech ravers’ approach that’s the issue; it’s also because Czech society seems disconnected from the reality around them.
Anfisa Letyago received a prestigious award in Women in Music in Italy. This speaks volumes about the contrast not only between Western Europe and Czechia but also with other countries like Italy. In Czechia, perhaps the equivalent is the Zlatý Slavík (Golden Nightingale). I can laugh at the name of the award because everyone knows the conditions surrounding the Slavík. Probably, the name of the award is appropriate.
Yes, Central Europe includes parts of Germany, but Germany’s techno scene is a completely different reality. Everyone interested knows that techno started in Detroit, and Germany is one of the main reasons techno exists today.
Maybe the problem is also that Czechia lacks the electronic music experiences of the ‘90s that Western Europe had. Gabber and Thunderdome didn’t exist in Czechia in the ’90s. There are no experiences from the ’90s here. And when I mention the ‘90s, I could also talk about drugs. I think gabber exists especially because of the ‘90s in the Netherlands and Belgium. Gabber has been mainstream in Western Europe since the ‘90s. There were a few years in the ‘90s when, for example, there was a boom in MDMA use at events. But I think mainstream Western Europeans realized that this usage was unsustainable. In Czechia, I often feel that people are trying to maintain an unsustainable drug culture for more than 20 years. This is incompatible with the reality of artists like Anfisa Letyago. Someone needs an awakening, or I don’t know why it doesn’t register in people’s minds. It’s beautiful when people like Anfisa Letyago and Italy can destabilize the unawareness of significant realities. I don’t know where my life fits in a reality filled with lies that people tell themselves about the world around them.
For example, Charlotte de Witte also had a collaboration in Italy: New Form IV, which was a collaboration between F1 Ferrari and Charlotte de Witte because her techno is prestigious for F1 itself.
Probably, I can connect this article to myself. I think about why I have much support from Western European people and why people around me don’t understand. This is the main reason, among others. I often see that people around me don’t understand electronic music itself, just as they don’t understand what (not only Western) Europe is because… And that Czech people don’t understand Western culture. In 2023, this was also demonstrated at the Liquicity Festival. There was a horrible misunderstanding among Central European people. I think everything was horrible there or still exists because of the Liquicity Winter Festival 2022 and the Dutch reality that someone discovered through my words about proper Western European countries. I want to say this again because I don’t understand.
A good example that in Czechia it is common for wannabe techno people to make connections with free tekno and show approval of anti-social behavior and dehumanization is a expats.cz article “Prague is the thumping new heart of Europe's techno scene"
Otherwise, in the article, they write that the Western techno scene is expensive. But everyone who knows Western European techno events — like those in the Netherlands — knows how cultural and safe Dutch events are. There is often a zero-tolerance drug policy, and I think this is one of the reasons why some people feel that Western European events are expensive and instead support free tekno parties.
But the truth is that Dutch techno events are not as expensive as tickets for techno events in Prague. I am often shocked that in Prague, for just one headliner — who is one of the same ten headliners at a Netherlands festival — a person needs to pay half the price of a full festival ticket in the Netherlands. For me, it’s common to spend less or the same amount of money on a Netherlands festival as I would for an event in Prague with just one headliner from the same ten featured in the Netherlands. And the atmosphere at ADE, thanks to Dutch people, is on a high level — because of the Dutch people’s general social behavior. I think the reason why Netherlands events are not so expensive is because good social behavior exists in the Netherlands, and people there are not especially treated as business objects (or drug customers). Also, because of this, the Dutch economy looks good, the Dutch people look good, and the truth is that Dutch people are wealthier, much richer than Czech people, and they are also healthier humans.
I see it as fake when someone says that Western European events are expensive — especially when compared to events in Prague, where just one headliner from a ten-headliner lineup in the Netherlands is featured. Furthermore, in the Netherlands, there are big festivals almost every month and for many years already — and this also shows that Prague is not a major event destination.
Everyone knows that at free tekno parties, theft is part of the scene, and the events are not for cultural beings — unlike the Dutch techno events, where the wealth, richness, and cultural behavior are in complete contradiction to the uneconomical and uncultured approach of Czech free tekno events. Also, the fact that free tekno has been mainstream in Czechia for many years is not news — it’s the truth from around 2000 or so, when free tekno started becoming mainstream. This is because free tekno parties require nothing, and people can bring in filth and drugs that ignore all boundaries — because free tekno parties have no behavioral boundaries.
The truth is, there is no musical connection between free tekno parties and techno. Free tekno has a totally different BPM than techno. And in the free tekno reality, no one like Anfisa Letyago could ever be considered a queen — because free tekno lacks any cultural or civilized behavior. Free tekno is against the cultural and civilized values for which Anfisa Letyago received a prestigious award. So there is no connection between free tekno and techno — but in Czechia, people still try to create fake realities. I think this is because in Czechia, there’s more of a sense for fake realities than for wealthy and healthy lifestyles.
In the article, there are also words about how in 2006, free tekno people were given a space by the government. First of all, this was a bad idea by the Czech government itself. The main point is that after 2006, free tekno people rejected any collaboration with the government because they also reject the Western system entirely. There was no continuation of the same reality as in 2006, because the free tekno people rejected everything connected with the system they are trying to shut down. They rejected it all, saying that free tekno is not a normal event, but a movement based on anarchy.
Also, I think that with rules, there can be less drug use and less anti-social behavior. For example, before 2006, there at the biggest free tekno events were no toilets, and urine (mixed with Czech meth, MDMA, and other chemicals) from thousands of people gathered in one area near forests, with a strong smell everywhere. But for free tekno, it seems like having this smell everywhere is part of the experience. But this is just one piece of all the bad things within a non-cultural environment — one that has no connection to Western techno events or behavior, yet gets idealized in fake realities. I’ve known this for many years, and I can write about all of it because I see the contrast between the Western world and the toxic, vomit-inducing reality that exists due to free tekno being one of the Czech mainstreams.
Also, there are mentions of Berlin’s techno culture. I just think that in Berlin, there are no free tekno parties. And in Germany, it wouldn’t even be possible for free tekno to operate like it does in Czechia. In the Berlin area, there are alternative festivals like Fusion Festival — but this free-spirited festival is a completely different reality than a free tekno party. For example, as I said before, in 2023 I visited a free (drum and bass) event at Rechenzentrum in Potsdam. Even that free event was a completely different reality than a free tekno party. No one wanted visitors to consume alcohol during the last hour to hour and a half before the event ended. The usual “no limits” behavior seen at free tekno parties is impossible for the Berlin community, because no one there wants to see toxic behavior like that. And yes, nothing was stolen from me, even though my backpack was unattended for almost the whole event. I saw no toxic behavior, even though there were many different people from the Berlin area at the free event in Potsdam. The event ended at midnight — and no one started blasting horrible sound at midnight as often happens at “political” free tekno parties.
When it comes to the German techno scene, Germany introduced many techno styles to the world — with many influential producers and diverse genres like minimal, electro, melodic techno, and hard techno — but nothing like free tekno, and nothing with roots in free tekno. The German techno scene is totally different from the Czech one. Thanks to many important producers, German techno is one of the biggest techno scenes ever — with a strong history that cannot be replicated in Czechia, especially since Czechia lacks significant producers and DJs like those in Germany.
In the Berlin area, there is also the Nation of Gondwana festival, which is another example that Berlin and German techno are not dark and aggressive — German techno is colorful and can be very melodic.
Free tekno is a closed-off sector that especially exists in Czechia — because conditions exist there for homeless-friendly, narcotics-friendly, so-called “free” events. I believe the main reason why free tekno moved from the United Kingdom to Czechia in the ‘90s — after being banned in the UK due to anti-social behavior — is that the Czech conditions were perfect for free tekno to continue.
But in the article is hidden the truth about wannabe techno but Prague tekno “culture”, that
1.
Czech Republic
• Population: ~10.5 million
• Scene Size (relative): Huge, especially in the late 1990s–2000s and still strong today.
• Czechtek: Massive festivals with 20,000–40,000+ people, which is an enormous percentage of the population.
• Culture: Free tekno is deeply embedded in Czech counterculture and tolerated more than in most countries.
• Geography: Central location in Europe = hub for raver migration and cross-border collaboration.
2. France
• Population: ~68 million
• Scene Size (absolute): Probably the biggest in Europe overall.
• Per Capita: Still strong, but proportionally smaller than Czechia.
• Cultural Reach: Spreads across multiple regions, but more diffuse.
3. Italy & UK
• Population: ~59M (Italy), ~67M (UK)
• Scene: Strong historically, but fragmented and more repressed by police. • Per Capita: Substantially smaller than Czechia, especially in recent years.
Czechia Wins Per Capita
• After the fall of communism, there was a massive openness to underground culture.
• Abundant open spaces, industrial ruins, and tolerant authorities (at least early on).
• Strong tradition of autonomous zones, squats, and underground art.
• Czechia became a raver destination for European sound systems.
