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Feminist performance art collective Pussy Riot made international headlines in 2012 after members were arrested and imprisoned for protesting the re-election of Russian President Vladimir Putin and perceived corruption in the Russian Orthodox church. Initially known for playing lo-fi punk rock and staging impromptu protest performances, the group eventually started touring internationally, and expanded their music to incorporate left-field pop, dance, and hip-hop. During the early 2020s, they released collaborations with Tom Morello, Dorian Electra, and Big Freedia, and their mixtape Matriarchy Now appeared in 2022.

The group formed in Moscow in August 2011 as an offshoot of the performance/street art group Voina, in response to government policies that discriminated against women. A rotating amalgamation of approximately ten to twenty members, Pussy Riot disguised themselves with pseudonyms and brightly colored dresses and balaclavas as they staged guerrilla-style performances in public spaces. Influenced by American riot grrrl and Oi! bands as well as Bulgarian-French philosopher and cultural theorist Julia Kristeva, the collective's musical performances combine politically charged lyrics chanted against abrasive guitar riffing, almost always running under two minutes.

Pussy Riot attracted international attention after their February 2012 performance at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, where they took to the altar for about 30 seconds and begged in a mock prayer for the Virgin Mary to take Putin out of power, leading to the arrest of members Maria Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and the fleeing of an additional two members. In mid-August 2012, the three women were each sentenced to serve two years in a penal colony. The case's combination of censorship and severe response by authorities compelled Russian allies like Garry Kasparov and international figures and organizations from Kathleen Hanna to Paul McCartney to Amnesty International to speak out in support of the collective. Samutsevich was released on a suspended sentence in October, and Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were freed under a general amnesty in December 2013, which Putin claimed was drafted to mark the 20th anniversary of Russia's post-Soviet constitution. Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova formed the independent media outlet Mediazona several months after their release.

Pussy Riot occasionally released Russian-language songs and videos during the first half of the 2010s, and were the subject of the books Pussy Riot! A Punk Prayer for Freedom (2012) and Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot (2014), as well as the 2013 documentaries Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer and Pussy versus Putin. Another documentary, Death to Prison, Freedom to Protest, was released in 2014. The band's first English-language song and video, "I Can't Breathe," appeared in early 2015.

Starting in 2016, Pussy Riot became more prolific as a recording act, as their music shifted away from lo-fi punk, embracing hip-hop and dance-pop. They released the EP xxx, which included the songs "Make America Great Again" (accompanied by a Trump-themed dystopian video) and "Straight Outta Vagina," featuring Desi Mo and Leikeli47. Their singles "Police State" (2017), "Bad Apples" (with Dave Sitek, 2018), and "Track About Good Cop" (2018) spoke out against corruption in the criminal justice system. The group's first North America tour took place in 2018. In 2019, they released hip-hop tracks such as "Black Snow" (with Mara 37) and "Hangerz" (with Junglepussy and Vic Mensa), written in response to Alabama's anti-abortion legislation. "1312," a rap-metal track with Dillom and Muerejoven, appeared in 2020. Pussy Riot also issued the singles "Knife" and "Riot," and appeared on Dorian Electra's single "My Agenda," along with the Village People.

Pussy Riot teamed up with Dorian Electra once again for 2021's "Toxic," produced by 100 gecs' Dylan Brady. The group released the singles "Rage," "Sexist," and "Panic Attack," and additionally issued collaborations with Tom Morello, MARINA, Our Lady Peace, WhoKilledXIX, and others. The EP Rage Remixes included Boys Noize's remix of the title track. Neon Gold released Pussy Riot's 2022 mixtape Matriarchy Now, which included guests such as Big Freedia, iLoveMakonnen, and Slayyyter. ~ Chrysta Cherrie & Paul Simpson

Alexander Ridha, the individual behind the Boys Noize moniker as well as the label Boysnoize Records, became one of the biggest names of the electro-house scene during the 2000s and 2010s, producing a hard-edged mix of rave, hip-hop, and industrial influences. First establishing his credentials with a bevy of singles and hypercharged remixes for the likes of Bloc Party, Depeche Mode, and Feist, he released his acclaimed full-length debut, Oi Oi Oi, in 2007. Subsequent albums such as Out of the Black (2012) and Mayday (2016) expanded on his sound while featuring guests like Snoop Dogg, Hudson Mohawke, and Poliça, while mix CDs such as FabricLive 72 (2013) demonstrated his skills as a DJ. Apart from solo work, Ridha has collaborated extensively with Skrillex (as Dog Blood), Mr. Oizo (as Handbraekes), Chilly Gonzales (as Octave Minds and producing/co-writing 2010's Ivory Tower), and Erol Alkan, among others. In 2021, he released the full-length +/-.

Born in Hamburg, Germany, Ridha moved to Berlin when he was 21 years old. Chiefly inspired by Daft Punk, he established himself as a talented producer in 2004 with the International Deejay Gigolo Records 12" single "The Bomb!/Boy Neu." In 2005, Ridha founded Boysnoize Records and released a pair of Boys Noize 12" singles ("Optic/He-Man," "Volta 82") on the label, which subsequently featured the work of I-Robots, Housemeister, Lady B, Shadow Dancer, and others. Meanwhile, he produced one-off releases for Anthony Rother's Datapunk label (Are You In?, 2005), Tiga's Turbo label (Erole Attakk, 2006), and Kitsuné Music (Feel Good [TV=Off], 2007).

Oi Oi Oi (2007) marked the full-length debut of Ridha as Boys Noize; Last Gang Records licensed the album for release in North America, along with an EP of remixes, Oi Oi Oi Remixed. A popular Boys Noize remix of Feist's "My Moon My Man" was included as a bonus track on Oi Oi Oi. It was one of several remixes -- most notably Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus," Bloc Party's "Banquet," and Justice's "Phantom, Pt. 2" -- that helped popularize the Boys Noize brand. Ridha's first two mix CDs, Bugged Out! Presents Suck My Deck and I Love Techno 2008, both appeared in 2008.

Second studio album Power appeared in 2009, and The Remixes 2004-11, an extensive double-CD containing Boys Noize mixes of artists including the Chemical Brothers, N.E.R.D., and Daft Punk, was issued in 2011. Full-length Out of the Black was released in 2012, the same year Ridha and Skrillex formed a side project called Dog Blood and released their debut single, "Middle Finger." Ridha was tapped for the 72nd volume of Fabric's long-running Fabriclive DJ mix series in 2013. Out of the Black: The Remixes followed in 2014, with artists like Justice, Chromeo, and Jimmy Edgar reworking that album's tracks. Also in 2014, Ridha and Chilly Gonzales released their self-titled debut as Octave Minds, which included a collaboration with Chance the Rapper and the Social Experiment.

In 2015, Boys Noize released the back-to-basics techno EP Strictly Raw, Vol. 1, including co-productions with Tiga, Atom™, and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. In May 2016, he released his fourth studio LP, Mayday, which featured appearances by Benga, Remy Banks, Hudson Mohawke, Spank Rock, and Poliça. As before, he followed his LP with a remixed version, this time divided into two EPs, Mayday Remixes, Pt. 1 & Pt. 2. Strictly Raw, Vol. 2 and single collaborations with Virgil Abloh ("Orange") and Steven A. Clark ("Killer") appeared in 2018. Following the release of Dog Blood's Turn Off the Lights EP in the spring of 2019, Skrillex and Boys Noize teamed up with Ty Dolla $ign for the single "Midnight Hour," which was later nominated for the Best Dance Recording Grammy Award. "Why Not?," Ridha's collaboration with Francis & the Lights, appeared that fall. In 2020, he released his livestreamed album STRICTLY BVNKER, VOL. 1: The Lockdown Sessions. The full-length +/- arrived in 2021, with guests including ABRA, Kelsey Lu, Chilly Gonzales, and Rico Nasty. "Trip," a collaboration with Skream, and "Let Us Rave" (featuring Naeem and Velvet Negroni) both appeared in 2022. ~ Jason Birchmeier

With her whispered and wailed vocals -- and the dramatic electronics surrounding them -- Alice Glass' music displays a rare blend of vulnerability and volatility. She first earned acclaim as Crystal Castles' dynamic frontwoman on the duo's acclaimed trilogy of self-titled albums, which began with 2008's Crystal Castles and culminated with 2012's Crystal Castles (III). After leaving the group due to alleged abuse at the hands of bandmate Ethan Kath, Glass established herself as a solo artist capable of channeling her trauma and recovery into direct, cathartic releases. Her 2015 debut single, "Stillbirth," benefitted the anti-sexual violence organization RAINN, and later efforts like 2017's Alice Glass EP and 2022's full-length Prey//IV continued to blend outspoken honesty with challenging, haunting sounds.

Born Margaret Osborn in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Glass survived a difficult relationship with her parents and troubles at Catholic school thanks to her love of music. After getting her first guitar at age 11, she became a part of the city's punk community and founded the experimental punk band Fetus Fatale while still in her teens. In 2003, she met Ethan Kath at one of the band's shows, and the 15-year-old Glass soon began working with him on the project that eventually became Crystal Castles.

The duo officially debuted in 2006 with the single "Alice Practice," which attracted the attention of London's Merok Records and appeared on the duo's 2008 self-titled debut album. Two more albums (2010's Crystal Castles [II] and Crystal Castles [III]) followed before Glass left the group in 2014. She signed to Loma Vista as a solo artist, releasing her debut single, "Stillbirth," in 2015. The proceeds from the track's sales were donated to anti-sexual violence organization RAINN. In August 2017, Glass released the single "Without Love" and her self-titled debut EP, which featured contributions from former HEALTH member Jupiter Keyes and Atticus Ross.

Inspired by the #MeToo movement, that October Glass published a statement alleging Kath abused her sexually, physically, and mentally during the time she worked with him. Kath sued her for defamation the following month, but his suit was dismissed in February 2018 on procedural grounds. That May, a judge awarded Glass nearly $21,000 in attorney fees.

During this time, Glass continued to tour and release music: the single "Cease and Desist" -- which she described as a "call to arms for all survivors" -- appeared in January 2018, followed by an EP of Alice Glass remixes by tourmates Zola Jesus and Pictureplane that April. That June, she released "Mine," a single co-written with songwriter Justin Tranter. Later in the year, she contributed the track "I Trusted You" to the Adult Swim compilation Fever Dreams, appeared on Dreamcrusher's album Grudge2, and was featured along with Wicca Phase Springs Eternal on "Dark Alley," a track from Zubin's EP Heavy Down Pour.

Early in 2019, Glass made a cameo on Nedarb's album Amity. In January 2020, her song "Sleep It Off" was included in the soundtrack to The Turning, director Floria Sigismondi's adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. That August, Glass' "Nightmares" was featured on the Sermon 4 Anniversary compilation from Sermon 3 Recordings. She closed out the year with a remix of Pabllo Vittar's "Rajadão" that appeared on the deluxe version of his album 111. January 2021 saw the release of "Suffer and Swallow," the first track from Glass' debut album. Later in the year, she collaborated with Alice Longyu Gao on the single "Legend" and remixed Dorian Electra's "Fist," which also featured the Horrors' Faris Badwan. Glass' first full-length, Prey//IV, appeared in February 2022 and showed hints of hyper-pop and trap in her style. ~ Heather Phares