Sochi Wants You To Feel Like You're In a Nightclub

No one could call the Sochi Olympics boring. A bit strange, maybe. Surreal, definitely. But dull? Not a chance. And in case that point needed driving home, as the competitors walked into the stadium during the closing ceremony, electronic dance music suddenly swelled and filled the air, taking us all from serious athletic celebration to European nightclub in one click of an old iPod.It all started off so grand. The brainchild of Konstantin Ernst, the Sochi Olympics' opening and closing ceremony creative director, the evening opened with a boat gliding through the air, surrounded by flying men and women in white robes. There were cheers, and an orchestra, and performers in shimmering cloaks creating Olympic rings on the floor. The atmosphere was ethereal and grave. Then, the flags and athletes made their way into the stadium for the 2014 Closing Ceremony and, suddenly, electronic synth music blasted through the speakers. The athletes began somewhat awkwardly pumping their fists to Duck Sauce's 'Barbara Streisand' and some 2 Unlimited as they filed into the arena; President Vladimir Putin was spotted clapping along to some house (the first and only time during the show that he actually seemed to enjoy himself.)"To portray our culture in the most objective way, we decided to look at it through the eyes of a European," said Ernst. While the rest of the ceremony has included homages to the Russian greats of the literary and musical world, it's the electronic victory march that has really said the most about Russia through the techno eyes of the Europeans.