Watch Pussy Riot's Video for Dave Sitek-Produced Protest Track "Chaika"

Image by Denis Sinyakov

Late last year, a documentary by anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny purported to uncover links between the family of Russia's prosecutor general, Yuri Chaika, and a notorious Russian gang. Today, Pussy Riot have shared a video for a protest single about the prosecutor, "Chaika," which was produced by TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek. In the clip, directed by Andrey Fenøčka and the group's Nadya Tolokonnikova, Pussy Riot dress as officials and torture prisoners while performing eerie dance routines. Below, read Tolokonnikova's statement about the track and collaborating with Sitek, and scroll down for the video.

"Everybody should remember that we are flying on the fucking giant rocket though space. Everybody should think about it at least one time per day. Giant. Rocket. I wonder why people doesn’t have telescopes at their house to remind themselves about this truth”, - says Dave. That is why he never tries to foretell what is going to happen during your new meeting. He really can give the things the opportunity to happen, to occur. And this is the most important talent an artist can have. All the rest, like technical skills, time period, style, will follow. The linchpin is to be able to let something strange happen, some incredible story or a peculiar situation. “How can I answer the question what track would we write next time? May be tomorrow we’ll just go to pick flowers. Or start sewing a pair of pants. Shall we sew some pants?” This is Dave.

Dave has three huge fluffy dogs and two cats resembling tiny cautious leopards. Dave knows how to talk to them, and his cats and dogs in their turn can sing accompanied by different musical instruments. That is why it is absolutely not important in what language you are composing a track together with Dave. You could write in English or in Russian, or simply mew like Run The Jewels.

If I compose something in an English speaking country I don’t want to be constrained by the language, to stay within the limits of English. I can create stunning and bizarre rhymes in English, working, in fact, precisely due to that bizarreness. We discussed it once with Miss Kittin whose first language is French that it is really wonderful to write using a language which is not your mother tongue and unconsciously come up with paradoxical and amazing phrases. Still I would never agree to write in English only. That is why it came so much to the point to discover Dave who can understand cats and Russians without words.

In a separate statement, the band said:

Pussy Riot demands an immediate investigation against General Prosecutor Chaika and his family, as well as against all the top officials in his office. We hope that the CHAIKA music video will help to convince people that we cannot live in a country where its top law enforcement official is the brightest symbol of corruption and murder. Pussy Riot hopes that people around the world will help us voice our outrage and turn Russia into a country where people like Chaika can no longer exist.

via Jazz Monroe