From Russia with love.

Even in a scene full of eccentrics, Philipp Gorbachev stands out. Son of a Russian race car driver, he's a central figure in one of the world's more tumultuous club scenes: Moscow's. His sound is defined by contrast, equally inspired by warehouse raves and scrappy post-punk. His last album, I Don't Give A Snare, was recorded with artists he met on Craigslist, mixed by Paul Leary of Butthole Surfers, and released on ARMA, the label arm of ARMA17, where Gorbachev is a resident. Onstage, Gorbachev is truly flamboyant, partial to orange jumpsuits and chunky black sunglasses. For the debut of his last album, Unlock The Box, he spent months working on an elaborate live show involving eight-foot marionettes designed by Oleg Glushkov of the Bolshoi Theater. It never happened—the set was part of the programme at Outline Festival, which was tragically and inexplicably shut down by police as Gorbachev rehearsed inside.

Gorbachev's quirks are matched only by his optimism. As difficult as things may be, he has unshakable faith in his city's club scene. Speaking to Will Lynch at RA's Berlin office, it's clear that he believes fully in the value of Russia's contribution to electronic music worldwide.