Empty Hills
Encyclopedia
Empty Hills, Pustye Kholmy or Pustye Holmy is a non-commercial open-air alternative arts and music festival in Russia
.
The festival is held annually since 2003, usually over several days in June, in Kaluga Oblast
or Smolensk Oblast
. It is a non-profit event with no admission fee or sponsorship. The efforts of volunteers are responsible for the production of the event. The number of visitors grew from 300 in 2003 to about 45000 in 2008.
Unlike most music festivals, Empty Hills has no specific musical format or style. Among genres represented on the festival, there are folk music
, blues
, rock music
, reggae
, sometimes electronic music
, jazz
or avant-garde
. All participants undergo rigorous selection by a special committee; the choice is made in favor of the most musically prominent bands, regardless their commercial success or popularity. Thus, in the final program of the festival about half of the participants are known to only a few people, and for many their appearance at the "Hills" is their first step to recognition.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
The festival is held annually since 2003, usually over several days in June, in Kaluga Oblast
Kaluga Oblast
Kaluga Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Kaluga.-Geography:Kaluga Oblast is located in the central part of the East European Plain. The Smolensk Highland lays in the western and north-western part of the oblast, while the Central Russian Highland -...
or Smolensk Oblast
Smolensk Oblast
Smolensk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its area is . Population: -Geography:The administrative center of Smolensk Oblast is the city of Smolensk. Other ancient towns include Vyazma and Dorogobuzh....
. It is a non-profit event with no admission fee or sponsorship. The efforts of volunteers are responsible for the production of the event. The number of visitors grew from 300 in 2003 to about 45000 in 2008.
Unlike most music festivals, Empty Hills has no specific musical format or style. Among genres represented on the festival, there are folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, sometimes electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
or avant-garde
Avant-garde music
Avant-garde music is a term used to characterize music which is thought to be ahead of its time, i.e. containing innovative elements or fusing different genres....
. All participants undergo rigorous selection by a special committee; the choice is made in favor of the most musically prominent bands, regardless their commercial success or popularity. Thus, in the final program of the festival about half of the participants are known to only a few people, and for many their appearance at the "Hills" is their first step to recognition.