Mumiy Troll (russian: Му́мий Тро́лль ) is a Russian
rock group
A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...
, founded in
1983
The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call.
Events January
* January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
in
Vladivostok
Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...
by vocalist and songwriter
Ilya Lagutenko
Ilya Igorevich Lagutenko (russian: Илья́ И́горевич Лагуте́нко; born 16 October 1968) is the founder and lead singer of the rock band Mumiy Troll.
Career
He was born in Moscow, Soviet Union. Soon after his birth his fat ...
(). The band's name translates as "mummy troll" and is a pun on ''
Mumintroll'', the children's books series by
Tove Jansson
Tove Marika Jansson (; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking population of Finland, Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from ...
.
Career
Ilya Lagutenko founded Mumiy Troll in Vladivostok on 16 October 1983.
In 1985, the group recorded their first album, ''Novaya luna aprelya'', which was distributed as ''
magnitizdat
''Magnitizdat'' () was the process of copying and distributing audio tape recordings that were not commercially available in the Soviet Union. It is analogous to ''samizdat'', the method of disseminating written works that could not be officially ...
''.
Mumiy Troll disbanded when Lagutenko was conscripted into the Russian navy.
In 1990, they briefly reunited and released their second album, ''Delay Yu-Yu'', on tape.
Having studied Chinese and English at the Oriental Studies Institute of the
Far Eastern Federal University
Far Eastern Federal University (russian: Дальневосто́чный федера́льный университе́т, ''Dalnevostochny federalny universitet'') is a university located in Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russia. In 2022 the u ...
, Lagutenko worked in China and London from 1991 to 1995.
In 1995, he returned to Russia and reformed the band.
In May 1997, Mumiy Troll released their first studio album, ''Morskaya'' (), which brought them wide popularity.
Six months later, they released their second studio album, ''Ikra'' ().
In 1998,
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
began broadcasting in Russia and Mumiy Troll's music video for the song "Vladivostok 2000" was the first music video by a Russian artist shown on the channel.
In 2001, the group represented Russia in the
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
and came in 12th place.
''Time Out'' (
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
) wrote that they 'stole the show' by standing out as snakeskin heroes amongst all the taffeta and tuxedos.
The group wrote and produced soundtracks for a full-length cartoon movie and gave a new sound to classic Russian silent sci-fi movie and donated tracks to feature films including Russian blockbuster ''
Night Watch'', where Lagutenko also plays the Vampire. His face is on the cover of the American release.
Their 2005 album ''Sliyaniye i pogloshcheniye'' () was called back from the printers on the day of release when distributors realized that the bride and groom on the cover were wearing masks of Putin and
Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky (russian: link=no, Михаил Борисович Ходорковский, ; born 26 June 1963), sometimes known by his initials MBK, is an exiled Russian businessman and opposition activist, now residing in L ...
. The band changed them into symbols of hearts and
United States dollars
The United States dollar ( symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the officia ...
respectively.
In 2008, the band signed with the Agency Group.
In 2009, they released the album ''Comrade Ambassador'', their first album to be made commercially available in North America, and toured North America to promote it.
In 2012, Mumiy Troll released their first English-language album, ''Vladivostok''.
In 2013, they released the album ''SOS matrosu'' (), written during the band's round-the-world trip on a 19-century sailing ship in locations.
In 2015, they released album ''Piratskie kopii'' () and in 2016, the English-language album ''Malibu Alibi.''
In 2011, the first Mumiy Troll Music Bar was opened in Vladivostok. In 2015, Lagutenko opened a second Mumiy Troll Music Bar in Moscow.
The group has participated in various international festivals and music conferences, including
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
, Culture Collide,
Zandari Festa
Zandari Festa is a three-day music festival and showcase held in various live music venues and other locations in the area around Hongik University in Seoul.
Every year, it offers around 100 music acts from Korea and around the world, as well as ...
, Mu:Con, Sound City, and Visual Japan Summit. In 2013, they founded their own showcase festival "Vladivostok Rocks" (V-ROX). The festival was dubbed "a small Pacific Woodstock" by
Russia Beyond The Headlines
''Russia Beyond'' (formerly ''Russia Beyond The Headlines'') is a Russian multilingual project operated by TV-Novosti (formerly Russia Today), founded by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
History
''Russia Beyond The Headlines'' was ...
. V-ROX was held annually from 2013 to 2019. The 2020 edition of the festival was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Mumiy Troll was the first to support the activities of PSI organization fighting AIDS in Russia and performed at the No Name Fever exhibition for AIDS in
Gothenburg
Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
in 2005. They are also well known for conservation activities on wild life in Far-East taiga and helping local minorities to survive. Ilya Lagutenko is a patron of the British-Russian Amur fund for the protection of Amur tigers and leopards.
Musical style
Lagutenko lived in London in the 1990s and was influenced by the
Britpop
Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...
scene at the time.
Lagutenko has described the band's style as "rockapops."
Band members
*
Ilya Lagutenko
Ilya Igorevich Lagutenko (russian: Илья́ И́горевич Лагуте́нко; born 16 October 1968) is the founder and lead singer of the rock band Mumiy Troll.
Career
He was born in Moscow, Soviet Union. Soon after his birth his fat ...
–
lead vocals
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...
,
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
, keyboard, acoustic guitar, tambourine
* –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
* –
keyboards
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
*
Artyom Kritsin
Artyom (russian: Артём) is a male given name common in Russia and other Slavic-speaking countries. The name uses the " ё" letter, which can be transcribed to English as "e" but still has the "yo" sound. The Belarusian spelling is Арцё ...
–
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
*
Pavel Vovk –
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
Discography
* 1985 – ''Novaya luna aprelya'' ()
* 1990 – ''Delay Yu-Yu'' ()
* 1997 – ''Morskaya'' ()
* 1997 – ''Ikra'' ()
* 1998 – ''Shamora – pravda o Mumiyakh i Trollyakh'' ()
* 1998 – ''S novym godom, Kroshka!'' ()
* 2000 – ''Tochno rtut' aloe'' ()
* 2002 – ''Meeamury'' ()
* 2004 – ''Pohititeli knig'' ()
* 2005 – ''Sliyaniye i pogloshcheniye'' ()
* 2007 – ''Amba'' ()
* 2008 – ''8''
* 2009 – ''Comrade Ambassador'' – US release (in Russian)
* 2010 – ''Paradise Ahead'' – US EP Release
* 2012 – ''Vladivostok''
* 2013 – ''SOS matrosu'' ()
* 2015 – ''Piratskie kopii'' ()
* 2016 – ''Malibu Alibi''
* 2016 – ''#31E''
*2018 – ''Vostok X Severozapad'' ()
Awards
* ''1997'' The Best Still Image 1996 for ''Utekai'' (''Slip Away'') The Best Still Image 1997 for ''Delfiny'' (''Dolphins'') – the award from the Pokolenie Video Festival.
* ''1997'' The Best Rock Group 1997 – ''Ovation'' prize from the Russian Music Academy.
* ''1997'' The Best Group 1997, The Best Album 1997 for ''Morskaya'' (''Nautical''), The Best Song 1997 for ''Utekai'' (''Slip Away''), The Best Group 1998, The Best Video 1998 for ''Delfiny'' (''Dolphins''), The Best Video 1999 for ''Nevesta?'' (''Bride?''), The Best Musical Site 1999 – Russian music magazine ''Fuzz'' prize
* ''November 2002'' Golden Disk according to the ''Meamories'' album sales in Latvia.
* ''2002'' ''Zolotoy Grammofon'' (''Golden Gramophone'') premium (for the most popular song at ''Russkoe Radio'' in 2002) was awarded for the song ''Eto po lyubvi'' (''Based on Love'').
* ''2002'' The Best Group 2002, The Best Song 2002 for ''Eto po lyubvi'' (''Because of love'') – the Poboroll prize from Nashe Radio.
* ''May 2004'' Golden Disk according to the ''Pohititeli Knig'' album sales in Latvia.
* ''2005'' The Best Album 2005 for ''Sliyanie i Pogloshenie'' (''Merger and Acquisition'') – Russian music magazine ''Fuzz'' prize.
* ''2006'' ''Animation'' category – video clip ''Strakhu Net'' – Russian Flash Awards prize.
* ''2006'' For the contribution to rock-art – Russian music magazine ''Fuzz'' prize.
* ''2006'' Legend of MTV – MTV Russia Music Awards.
* ''2008'' The Best Album 2008 – Mumiy Troll, «8» – Chartova Duzhina
* ''2008'' The Best Music 2008 – Mumiy Troll, Contrabands – Chartova Duzhina
* ''2008'' Internet 2008 – Mumiy Troll, www.mumiytroll.com –
* ''2008'' CD 2008 – Mumiy Troll, «8» –
* ''2009'' The Best Group 2009 – Mumiy Troll – Chartova Duzhina
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Musical groups established in 1983
Musical groups from Moscow
Russian rock music groups
Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Russia
Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2001
Russian alternative rock groups
Soviet rock music groups
Winners of the Golden Gramophone Award
Russian activists against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine