Those who loved club music back in the nineties remember DJ XP Voodoo. His name is Mammadov Timur. Until 2000, he was a prominent representative of club culture, and later his pseudonym remained only in history. It was thanks to Timur in the metropolitan party that they learned what a rave was. In the beginning, he was just DJ Voodoo, the letters XP were added to the name in 1995, after the first “Orbit” rave festival.
Rave master
That is what the letters "H.R." mean. Timur Mammadov began his career back in 1993. He was born in Baku in a famous family. It consisted of opera singer Mursal Badirov, oil scientist Yusuf Mammadov and child prodigy Haji Mammadov. Timur was 24 years old at the beginning of his fast-paced career. He was actively interested in Western club culture and tried to bring it to the masses.
All Timur's parties were held in unusual places - the theater of the Soviet Army, in count estates, in the lobby of the metro, in a casino and circus. The very first rave parties were held by Timur with the producer and member of the Karmen group, Bogdan Titomir. They had the format of tenants. But all this time the DJ dreamed of making grandiose and regular parties so that more than a thousand people would come to them.
Club "Aerodans"
Later Timur Mammadov realized that he had outgrown the format of the apartment blocks. Then he found associates, and became the founder of the Aerodans club. The official opening year of this club is indicated in 1995, but in fact, the first events took place in the building back in 1994. At that time, the club had neither repair nor an attractive interior.
On October 2, 2015, the twentieth anniversary of the Aerodans club was celebrated. Now this institution is significantly different from what it was back in 1994. At the peak of fame, a hostess in the form of a stewardess met all guests at the entrance to the club. With the development of rave culture, getting into an institution has become more difficult due to the dress code. At first, in the club one could often meet young people with chains around their necks, but later only young people who were unusually dressed were allowed inside.
Chillout planet
Over time, in the Aerodans club, where the
best DJs of that time played, it became necessary to allocate a special dance floor for the initiates. These were the first
closed parties in Russia
. Promoters of the club, including Timur, phoned potential visitors. Named the new zone Chillout Planet.
This indoor dance floor has been preserved to this day. For the club’s twentieth anniversary, only guests of the club’s founders were allowed to visit it. This format of parties is especially popular with Timur, since for holding a private event it was necessary to ring up potential ravers, come up with code words for protection, and, of course, create unusual tracks. According to him, now organizing an event at such a level is much easier, which has reduced interest in the organization itself.
Less
Timur later opened a club for the initiates, named Less. It played extremely popular trance-style music. Only the elite could get into it. The main specialization of the club was closed parties. At the same time, the club did not have advertisements, since the Lesnoy restaurant used to occupy the premises, which owed a fabulous sum for electricity at that time. Even the flyers did not print the address.
To get to this club was possible only on the recommendation of three people who have already become visitors to the institution. Often among vacationers it was possible to meet the first persons of the country. For example, deputies of the LDPR faction. The club attracted not only XP Voodoo music, but also unusual themed parties. For example, on the first of January 1998, a homeless party was held at the club. All visitors were dressed as people without a residence. Just on that day, the police arrived at the club, which was extremely surprised by the public.
Children of the Underground
At one of the radio stations operating on the wave 106.8 FM, there were programs, the main theme of which was electronic music of the 90s. Timur also worked there. He led the show "Children of the Underground" for several years. This helped him promote his own projects, because Timur lives in raves and music.
At station 106.8, many DJs worked, which later became popular. After Timur left the show, this radio station was ruined. This was facilitated by Russian Radio, which felt the competition. With the support of radio moguls, in 1998 Timur began to release records with his tracks. This helped him gather the audience at the annual Orbit festivals.
About four thousand people gathered for the first electronic music festival. Part of his support was provided by the radio station, but most of the work was done by promoters distributing flyers to young people. People were attracted by a large number of performances by eminent DJs.
Timur Mammadov today
Today, the eminent DJ and the owner of the three oldest clubs in the capital constantly lives in Goa. According to him, now the metropolitan audience is very different from the one in the nineties. Clubs and theme parties are no longer exotic. Also, the lack of modern culture has become the availability of equipment. If earlier a DJ needed to look for, and sometimes buy, professional installations abroad, now it’s enough to have money.
Popular music has also changed under the influence of glamor. In clubs and catering establishments, more recognizable remixes began to sound, and new styles and trends appeared. Timur Mammadov complains that the secrecy of the raver movement has disappeared with progress, now people who love clubs are not a separate subculture. They merged with the crowd. That is why it conducts its activities in India, where festivals have retained their unique atmosphere and surroundings.