Rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
became known in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in the 1960s and quickly broke free from its
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
roots. According to many music critics, its "golden age" years were the 1980s (especially the era of
perestroika
''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 ...
), when the Soviet underground rock bands became able to release their records officially. Since then, Russia and
Russophone
This article details the geographical distribution of Russian-speakers. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the status of the Russian language often became a matter of controversy. Some Post-Soviet states adopted policies of derussi ...
artists in various other countries have developed a varied rock scene that covers virtually all rock genres, from classic and
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
to
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
and
heavy metal. The majority of the Russian bands perform in the
Russian language
Russian (russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, link=no, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the First language, native language of the Russians, and belongs to the Indo-European langua ...
.
According to various polls, the most popular Russian rock bands include
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 entiti ...
,
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 ...
,
Aria
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
,
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 ...
,
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
, and
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. ...
.
History
The early 1960s: Local bard music and first western influences
Prior to the late sixties, music in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
was divided into two groups: music published by state record company
Melodiya
Melodiya ( rus, links=no, Мелодия, t=Melody) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) record label. It was the state-owned major record company of the Soviet Union.
History
Melodiya was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm ...
, and everything else.
Under this second group were the
bards
In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise t ...
, underground folk
singer–songwriter
A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted th ...
s.
Bards such as
Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky ( rus, links=no, Владимир Семёнович Высоцкий, p=vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr sʲɪˈmʲɵnəvʲɪtɕ vɨˈsotskʲɪj; 25 January 1938 – 25 July 1980), was a Soviet singer-songwriter, poet, and actor ...
and
Bulat Okudzhava
Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava (russian: link=no, Булат Шалвович Окуджава; ka, ბულატ ოკუჯავა; hy, Բուլատ Օկուջավա; May 9, 1924 – June 12, 1997) was a Soviet and Russian poet, writer, musici ...
were among the many artists who created the style which is referred to as ''avtorskaya pesnya'' (), mostly played on unaccompanied acoustic guitar and characterized by a strong emphasis on lyrics that sometimes carried a subversive meaning. Their music was often suppressed by the government, and yet enjoyed massive popularity, with Vysotsky becoming a highly popular cinema and theatre actor and an iconic figure of the times. having been regularly hailed as "the Bob Dylan of the USSR.".
Meanwhile, some Western music was either being smuggled across the border or released by Melodiya as part of what essentially was state-run media piracy, with
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
taking a firm place in Soviet popular culture, and artists such as
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
and
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
completing a somewhat distorted picture of Western music.
The first rock bands in the Soviet Union appeared in the mid-1960s. At the time, they mostly performed covers of songs by The Beatles on home-made equipment. In 1965, the band
Sokol
The Sokol movement (, ''falcon'') is an all-age gymnastics organization first founded in Prague in the Czech region of Austria-Hungary in 1862 by Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner. It was based upon the principle of " a strong mind in a so ...
released the first rock song in Russian, "Gde tot krai?" ().
The late 1960s and 1970s: First signs
![Макаревич](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87.jpg)
Live bands grew popular in spite of governmental restrictions. This continued into the 1980s, when native bands gained some success, but were still hampered by state regulators who would not allow them to be officially recorded and placed restrictions on lyrical content, plus a virtual monopoly of the then sole record label,
Melodiya
Melodiya ( rus, links=no, Мелодия, t=Melody) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) record label. It was the state-owned major record company of the Soviet Union.
History
Melodiya was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm ...
, which would later forge a partnership with international label EMI in the 70s.
Guitar-driven bands evolved during this time, including Leningrad-based
Pojuschie Gitary
Pojuschie Gitary (russian: Поющие гитары , ''The Singing Guitars'') were the Soviet Union's first rock band to reach a phenomenal rate of success and popularity in the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and in other countries. For that reaso ...
() and Belarusian
Pesnyary
Pesniary (also spelled Pesnyary, be, Песняры, ) was a popular Soviet Belarusian folk rock VIA. It was founded in 1969 by guitarist Vladimir Mulyavin. Before 1970, the band was known under the name Liavony (Лявоны).
Style
Pesniary co ...
. These bands started the
VIA
Via or VIA may refer to the following:
Science and technology
* MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter
* ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae
* Via (electronics), a through-connection
* VIA Technologies, a Taiwan ...
() movement, and were followed by others, such as
Tsvety
Tsvety (russian: link=no, Цветы, lit=The Flowers) is a Soviet and Russian rock band that, according to ''Itogi'' magazine, "started all Russian alternative culture". It was one of the first bands to introduce rock music to the Soviet show bu ...
, , and
Sinyaya Ptitsa.
At the same time,
Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni () is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer of Soviet rock music and remains one of the oldest still-active rock bands in Russia. The band's music incorporates elements of classic rock, blues, and b ...
in Moscow and
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 ...
in Leningrad started as nominally amateur bands and soon became popular, performing underground concerts.
In the early 1970s,
Yuri Morozov invented a kind of Russian
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
, using elements of
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
and
ethnic Russian music
Russian folk music specifically deals with the folk music traditions of the ethnic Russian people.
Ethnic styles in the modern era
The performance and promulgation of ethnic music in Russia has a long tradition. Initially it was intertwined with ...
. His sound influenced
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. ...
, Aquarium,
Chizh & Co
Chizh & Co () is a Russian rock band, formed in the early 1990s by guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Sergey Chigrakov
Sergey Nikolayevich "Chizh" Chigrakov (russian: Серге́й Николаевич Чиграков; born 6 February 1961 in ...
, and many others, while he worked with them as a
sound engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...
.
Another notable artist who started his activity at the same time is
Alexander Gradsky
Alexander Borisovich Gradsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Бори́сович Гра́дский; born Alexander Borisovich Fradkin, 3 November 1949 – 28 November 2021) was a Russian rock singer, bard, multi-instrumentalist and composer. H ...
, who fused
bard
In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise t ...
music with
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
. There was no protest against the Soviet government in the lyrics he sang, so he was able to release records through Melodiya. Millions of Gradsky's records were sold throughout the country.
The 1980s: "Classic" Russian rock
In the 1980s, an underground scene of rock artists emerged who based their style on a mix of Western rock music (particularly from the 1960s and 1970s but also, increasingly, on the emerging Western
punk rock and
New Wave) and the Russian
bard
In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise t ...
traditions. Bands such as
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 ...
,
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
,
Autograph
An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...
,
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 entiti ...
,
Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni () is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer of Soviet rock music and remains one of the oldest still-active rock bands in Russia. The band's music incorporates elements of classic rock, blues, and b ...
,
Nautilus Pompilius
The chambered nautilus (''Nautilus pompilius''), also called the pearly nautilus, is the best-known species of nautilus. The shell, when cut away, reveals a lining of lustrous nacre and displays a nearly perfect equiangular spiral, although it ...
,
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 ...
,
Krematorij
Krematorij () is a Russian rock band. The band is considered one of the best concert performing teams in Russia, known for its masterly rock-n-roll. Formed in Moscow in 1983, Krematorij gained quick recognition, achieved the status of a ''legend ...
,
Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Grazhdanskaya Oborona (Russian: Гражданская оборона, ), Russian for ''Civil Defense'', or ГО, often referred to as ГрОб, Russian for ''coffin'') were a Soviet-Russian rock band formed by Yegor Letov and Konstantin Ryab ...
,
Voskreseniye
Voskreseniye (russian: Воскресение) is a Russian rock band.
History
The band was formed in 1979, when drummer Sergey Kavagoe decided to leave Mashina Vremeni and form his own group. Kavagoe was joined by Mashina Vremeni's bassist, E ...
,
Secret
Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret.
Secrecy is often controvers ...
,
Piknik
Piknik (Picnic, russian: Пикни́к) is a Russian rock band known for its unique style which is a mixture of art rock, progressive rock and original Russian rock. The band was formed in 1978 in Leningrad by Sergey Omelnichenko, Evgeny Volo ...
, and
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. ...
became influential in the development of the genre, with subsequent artists influenced by their style.
Russian rock was also influenced by the Russian art group
Mitki and by the Western
hippie
A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
s.
In 1980,
Spring Rhythms: Tbilisi-80 took place in
Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
in the
Georgian SSR
The Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgian SSR; ka, საქართველოს საბჭოთა სოციალისტური რესპუბლიკა, tr; russian: Грузинская Советская Соц ...
. It was the first official
rock festival
A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of entertainment provided at the venue. Some festivals are singular even ...
in the Soviet Union. Almost all the performers and prize-winners at the festival were rock groups from the
Russian SFSR
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR or RSFSR ( rus, Российская Советская Федеративная Социалистическая Республика, Rossíyskaya Sovétskaya Federatívnaya Soci ...
.
![Kino1986leningrad](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Kino1986leningrad.jpg)
The lyrics of the Soviet rock bands often dealt with the darkest sides of 1980s Soviet life, such as
domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
,
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
(an infamous song by Nautilus Pompilius contained the lines "
Alain Delon
Alain Fabien Maurice Marcel Delon (; born 8 November 1935) is a French actor and filmmaker. He was one of Europe's most prominent actors and screen sex symbols in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he won the César Award for Best Actor for h ...
drinks a double bourbon/Alain Delon doesn't drink eau de cologne" as a sarcastic contrast to the alcoholic father described in the song and an indictment of the escapist attitudes of state-run media) and crime, and often carried a hidden political message.
In consequence, the mainstream Soviet radio and television ignored Soviet rock bands, which often reached audiences only through word of mouth. The monopoly for music publishing in the USSR belonged to
Melodiya
Melodiya ( rus, links=no, Мелодия, t=Melody) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) record label. It was the state-owned major record company of the Soviet Union.
History
Melodiya was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm ...
, the Soviet record label owned and operated by the Council of Ministers through the Ministry of Culture. Melodiya had a strict policy against publishing rock music or underground musicians, while promoting
VIAs
The Vias GmbH (stylized VIAS) is a rail service company based in Frankfurt (Germany). The name of the company was taken from the Latin word via for ''way'' and the letter ''S'' for service. It operates rail services in the states of Hesse, Rhine ...
, whose members as well as the composers and writers who worked with them were members of the Union of Composers. Some rock musicians (
Yuri Shevchuk
Yuri Yulianovich Shevchuk (russian: Юрий Юлианович Шевчук; born 16 May 1957) is a Soviet and Russian rock musician and singer/songwriter who leads the rock band DDT, which he founded with Vladimir Sigachyov in 1980.
He is bes ...
,
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 ...
and many others) had problems with the
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
due to their public activities. During the early 1980s, Soviet authorities started to exert heavy pressure on amateur bands, banning underground concerts as a sort of illegal commercial activity and imprisoning some music promoters and sound engineers for earning money from underground concerts.
Many of the 1980s bands remain active and popular among Russian youth. The term ''Russian rock'' is often used to refer to the particular sound of these bands.
Various music scenes
![Butusov 2005-edited](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Butusov_2005-edited.jpg)
In the early- to mid-1980s, rock clubs were founded in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
,
Leningrad
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 ...
(now
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 ...
) and
Sverdlovsk (now
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administra ...
). These three cities had their own rock scenes and friendly collaborations between artists were commonplace.
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 leg ...
, founded in 1981 and supported by the CPSU, Komsomol, and the city and federal governments, was probably the biggest venue, featuring "classic Russian rock" by
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 entiti ...
,
Zoopark
Zoopark (russian: link=no, Зоопарк) was one of the founding rock groups which began the Russian rock movement. The group was founded in 1981.[Piknik
Piknik (Picnic, russian: Пикни́к) is a Russian rock band known for its unique style which is a mixture of art rock, progressive rock and original Russian rock. The band was formed in 1978 in Leningrad by Sergey Omelnichenko, Evgeny Volo ...](_ ...<br></span></div>, <div class=)
,
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 ...
,
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. ...
,
Televizor,
N.E.P., etc. It also included the nascent Russian art-rock movement, typified by bands such as
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 ...
. The most important figure of Leningrad Rock Club,
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 ...
, the well-known piano/keyboard player of different music genres including rock and free-jazz, and leader of his ambitious multimedia project
Pop Mekhanika, one of the first Soviet underground musicians who released his albums in Europe and USA.
Bands from Sverdlovsk, such as
Nautilus Pompilius
The chambered nautilus (''Nautilus pompilius''), also called the pearly nautilus, is the best-known species of nautilus. The shell, when cut away, reveals a lining of lustrous nacre and displays a nearly perfect equiangular spiral, although it ...
,
Chaif
Chaif (Чайф) is a Russian rock band formed in 1984 in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), Russia, by Vladimir Shakhrin and Vladimir Begunov. Their name is derived from the word ''chai'', meaning tea, and ''kaif'' (slang word), meaning pleasure. ...
, and
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
,
[Russian Studies](_blank)
produced more melodic music making heavy use of keyboards and synthesizers.
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
rock bands, such as
Aria
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
,
Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni () is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer of Soviet rock music and remains one of the oldest still-active rock bands in Russia. The band's music incorporates elements of classic rock, blues, and b ...
,
Voskreseniye
Voskreseniye (russian: Воскресение) is a Russian rock band.
History
The band was formed in 1979, when drummer Sergey Kavagoe decided to leave Mashina Vremeni and form his own group. Kavagoe was joined by Mashina Vremeni's bassist, E ...
,
Center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
,
Krematorij
Krematorij () is a Russian rock band. The band is considered one of the best concert performing teams in Russia, known for its masterly rock-n-roll. Formed in Moscow in 1983, Krematorij gained quick recognition, achieved the status of a ''legend ...
and
Zvuki Mu, were rather different from the others and sometimes more discreet.
The
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
n rock scene began in the 1980s, with songwriters such as
Egor 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 ...
(
Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Grazhdanskaya Oborona (Russian: Гражданская оборона, ), Russian for ''Civil Defense'', or ГО, often referred to as ГрОб, Russian for ''coffin'') were a Soviet-Russian rock band formed by Yegor Letov and Konstantin Ryab ...
,
Omsk
Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...
),
Kalinov most,
Alexander Bashlachev and
Yanka Dyagileva
Yana Stanislavovna "Yanka" Dyagileva (russian: Яна Станиславовна Дягилева; 4 September 1966 – 1991) was a Russian poet and singer-songwriter and one of the most popular figures of her time in Russia's underground pun ...
. Their music varied from simple lo-fi punk to indie rock (sometimes acoustic), and the core of their songs were the lyrics. Many albums were first self-released and distributed among fans via trading, then officially re-released years later. Lyrics were often obscene, and the musicians had major problems with the Soviet administration and
KGB
The KGB (russian: links=no, lit=Committee for State Security, Комитет государственной безопасности (КГБ), a=ru-KGB.ogg, p=kəmʲɪˈtʲet ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əj bʲɪzɐˈpasnəsʲtʲɪ, Komitet gosud ...
. A notable act that was not a member of any of the three Rock-Clubs but nonetheless highly popular is
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
band
Secret
Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret.
Secrecy is often controvers ...
.
At that time the Russian
heavy-metal scene originated thanks to bands like
Aria
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
,
Chorny Kofe
Чёрный Кофе (Chorny Kofe, Russian for "black coffee") is a Russian heavy metal music, heavy metal band active since 1981. It is led by guitarist and singer Dmitry Varshavsky.
Members
Current
*Dmitry Warsaw - vocals, guitar (1979–pres ...
and
Master
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
(formed by a few ex-members of Aria).
The
glam-metal band
Gorky Park achieved high popularity in the west and was even aired on
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 ...
.
Russian punk's unique style is generally accepted to be most idealized by
Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Grazhdanskaya Oborona (Russian: Гражданская оборона, ), Russian for ''Civil Defense'', or ГО, often referred to as ГрОб, Russian for ''coffin'') were a Soviet-Russian rock band formed by Yegor Letov and Konstantin Ryab ...
and by
Egor 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 ...
's other projects. The music mixes equal parts Western punk and traditional Russian influences, with gritty production and extremely charged and political lyrics.
=Punk music movement
=
In the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
the punk-rock culture started in the 1980, mostly as a protest movement against the corruption of the regime and the sense there was "no future". It differed from
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
punk culture in that the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
did not have an explicit class society and the society as such was communist; as a result,
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
punk became a protest against the whole social situation.
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
punks usually wore boots and coats found in military shops.
Also, while in the UK punk arose partly as a protest against more-established
rock-music genres like
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
or
glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...
, in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
all
rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
remained in the underground, which made for a certain solidarity between punk-rock fans and other rock fans in Russia.
Beside the traditional
anarchist
Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...
ideology, many Russian punks belong to the
National Bolshevik
National Bolshevism (russian: национал-большевизм, natsional-bol'shevizm, german: Nationalbolschewismus), whose supporters are known as National Bolsheviks (russian: национал-большевики, natsional-bol'sheviki ...
movement, with its founder
Eduard Limonov
Eduard Veniaminovich Savenko ( rus, Эдуард Вениаминович Савенко, , ɨdʊˈart vʲɪnʲɪɐˈmʲinəvʲɪtɕ sɐˈvʲenkə, links=yes; 22 February 1943 – 17 March 2020), known by his pen name Eduard Limonov ( rus, Эд ...
being a punk himself in his youth, and
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 ...
, the godfather of Russian punk, belonging to the movement.
Yegor Letov is considered the godfather of Russian punk with his band
Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Grazhdanskaya Oborona (Russian: Гражданская оборона, ), Russian for ''Civil Defense'', or ГО, often referred to as ГрОб, Russian for ''coffin'') were a Soviet-Russian rock band formed by Yegor Letov and Konstantin Ryab ...
, which started performing in the early 1980s.
During
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
times, the band got in trouble with the authorities and each of the members was at some point arrested for their activities.
[Егор Летов: Конец наступает тогда, когда уничтожается живая энергия творчества. ''Периферийная нервная система'' fanzine, #2, Barnaul](_blank)
/ref>
In the late 1980s another band started operating in Russia, reaching a cult status
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
: Sektor Gaza
''Sektor Gaza'' (russian: link=no, italic=yes, Сектор Газа, translated as ''Gas Sector'') was a Soviet and Russian punk rock band from Voronezh, founded in 1987 by Yuri Klinskikh.
History
Sektor Gaza was founded in Voronezh by Yu ...
. They proclaimed themselves as "kolkhoz
A kolkhoz ( rus, колхо́з, a=ru-kolkhoz.ogg, p=kɐlˈxos) was a form of collective farm in the Soviet Union. Kolkhozes existed along with state farms or sovkhoz., a contraction of советское хозяйство, soviet ownership or ...
punk rockers", mixing elements from Russian village life with punk music. However, while some called the band "original" and "true folk punk", others criticized the band's style. Mikhail Gorsheniov
Mikhail "The Pot" Gorsheniov (Russian: Михаил "Горшок" Горшенёв, full name given at birth – Михаил Юрьевич Горшенёв; 1973–2013) was a lead singer and composer of Russian horror punk/hard rock band Korol ...
from Korol i Shut
Korol i Shut (russian: Король и Шут, lit=King and Jester) were a Russian horror punk band from Saint Petersburg that took inspiration and costumes from tales and fables. In Russia, the band has achieved cult status.
History
The band wa ...
said: "Sektor Gaza
''Sektor Gaza'' (russian: link=no, italic=yes, Сектор Газа, translated as ''Gas Sector'') was a Soviet and Russian punk rock band from Voronezh, founded in 1987 by Yuri Klinskikh.
History
Sektor Gaza was founded in Voronezh by Yu ...
were never a part of the punk rock wave! They have no idea in music at all".
Another cult band which started few years later was Korol i Shut
Korol i Shut (russian: Король и Шут, lit=King and Jester) were a Russian horror punk band from Saint Petersburg that took inspiration and costumes from tales and fables. In Russia, the band has achieved cult status.
History
The band wa ...
, introducing horror punk, using costumes and lyrics in the form of tales and fables. Through sophisticated texts and themes not usually explored by punk, and through a sophisticated punk sound, Korol i Shut
Korol i Shut (russian: Король и Шут, lit=King and Jester) were a Russian horror punk band from Saint Petersburg that took inspiration and costumes from tales and fables. In Russia, the band has achieved cult status.
History
The band wa ...
achieved the status of one of the most popular bands in Russia.
Russian punk achieved international attention when the members of the Pussy Riot
Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in August 2011, it has had a membership of appr ...
band were sent to prison for singing a protest song against Putin in a church. However, in the Russian punk community the attitudes towards Pussy Riot
Pussy Riot is a Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in August 2011, it has had a membership of appr ...
as a punk band were mixed, as many don't define their music as punk.
=Tatars
=
Traditionally, Tatar rock music has been a Tatar language
Tatar ( or ) is a Turkic languages, Turkic language spoken by Volga Tatars, Tatars mainly located in modern Tatarstan (European Russia), as well as Siberia. It should not be confused with Crimean Tatar language, Crimean Tatar or Siberian Tat ...
version of rock music in Russia. Therefore,the lyrics and vocals take priority over instrumental sounds. Some of the earliest Tatar
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different rock bands were Soviet bands Saq-Soq and Bolgar, as well as Başqarma from Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, bands active in the late 1980s. Today the most popular Tatar rock bands are Alqanat (since 2005) from Aqtanış and Xat (since 2001) from Sarman. Some other popular bands are: KGB, Yar band
Yar, Yare or Yars may refer to:
Geography
* Yar, Russia, name of several inhabited localities in Russia
* Babi Yar, a ravine in Kyiv where mass murders took place during World War II
* Eastern Yar, a river on the Isle of Wight, England
* Western ...
, İlsöyä Bädretdineva, İsmail, rhymes and 116 116 (''one hundred and sixteen'') may refer to:
*116 (number)
*AD 116
* 116 BC
* 116 (Devon and Cornwall) Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, a military unit
* 116 (MBTA bus)
* 116 (New Jersey bus)
* 116 (hip hop group), a Christian hip hop collect ...
.
Other pop-rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and ...
groups include Malaylar, Yarda and Ataqlı Radio Şäxeslär. Pop singer Alsou
Alsou Ralifovna Abramova ( rus, Алсу́ Рали́фовна Абра́мова; tt-Cyrl, Алсу Рәлиф кызы Абрамова; ; born 27 June 1983), better known as just Alsou, is a Russian singer and actress. She represented Russi ...
has sung, at times, in her native Tatar.
From underground to publicity
The late 1980s were the years of breakthrough for the soviet rock music artists to the wide public. Political and social changes in the country were very important for this process.
The censorship was still present, but not as rigid as it was in the 1970s or early 1980s. It took years for the first Soviet rock bands to enter the radio and television programs, tour in major concert halls over the USSR, and to release their albums officially on Melodiya, in direct competition with the VIA groups.
The rock music situation changed during the perestroika
''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 ...
era. Many Russian rock bands were able to tour and record in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and United States for the first time. As a result, in 1989-1991 the situation was completely different from that of 1985. Moscow Music Peace Festival
The Moscow Music Peace Festival was a rock concert that took place in the USSR on August 12–13, 1989 at Central Lenin Stadium (now called Luzhniki Stadium) in Moscow. Occurring during the glasnost era, it marked the first time hard rock and heav ...
with western rock stars was held in Moscow, Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Comm ...
accepted Scorpions
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...
in Kremlin, and Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
produced an album by Zvuki Mu and Dave Stewart (of Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succ ...
fame) produced ''Radio Silence
In telecommunications, radio silence or Emissions Control (EMCON) is a status in which all fixed or mobile radio stations in an area are asked to stop transmitting for safety or security reasons.
The term "radio station" may include anything ca ...
'' by 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 ...
for the release in the western world.
With Joanna Stingray
Joanna Stingray (russian: Джоанна Стингрей Dzhoanna Stingrey, , born Joanna Fields, 1960) is an American singer, actress, music producer and socialite. She was a key figure in popularizing Soviet and Russian rock music and cultur ...
's initiative, in 1986 the ''Red Wave
''Red Wave: 4 Underground Bands from the Soviet Union'' was a split double album released in 1986 and featuring Russian rock bands Aquarium, Kino, Alisa, and Strannye Igry (Strange Games), all from Leningrad. It was the first release of Russian r ...
'' compilation was released in the United States. It was a double split album
A split album (or split) is a music album that includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There are also singles and EPs of the same variety, which are often called "split singles" and "split EPs" respectively. Split albums differ from "var ...
with four bands from Leningrad: 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 entiti ...
, 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 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 ...
. One side of vinyl for each band. This compilation was the first official Russian rock release in the west.
Stingray sent copies of the release to Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
and Gorbachev, supplied with a statement saying musicians already did what both presidents could not do diplomatically.
Melodiya
Melodiya ( rus, links=no, Мелодия, t=Melody) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) record label. It was the state-owned major record company of the Soviet Union.
History
Melodiya was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm ...
's reaction was an official release of a record by 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 ...
in order to create an illusion that recordings of the band are also widely released in the USSR.
Television and film also contributed to the breakthrough of Russian rock to the public in the 1980s. New musical television shows, such as ''Muzykalny Ring'' (Музыкальный ринг) and ''Programma A'' (Программа "А"), invited rock artists for interviews and live shows. In the late 1980s, several films featuring Russian rock musicians as actors were released. These films include '' Igla'' and ''Assa
Assa may refer to: Places
* Assa (Chalcidice), a town of Chalcidice in ancient Macedonia, Greece
* Assa, Morocco, a town in Southern Morocco in the Jbel Ouarkziz
* Asa River (Kazakhstan), river in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
* Assa (river), river ...
'' featuring 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 ...
and music by Aquarium and ''Taxi Blues
''Taxi Blues'' (russian: Такси-блюз, translit. Taksi-Blyuz) is a 1990 Soviet drama film directed by Pavel Lungin. It was entered into the 1990 Cannes Film Festival where Lungin won the award for Best Director. The film was selecte ...
'' featuring Pyotr Mamonov. The Canadian filmmaker Peter Vronsky
Peter Vronsky is a Canadian author, filmmaker and investigative historian. He holds a PhD in criminal justice history and espionage in international relations from the University of Toronto. He is the author of the bestseller true crime histori ...
travelled to Moscow and Leningrad in February 1988 and shot a series of music videos with , Aquarium, Nebo i Zemlya, Zvuki Mu and other bands. The music videos were tied together into the documentary film ''Russian Rock Underground,'' which aired on MuchMusic television in Canada and on Italian television.
The 1990s: Post-Soviet era
The beginning of the 1990s are considered to be the end of the "classic" Russian rock era. The two events that mark its end are the death of 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 ...
in 1990, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...
in 1991. Nevertheless, the Russian rock sound continued to live and the new Russian rock sound of the '90s was based on it. Many Soviet rock bands, such as 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. ...
, Nautilus Pompilius
The chambered nautilus (''Nautilus pompilius''), also called the pearly nautilus, is the best-known species of nautilus. The shell, when cut away, reveals a lining of lustrous nacre and displays a nearly perfect equiangular spiral, although it ...
, Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni () is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer of Soviet rock music and remains one of the oldest still-active rock bands in Russia. The band's music incorporates elements of classic rock, blues, and b ...
, were still popular. In 1996 the recording company Moroz started releasing the highly popular series Legends of Russian Rock
A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief.
Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to:
Narrative
* Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth
* A fictitious identity used in espionage
Books, co ...
.
In the mid-late 1990s the radio station 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 broadca ...
had been created to promote Russian rock artists, broadcasting in all major Russian cities. Nashe Radio notably influenced the auditory taste and helped many artists to gain popularity. The radiostation founded 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 ...
, the largest open-air rock festival of Russian rock music performed yearly since 1999 and always headlined with famous rock acts.
Often aired by Nashe Radio, bands like Splean
Splean (russian: Сплин) is a popular Russian rock band, formed in Saint Petersburg in 1994.Андрей Бурлака. Рок-энциклопедия. Популярная музыка в Ленинграде – Петербурге. 19 ...
, Nochniye Snaiperi
''Nochnye Snaipery'' (russian: Ночные Снайперы, lit=Night Snipers) is a Russian rock group. It was founded in 1993 as an acoustic female duo of Diana Arbenina and Svetlana Surganova. Arbenina and Surganova played guitar and violin ...
, Smisloviye Galutzinatzii
Smyslovye Gallyutsinatsii (russian: Смысловы́е галлюцина́ции) is a Russian rock band which has won the ''Golden Gramophone'' award twice.
The name of the band may be translated as "meaningful hallucinations" or "semantic ha ...
, Chicherina, and Bi-2
Bi-2 (russian: Би-2 ''Bi-dva'') is a Belarusian alternative rock band, formed in the 1980s in Bobruisk, Belarus. It was one of the most successful with many sales and chart-hits in Russia. Bi-2 was awarded MTV Russian Music Awards for Best Ro ...
have created a refreshed Russian rock sound which adopted many elements from Alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
. Dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...
created a mixture between alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
, electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
and 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 ...
.
An eminent representative of the heavy metal music genre was Aria
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
which had achieved great recognition and popularity among a wide audience in 1990s.
In the late 1990s, numerous punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
, pop-punk
Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
and grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...
bands broke through. Sektor Gaza
''Sektor Gaza'' (russian: link=no, italic=yes, Сектор Газа, translated as ''Gas Sector'') was a Soviet and Russian punk rock band from Voronezh, founded in 1987 by Yuri Klinskikh.
History
Sektor Gaza was founded in Voronezh by Yu ...
was first Russian band use of dirty words and dirty short story in its lyrics. The horror punk
Horror punk is a music genre that mixes punk rock and 1950s-influenced doo-wop and rockabilly sounds with morbid and violent imagery and lyrics which are often influenced by horror films and science fiction B-movies. The genre was pioneered b ...
band Korol i Shut
Korol i Shut (russian: Король и Шут, lit=King and Jester) were a Russian horror punk band from Saint Petersburg that took inspiration and costumes from tales and fables. In Russia, the band has achieved cult status.
History
The band wa ...
managed to achieve a cult status and mainstream success, using fairy-tale inspired lyrics. Other notable punk artists included Pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
, Lumen, Tarakany!
Tarakany! (previously Chetyre Tarakana "The 4 Cockroaches") is a Russian punk rock band based in Moscow. Formed in 1991, the band has released 14 studio albums, 5 live albums, and several splits and compilations. The band has repeatedly toured ...
, and Nogu Svelo!
Nogu Svelo! (russian: Ногу свело!, lit=Cramp in the Leg!) is a popular Russian rock band from Moscow, usually associated with humor and parody and accessible and sometimes childishly simple melodies. They have experimented with many styl ...
who also gained major popularity. Many of them developed an original sound and involvement of unconventional instruments like violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
.
Ska punk
Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk) is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music together. (sometimes spelled skacore) is a subgenre of ska punk that mixes ska with hardcore punk. Early ska punk mixed both 2 tone and ska with hardc ...
was brought to popularity mainly by the band Leningrad
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 ...
, notable of the extensive use of mat (Russian profanity) in its lyrics.
The Russian instrumental rock
Instrumental rock is rock music that emphasizes musical instruments and features very little or no singing. Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style. Instru ...
artist Victor Zinchuk
Victor Ivanovich Zinchuk (russian: Виктор Иванович Зинчук; born April 8, 1958, in Moscow) is a Russian guitar virtuoso, composer, arranger, Honored Artist of Russia in 2005. Golden Guitar of Russia.
References
External lin ...
reached international success with his solo career, and by that brought the Russian instrumental rock
Instrumental rock is rock music that emphasizes musical instruments and features very little or no singing. Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style. Instru ...
scene into a bigger audience.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
was represented by bands such as Masha i medvedi.
The western Pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
sound was introduced by Ilya Lagoutenko's Mumiy Troll
Mumiy Troll (russian: Му́мий Тро́лль ) is a Russian rock group, founded in 1983 in Vladivostok by vocalist and songwriter Ilya Lagutenko (). The band's name translates as "mummy troll" and is a pun on '' Mumintroll'', the children's ...
, who made their records in the UK under the guidance of UK producers. This less lyrically loaded and more energetic style frequently referred to as rockapops, which was also used by other notable musicians such as Zemfira
Zemfira Talgatovna Ramazanova (russian: Земфира Талгатовна Рамазанова, tt-Cyrl, Земфира Тәлгать кызы Рамазанова; born 26 August 1976) is a Russian rock musician. She has been performing si ...
, became prevalent among the younger public.
The Russian crime films ''Brother
A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...
'', with its soundtrack featuring the band Nautilus Pompilius
The chambered nautilus (''Nautilus pompilius''), also called the pearly nautilus, is the best-known species of nautilus. The shell, when cut away, reveals a lining of lustrous nacre and displays a nearly perfect equiangular spiral, although it ...
, and its sequel ''Brother 2
''Brother 2'' (russian: Брат 2, translit=Brat 2) is a 2000 Russian crime film. It is the sequel to the 1997 film ''Brother''. Much of it is set in Chicago.
Plot
The film opens with Danila Bagrov being interviewed on television with two f ...
'', which featured music from various Russian rock artists, brought many young fans to Russian rock.
The 2000s: Further development
The 2000s in Russian rock were marked by both a continuance of the 1990s and something of a comeback of the classic 1980s sound. In the years following the renaissance of Russian cinema and rock, rock in Russia seemed to gain enough ground to differentiate widely in various genres. The 2005 Live 8 concert in Moscow featured mainly Russian rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
artists.
Alternative metal
Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music
Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With r ...
, Nu metal
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
and metalcore
Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...
gained wider popularity at that time. In the mid-2000s, bands like Amatory
Amatory (commonly stylized as MATORY'', to fit their logo) is a Russian metal band from Saint Petersburg, formed in 1998 by Denis ''DENVERZhivotovsky and Daniil ''STEWARTSvetlov.
Later in 1998, they were joined by Evgenyy PJ Potekhin but the ...
, Tracktor Bowling
Tracktor Bowling was a Russian nu metal band, formed in Moscow in 1996.
History
The band formed in 1996. In 2000, their demo-track record "Mutatsiya" ("Mutation") gained early success and netted them a budding reputation as leaders of the Moscow a ...
, Grenouer, Slot
Slot, the slot or Slots may refer to:
People
* Arne Slot (born 1978), Dutch footballer
* Gerrie Slot (born 1954), Dutch cyclist
* Hanke Bruins Slot (born 1977), Dutch politician
* Tonny Bruins Slot (born 1947), Dutch association football coach wh ...
, and 5 Diez were established and were intensively promoted by the Russian television channel A-One. The channel awarded many of them with the .
The Russian heavy metal scene continued to develop with power metal
Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...
bands like Catharsis
Catharsis (from Greek , , meaning "purification" or "cleansing" or "clarification") is the purification and purgation of emotions through dramatic art, or it may be any extreme emotional state that results in renewal and restoration. In its lite ...
and Epidemia
Epidemia (russian: Эпидемия, sometimes referred to as 'Epi' by fans) is a Russian power metal band famous for doing the Elven Manuscript metal opera in 2004. It was formed by guitarist Yuri "Juron" Melisov in 1993, with the first songs ...
, founded in the 1990s, receiving more attention, and progressive metal
Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...
band Orgia Pravednikov
Orgia Pravednikov (russian: Оргия Праведников, translation=Orgy of The Righteous) is a Russian rock group formed in 1999. The peculiar sound of the band arises from the combination of acoustic (flute and acoustic guitar) and elec ...
rising to prominence. In 2002, Valery Kipelov
Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov (Russian: Валерий Александрович Кипелов; born July 12, 1958) is a Russian musician and composer who was the vocalist and a founding member of heavy metal band Aria. Since 2002, Kipelov lea ...
left Aria
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
and formed the band Kipelov
Kipelov ( rus, Кипе́лов) is a Russian Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed and led by former Aria (band), Aria vocalist Valery Kipelov.
Origins
In 2002, dissension in the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Aria (band), Aria led to ...
with other ex-members of Aria.
Folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...
music had a revival following Pelageya
Pelageya Sergeyevna Telegina (russian: link=no, Пелаге́я Серге́евна Теле́гина; before marriage Pelageya Sergeyevna Khanova; born Polina Sergeyevna Smirnova; 14 July 1986), known mononymously as Pelageya, is а Russia ...
's and Melnitsa's rise from underground acts to bands that were played on the radio, and the attention pagan metal bands like Arkona received.
Though the Russian progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
scene had existed since the 1970s, it entered the public eye of Russian rock fans in the 2000s, with bands like Little Tragedies[">журнал "Автозвук"](_blank)
and The Gourishankar being its most obvious representatives. Since 2001, a prog-music festival named InProg was held almost yearly in Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
. Its popularity constantly grew and in 2005 it turned from a local festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
into an international one. The Russian instrumental rock
Instrumental rock is rock music that emphasizes musical instruments and features very little or no singing. Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style. Instru ...
scene with bands like EXIT project, Disen Gage
Disen Gage is a Russian rock band from Moscow.
History
The band was formed in 1999 by Yuri Alaverdyan and Konstantin Mochalov on guitars, Nikolay Syrtsev on bass guitar and Eugeniy Kudryashov on drums.
Despite of having gained a certain de ...
, Dvar
Dvar is an anonymous virtual band from Russia that plays darkwave and electronic music. The first Dvar album was released in 1995, and the most recent in 2022.
History
The members of Dvar have kept their identities secret, but there's an anonymo ...
and Kostarev Group also received more recognition at that time.
The 2010s: Decline
Despite the fact many bands from previous decades are still active, like 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 Splean
Splean (russian: Сплин) is a popular Russian rock band, formed in Saint Petersburg in 1994.Андрей Бурлака. Рок-энциклопедия. Популярная музыка в Ленинграде – Петербурге. 19 ...
, due to the lack of new bands gaining significant attention there is a common view that Russian rock is in decline. Ilya Chert from the band Pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
said: "I can see the decline of Russian rock. We are going back to the times, when those who are really talented and wise are operating in basements and clubs with the capacity of 50 people, as they don't commercialize themselves and no one commercializes them". Artemy Troitsky, the famous Russian rock critic, wrote an article called "Rock died a long time ago, but the funeral was impressive", where he brought up the lack of new faces in the Russian rock scene, and accused bands like Mashina Vremeni
Mashina Vremeni () is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer of Soviet rock music and remains one of the oldest still-active rock bands in Russia. The band's music incorporates elements of classic rock, blues, and b ...
and Garik Sukachev Garik may refer to:
People
*Garik Israelian (b. 1963), Armenian-Spanish astronomer
*Garik Martirosyan (b. 1974), Armenian entertainer
* Garik Samanba (b. 1957), Abkhaz politician
*Garik Sukachov (b. 1959), Russian poet and musician
* Garik Kimovic ...
for "selling out" and not protesting against the current government. Already in 2008 MTV Russia
MTV Russia or MTV Россия (russian: МТВ Россия) was a Russian music and entertainment TV channel, which carried out its broadcasting from September 25, 1998 to May 31, 2013. On October 1, 2013, MTV Russia was relaunched as a satel ...
cancelled the nomination "Best Rock Project", with the resulting headlines being "MTV Recognized the Death of Russian Rock".
From 2009 to 2013, Samara
Samara ( rus, Сама́ра, p=sɐˈmarə), known from 1935 to 1991 as Kuybyshev (; ), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with ...
hosted a one-day international rock festival in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
— Rock over the Volga
Rock over the Volga was an international rock festival that was held annually from 2009 to 2013 and is timed to coincide with the Day of Russia. It is carried out on the territory of Samara and the Samara Region. In 2009–2011, the venue of th ...
.
Rock musicians divided by the Crimean Crisis
The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation
In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War.
The events in Kyiv th ...
in 2014 divided the Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n rock community to supporters and opposition to the move. Former Aria
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
leader and current leader of the band Kipelov
Kipelov ( rus, Кипе́лов) is a Russian Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed and led by former Aria (band), Aria vocalist Valery Kipelov.
Origins
In 2002, dissension in the Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Aria (band), Aria led to ...
, Valery Kipelov
Valery Alexandrovich Kipelov (Russian: Валерий Александрович Кипелов; born July 12, 1958) is a Russian musician and composer who was the vocalist and a founding member of heavy metal band Aria. Since 2002, Kipelov lea ...
, expressed support of the "annexation", and stated that it should've been done in 1991. He performed at music festivals celebrating the event in Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
.
Konstantin Kinchev
Konstantin Evgenievich Kinchev (Panfilov) (russian: link=no, Константи́н Евге́ньевич Ки́нчев (Панфи́лов); born December 25, 1958) is a Russian rock singer, musician, frontman and the main songwriter for the Ru ...
and his band 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 ...
, considered to be among the pioneers of Russian rock, expressed support of the move, and cancelled all of his concerts in Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. Kinchev had already expressed views supporting the return of Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
to Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
in 2008.
Among the other prominent figures in Russian rock who expressed support of the move included Chaif
Chaif (Чайф) is a Russian rock band formed in 1984 in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), Russia, by Vladimir Shakhrin and Vladimir Begunov. Their name is derived from the word ''chai'', meaning tea, and ''kaif'' (slang word), meaning pleasure. ...
, Chicherina, Alexander F. Sklyar
Alexander Felixovich Sklyar (Александр Феликсович Скляр, born March 7, 1958, in Moscow, USSR; usually stylized as Alexander F.Sklyar) is a Russians, Russian rock musician, radio presenter, actor and author. Sklyar, who in t ...
, and Vadim Samoylov
Vadim ( Cyrillic: Вадим) is a Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Slovene masculine given name derived either from the Persian ''badian'' (anise or aniseed), or from the Ruthenian word ''volod'' (russian: волод), meaning ''to rule'' or ''vadit ...
(ex-Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...
).
On the other hand, Andrey Makarevich
Andrey Vadimovich Makarevich PAR (russian: link=no, Андре́й Вади́мович Макаре́вич; born 11 December 1953 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union) is a Soviet and Russian rock musician and the founder of Russia's oldest ...
was one of the organisers of the 2014 anti-war protests in Russia, and harshly criticised the annexation Another prominent figure to criticise the annexation was the legendary leader of the band 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. ...
Yuri Shevchuk
Yuri Yulianovich Shevchuk (russian: Юрий Юлианович Шевчук; born 16 May 1957) is a Soviet and Russian rock musician and singer/songwriter who leads the rock band DDT, which he founded with Vladimir Sigachyov in 1980.
He is bes ...
Singer Zemfira
Zemfira Talgatovna Ramazanova (russian: Земфира Талгатовна Рамазанова, tt-Cyrl, Земфира Тәлгать кызы Рамазанова; born 26 August 1976) is a Russian rock musician. She has been performing si ...
expressed her opposition by wrapping herself in a Ukrainian flag
The flag of Ukraine ( uk, Прапор України, Prapor Ukrainy) consists of equally sized horizontal bands of blue and yellow.
The blue and yellow bicolour first appeared during the 1848 Spring of Nations in Lemberg, then part of the A ...
when on stage.
Among the musicians who didn't criticise the annexation, however, spoke against war in general and called for peace between the peoples were such prominent figures as 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 ...
(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 ...
) and Vyacheslav Butusov
Vyacheslav Gennadievich Butusov (russian: link=no, Вячеслав Геннадьевич Бутусов; born 15 October 1961) is a Russian singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of Nautilus Pompilius and U-Piter. Since 2019, he has been ...
(Nautilus Pompilius
The chambered nautilus (''Nautilus pompilius''), also called the pearly nautilus, is the best-known species of nautilus. The shell, when cut away, reveals a lining of lustrous nacre and displays a nearly perfect equiangular spiral, although it ...
).
Characteristics
Fans of Russian Rock would frequently refer to most of the music on MTV Russia
MTV Russia or MTV Россия (russian: МТВ Россия) was a Russian music and entertainment TV channel, which carried out its broadcasting from September 25, 1998 to May 31, 2013. On October 1, 2013, MTV Russia was relaunched as a satel ...
dismissively as "popsa", a dichotomy that appeared in the '80s when government controlled radio and TV stations would air only politically harmless music by performers such as Philipp Kirkorov
Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov PAR (russian: Филипп Бедросович Киркоров; bg, Филип Бедросов Киркоров, Filip Bedrosov Kirkorov; born 30 April 1967) is a Bulgarian-born Russian pop singer. He is a five ...
. The lines are still quite clearly drawn, with bands such as Nogu Svelo!
Nogu Svelo! (russian: Ногу свело!, lit=Cramp in the Leg!) is a popular Russian rock band from Moscow, usually associated with humor and parody and accessible and sometimes childishly simple melodies. They have experimented with many styl ...
- who recorded a song with pop-singer Nataliya Vetlitskaya - being an anomaly.
In contrast to Western rock, Russian rock is often said to have less drive; it is characterized by different rhythms, instruments and more involved lyrics. Unconventional instruments have often been used in addition to the standard electric guitars and drums (very often violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
and wind instruments
A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitc ...
).
Another characteristic of Russian Rock is being partly Folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...
. Very often Russian Rock songs, especially those of the classic 80s bands, talk about national themes and feature elements from Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
. 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 ...
, 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 Yuri Morozov are examples of this.
Considering its poetic roots (Russian literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia and its émigrés and to Russian language, Russian-language literature. The roots of Russian literature can be traced to the Middle Ages, when epics and chronicles in Old East Slavic were c ...
, bard music
The term bard ( rus, бард, p=bart) came to be used in the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, and continues to be used in Russia today, to refer to singer-songwriters who wrote songs outside the Soviet establishment, similarly to folk sin ...
), it is not a big surprise that lyrics play a far larger role in Russian rock than Western rock. Vocal melody is sometimes eschewed in favor of a more impassioned delivery (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 ...
, the lead singer of 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 entiti ...
, pioneered a characteristically strained, monotonous style of singing that has been imitated by many).
The metaphor of Russia facing both East and West is epitomized by the double-headed Eagle on its coat-of-arms. The Eastern influence in the Russian rock is heard in soundtracks from movies like '' Day Watch'' that has Tamerlane's legend of the Chalk of Destiny at its roots. Russian rock expressively used and integrated elements from Western and Eastern culture (especially from countries of the USSR).
Yngvar Bordrewich Steinholt (University of Tromsø
The University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway (Norwegian: ''Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet''; Northern Sami: ''Romssa universitehta – Norgga árktalaš universitehta'') is a state university in Norway an ...
, Norway) has written a PhD thesis in English that was printed by The Mass Media Music Scholars Press titled "Rock in the Reservation" (2004) about the Leningrad
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 ...
Rock Club. It also touched upon the history of rock in Russia and its counter-cultural tendencies.
Wordplay
In Russian, the original meaning of word " рок" is "fate" or "doom". The word is used almost exclusively in fiction, especially poetry (more widely used synonym is " судьба"). These correlate with the poetic roots of Russian rock and its attention to "serious" topics.
The wordplay is used in the song "This is Fate" (russian: Это рок) from Aria
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
's debut album '' Mania Velichia''."This is Fate" lyrics
See also
*''
Legends of Russian Rock
A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief.
Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to:
Narrative
* Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth
* A fictitious identity used in espionage
Books, co ...
''
*
Rock and roll and the fall of communism
References
External links
Largest and free mp3 archive of different russian rock gentres, oldies and new most important bands. Site in EnglishRussian Music on the Net: Site about Modern Russian music with many Rock bandsHistory of Rock Music In RussiaA list of Russian rock bands who reached a legendary statusAnnotated library of modern Russian music - including Russian rockInformation about Russian rock history
{{Rock music , state=collapsed
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...