N.E.P. (russian: link=no, Н.Э.П.) is a Russian rock band formed in 1988 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, then Leningrad, and widely credited as a legend of

Russian rock music Rock music became known in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its Western roots. According to many music critics, its "golden age" years were the 1980s (especially the era of perestroika), when the Soviet underground roc ...

and classics of Russian rock, according to the biggest national mainstream rock radio.

History

The band was formed in January 1988 by Sergey Parashchuk, who has been leading it to the present. Emerging from the 1980s Soviet rock movement, which was among the most influential drivers of social change in the USSR but was soon to end, the band still managed to make it to the elite of Leningrad rock, the key echelon of the rock movement, before the

Leningrad Rock Club The Leningrad Rock Club (russian: Ленинградский рок-клуб) was a historic music venue of the 1980s in Leningrad, situated on Rubinstein Street in the city centre. Opened in 1981 and overseen by the KGB, it became the first lega ...

vanished together with the

socialist system A socialist state, socialist republic, or socialist country, sometimes referred to as a workers' state or workers' republic, is a sovereign state constitutionally dedicated to the establishment of socialism. The term ''communist state'' is ofte ...

, succeeded by a lot of new Saint Petersburg musical clubs at times when rock music was none of the influence it used to enjoy. The name of the band is an

initialism An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

commonly referring to the

New Economic Policy The New Economic Policy (NEP) () was an economic policy of the Soviet Union proposed by Vladimir Lenin in 1921 as a temporary expedient. Lenin characterized the NEP in 1922 as an economic system that would include "a free market and capitalism, ...

adopted by

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

's government in the 1920s. However, there are alternative interpretations of the band's name: for example, ''Let this

Perestroyka ''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...

go to hell'' (Russian ''Нафиг Эту Перестройку''). In 1988 the new band qualified and successfully performed at the Rock Club's yearly festival. In the same year it recorded its first album entitled ''70 Moments of Spring''. Initially the band in its sound and image followed the leaders of Leningrad and Soviet rock music – ''

Alisa Alisa is a female given name, a version of Alice in used in Russia, Finland, Estonia and other countries. Notable people with the names Alisa and Alissa include: Alisa People *Alisa Agafonova (born 1991), Ukrainian former competitive ice dancer ...

'' and '' Televizor''. In 1990 N.E.P. released a new album, ''Dissonance''. From 1993 the band's leader Sergey Parashchuk, along with musicians of ''

DDT Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...

'' and ''

'', made up a

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

named ''Duby Kolduny'' performing Soviet-era pop hits, which existed till 1996. The main act performed in Russia not much, but had several European tours, visiting such countries as France, Germany etc. During the 1990s the band output two more original albums, ''Pro...'' (1991) and ''Veter Vagonov'' / ''Railcar Wind'' (1994). The N.E.P. of the 1990s' sound developed strong

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

, specifically

funk metal Funk metal (also known as thrash-funk or punk-funk) is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, ...

rapcore Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented influences, res ...

features, keeping pace with the world rock music of the time. By 2003 the band faced a serious challenge, left by a few of its past members, who had gone to other bands such as ''

''. The end of the decade was marked by a revival of the band featuring a refreshed and consolidated lineup. In 2012 and 2013 it took part in the biggest Russian open-air rock festival

Nashestvie Nashestvie (russian: Нашествие) was the largest open-air festival of Russian rock, organized by Nashe Radio station. It was held annually during the first weekend of July (first weekend of August until 2006) in the environs of Moscow, Rus ...

run by the nationwide pop rock

Nashe Radio Nashe Radio (russian: Наше радио, ''Our Radio'', pronounced ''Nashe radio'') is a Russian Rock music radio station. It was designed to promote Russian rock bands, as opposed to pop and Western music. Nashe is based in Moscow and broadcas ...

. N.E.P. resumed an intense activity performing at Saint Petersburg and national clubs, as a complete outfit or in a reduced format, as Sergey Parashchuk accompanied by the band's lead guitar player, Marat Kapranov. In a 2013 interview for the rock magazine ''Rocketsmusic'', Sergey Parashchuk unveiled the band's current plan to record a long-awaited new album.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''70 Moments of Spring'' (1988) * ''Dissonance'' (1990) * ''Pro...'' (1991) * ''Veter Vagonov / Railcar Wind'' (1994) * ''Encyclopedia of Russian rock. NEP'' (compilation, 2001)

References

{{Reflist

External links

N.E.P. onstage at a 1996 stadium festival performing its alternative-sounding hit ''Gorod'' (''City'')

N.E.P. onstage at ''Nashestvie 2013''
Russian rock music groups Musical groups from Saint Petersburg Musical groups established in 1988 Soviet rock music groups