Nina Kraviz () is a Russian DJ, music producer and singer.

Early life and career

Kraviz was born and raised in

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...

, Siberia, Russia. She moved to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

to study

dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...

where she later gained her residency. Kraviz also worked in a number of roles in the early 2000s before she started her music career, including fixing " cosmonauts' teeth", hosting a local Irkutsk radio show, writing for a

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...

, and holding a club residency on Friday nights. In 2005, Kraviz was accepted into the Red Bull Music Academy in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, however couldn't attend as she couldn't obtain a visa, attending the following year in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

instead. By 2008, she was playing a regular night at the Propaganda Club in

. Kraviz released her self-titled debut album in February 2012 through the Rekids record label, to mixed-positive reviews. She started her own

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

in 2014, named трип (English: Trip). She mixed the forty-eighth DJ-Kicks mix album, which was released in January 2015. Kraviz took part in writing the music for the 2020 game '' Cyberpunk 2077''. She also voiced her cameo in the game itself, in Russian and English versions. In 2021, along with other artists like Ben Sims, Oscar Mulero, and Marcel Dettmann, she participated in PX099: 100 Years Of Colombia: a techno compilation with tracks from the artists on the scene with the intention of raising awareness about Colombia’s social unrest. In 2023,

Jean-Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the Electronic music, electronic, Ambient music, ambient and New-age music, new-age genres, and is known for organising out ...

collaborated with Kraviz on the remake of his Sex in the Machine Take 2 remake.

Discography

Albums

* ''Nina Kraviz'' ( Rekids, 2012) * '' Cyberpunk 2077: Radio, Vol. 4 (Original Soundtrack)'' (2021)

Remix albums

* ''The Remixes'' (Rekids, 2012)

Extended plays

* ''First Time EP'' (2009) * ''Ghetto Kraviz'' (Rekids, 2011) * ''Mr Jones'' (Rekids, 2013) * ''stranno stranno. neobjatno.'' (trip, 2019)

DJ mixes

* '' DJ-Kicks (#48)'' (2015) * '' fabric 91'' (2016)

Singles

* "Voices" (2009) * "Pain in the Ass" (Rekids, 2009) * "Hotter Than July" (2009) * "I'm Week" (Rekids, 2010) * "Moses" (vs. Sascha Funke; 2010) * "Zlobnii Mikrob" (2010) * "The Loop" (2010) * "Aus" (2012) * "Choices" (2012) * "Taxi Talk" (2012) * "Let's Do It" (trip, 2015) * "Don't Mind Wrong Keys" (trip, 2015) * "Pochuvstvui" (trip, 2017) * "You Take" (trip, 2017) * "Opa" (trip, 2018) * "Hi Josh" (trip, 2018) * "This Time" (2021) * "Skyscrapers" (2021) * "Hace ejercicios" (trip, 2022) * "Tarde" (2023) * "white horse" ft. Indira Paganotto (2023) * "Bailando" ft.David Löhlein (2023)

Remixes

* St. Vincent — " New York" (Nina Kraviz Vocal Remix) (2019) *

- " Sex in the Machine Take 2" (2023)

Awards and nominations

DJ Awards DJ Awards is a celebration of electronic music, and aims to recognise and honour Disc jockey, DJs and individuals who have influenced electronic dance music worldwide. Held annually in Ibiza at the end of the summer season, DJ Awards has retaine ...

DJ Mag ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lati ...

azine's top 100 DJs International Dance Music Awards

Controversies

Nina Kraviz became embroiled in controversy following the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

due to her perceived silence and past statements regarding Russian politics. Critics, including Ukrainian DJ Nastia and Russian DJ Buttechno, accused Kraviz of failing to condemn the war and questioned her previous comments about

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

. For example, in April 2014, shortly after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, she posted an Instagram photo holding a cut-out of Putin with a gun featuring a flower in the barrel. Nina Kraviz’s response—a social media post simply stating "peace"—was deemed insufficient by many, leading to calls for her to clarify her stance on the conflict. The backlash intensified when Clone Distribution, a Rotterdam-based music distributor, severed ties with Kraviz's label, Trip Recordings, citing ethical and moral disagreements. Furthermore, she was dropped from the lineups of major festivals, including Movement in Detroit, The Crave in The Hague, and PollerWiesen in Germany. These actions highlighted growing demands for artists to take clear political positions about the war. In May 2022, Kraviz responded publicly, expressing her distress about the war and opposing violence while asserting her identity as a musician rather than a political figure and pointing out her lack of competence to speak on political matters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kraviz, Nina Musicians from Irkutsk Women DJs American DJs Living people Russian women musicians Women in electronic music 21st-century Russian women musicians Russian record producers Russian dentists Year of birth missing (living people) American people of Russian descent Russian techno musicians