Pop-Mechanics (Popular Mechanics) () was a musical collective founded by

Sergey Kuryokhin Sergey Anatolyevich Kuryokhin (russian: Серге́й Анато́льевич Курёхин, also transliterated as Sergei Kuriokhin, Sergei Kurekhin, Sergueï Kouriokhine, Sergey Kuriokhin, etc.; nicknamed "The Captain"; 16 June 1954 – 9 Ju ...

in 1984. The line-up of Pop-Mechanics often changed; musicians from rock groups such as

Aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

Kino Kino may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasters * KINO, a radio station in Arizona, U.S. * Kino FM (98.0 FM – Moscow), a Russian music radio station * KinoTV, now Ruutu+ Leffat ja Sarjat, a Finnish TV channel Fictional entities ...

Strannye Igry Strannye Igry (russian: Странные игры, Strange Games) was a Soviet Leningrad-based new wave band, noted for using the ska influences (which was unusual for the Soviet music scene of the time), writing lyrics based on the translations ...

AVIA Avia Motors s.r.o. is a Czech automotive manufacturer. It was founded in 1919 as an aircraft maker, and diversified into trucks after 1945. As an aircraft maker it was notable for producing biplane fighter aircraft, especially the B-534. Avia ...

, and

Auktyon Auktyon (russian: АукцЫон, ) is a Russian alternative rock band from Saint Petersburg. The band was founded by Leonid Fyodorov at the Polytechnic Institute of Leningrad. Though they originally played post-punk and new wave, the group c ...

took part in its performances. Pop-Mechanics ceased to exist with Kuryokhin's death in 1996.

History

Sergey Kuryokhin acted as the composer, conductor, and artistic director of Pop-Mechanics, as well as performing as a musician. The collective's performances were partly improvised and mixed genres, including elements of jazz, rock, avant-garde theater, and ancient mystery plays. The stage performances sometimes included animals. The first Pop-Mechanics concert took place on 14 April 1984 in Moscow on the stage of the Moskvorechye House of Culture. The group's first performance in Leningrad took place in the spring of 1985 at a festival of 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 ...

. In 1988, Pop-Mechanics had their first international performances, including shows in Finland, Sweden, and Germany. From 1988 to 1991, the majority of Pop-Mechanics performances took place abroad. The group was less active after 1991. Kuryokhin's final Pop-Mechanics show took place in Saint Petersburg in September 1995. The performance was also a fundraiser and advertisement for Aleksandr Dugin's Duma electoral campaign.

Pop-Mechanics participants

With the exception of Kuryokhin, Pop-Mechanics did not have a permanent line-up. Participants in Pop-Mechanics shows included: * * † — show, avant-garde fashion * — trumpet * — saxophone * — guitar * Sergey "Afrika" Bugayev — industrial group, electronic drums *

Igor Butman Igor Butman PAR is a Russian jazz saxophonist born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1961. Butman holds dual citizenship for both the US and Russian Federation. He is considered to be a virtuoso saxophonist, and a skilled bandleader. American saxop ...

— alto saxophone * — saxophone * — guitar *

Vsevolod Gakkel Vsevolod (Seva) Yakovlevich Gakkel' (; born 19 February 1953) is a Russian rock musician, who played cello in the band Aquarium. Gakkel founded the club TaMtAm and was the art director of the club in Saint Petersburg. Biography Early years ...

— cello * — maracas, industrial group, theatrics *

Boris Grebenshchikov Boris Borisovich Grebenshchikov (russian: link=no, Борис Борисович Гребенщиков; born ) is a prominent member of the generation which is widely considered to be the "founding fathers" of Russian rock music. He is the fou ...

— guitar, theatrics * Georgy "Gustav" Guryanov † — industrial group, percussion, vocals * — keyboards *

Yuri Kasparyan Yuri Dmitriyevich Kasparyan (russian: Ю́рий Дми́триевич Каспаря́н, born 24 June 1963) is a Russian and former Soviet musician best known for his time as the guitarist of the Soviet rock band Kino and as a member of ...

— guitar * — soprano saxophone, flute, recorder * — tuba, vocals * † — drums * † — percussion *

Elena Korikova Elena Yuryevna Korikova (russian: Еле́на Ю́рьевна Ко́рикова) is a Russian theater and television actress. She is known for her role of Anna Platonova in the television series '' Bednaya Nastya''. Biography Korikova wa ...

— vocals, backing vocals *

Sergey Letov Sergey Fyodorovich Letov (russian: Серге́й Фё́дорович Ле́тов, born September 24, 1956), is a Russian musician and composer, known for his improvisational style. He is the founder of the recording label ''Pentagram''. He has ...

— saxophone, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone *

Yegor Letov Igor Fedorovich "Yegor" Letov (russian: link=no, И́горь Фёдорович "Его́р" Ле́тов, ; 10 September 1964 – 19 February 2008) was a Russian poet, musician, singer-songwriter, audio engineer and conceptual artist, best know ...

† — bass guitar, guitar *

Aleksandr Lipnitsky Aleksandr Davidovich Lipnitsky (; 8 July 1952 – 25 March 2021) was a Soviet and Russian journalist, writer, and musician. He was one of the founders of the Soviet rock group Zvuki Mu. Biography Aleksandr Lipnitsky was born on 8 July 1952 in ...

* — guitar * † — performances, show *

Timur Novikov Timur Petrovich Novikov (September 24, 1958, Leningrad – May 23, 2002, St. Petersburg) was a Russian visual artist, designer, art theorist, philosopher, and musician. He is considered one of the most influential proponents of Nonconformist ...

† — industrial group * Valentina Ponomaryova * — saxophone *

Arkady Shilkloper Arkady Shilkloper (born 17 October 1956) is a Russian multi-instrumentalist (horn, alphorn, flugelhorn, corno da caccia, didgeridoo, shofar, and others) and composer, currently living in Berlin. He is known as one of the best jazz performers ...

— French horn, jagdhorn * —

crumhorn The crumhorn is a double reed instrument of the woodwind family, most commonly used during the Renaissance period. In modern times, particularly since the 1960s, there has been a revival of interest in early music, and crumhorns are being play ...

* † — guitar, theatrics * — bass guitar, guitar, theatrics *

Igor Tikhomirov Igor Tikhomirov (russian: Игорь Тихомиров) (born 4 May 1963) is a Canadians, Canadian (formerly Soviet Union, Soviet) épée fencing, fencer. He competed for the Soviet Union, Soviets at the 1988 Summer Olympics, winning a bronze m ...

— bass guitar * Alexander Titov — bass guitar *

Viktor Tsoi Viktor Robertovich Tsoi (russian: Виктор Робертович Цой; ; 21 June 1962 – 15 August 1990) was a Soviet singer and songwriter who co-founded Kino, one of the most popular and musically influential bands in the history of ...

† — guitar * — guitar, sound engineer * † — viola The British actress

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two ...

also took part in a Pop-Mechanics performance.

References

External links

Photo gallery (in Russian)
�— from

's personal archives
Popular Mechanics
on Russian Art Archive Network
Excerpt from BBC documentary ''Comrades: All that Jazz''
{{Authority control Musical groups from Saint Petersburg Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Musical groups established in 1984 Russian experimental musical groups Russian rock music groups Soviet rock music groups