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Ukrainian rock ( uk, Український рок) is
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 ...
from Ukraine.
While it is rock it is important for those who follow Ukrainian contemporary music to understand the VIA music
VIA ( Russian: ''ВИА'') is an abbreviation for Vocal- usicInstrumental-Ensemble (russian: Вокально-инструментальный ансамбль, ''Vokalno-instrumentalny ansambl''). It is the general name used for pop and rock ba ...
scene of the 1970s and 1980s. This controlled form of music, was a response to the Rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm a ...
infiltrating from the outside of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
, to understand the development of Ukrainian rock one has to understand its background.
The most popular bands include BoomBox, Braty Hadiukiny, Druha Rika, Haydamaky, Komu Vnyz, Lama, Mad Heads XL, Mandry
Mandry ( uk, Мандри) is a Ukrainian folk-rock/ blues/ska band formed in 1998 in Kyiv. The band's vocalist and lead member is Serhiy Fomenko. Their music combines traditional Ukrainian folk music with modern rhythms, influenced by urban l ...
, Mertvyi Piven, Okean Elzy
Okean Elzy ( uk, Океан Ельзи, translation: ''Elza's Ocean'') is a Ukrainian rock band. It was formed in 1994 in Lviv, Ukraine. The band's vocalist and frontman is Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. In April 2007 Okean Elzy received ''FUZZ Magazine'' ...
, Plach Yeremiyi Plach Yeremiyi ( uk, Плач Єремії) is a Ukrainian rock band from Lviv, Ukraine. The band was actually formed in February 1990, but the two most constant musicians - Taras Chubay and Vsevolod Dyachyshyn have played together since 1984 in ...
, S.K.A.Y. SKAI is a Ukrainian pop-rock band.
Skai may refer to:
* Skai Group, Greek media group, contains :
:* Skai TV, a Greek television network.
:* Skai 100.3, a Greek radio station.
* a fictional river located near the town of Ulthar in the Dreamland ...
, Taras Petrynenko
Taras Petrynenko ( ua, Тара́с Гарина́льдович Петрине́нко, born 10 March 1953) is a Ukrainian musician, People's Artist of Ukraine.
Background
His musical career started in 1969 after his performance on the dance fl ...
, Tartak Tartak (Polish for ''sawmill'') may refer to:
Places Poland
*Tartak, Greater Poland Voivodeship
*Tartak, Lublin Voivodeship
*Tartak, Augustów County
*Tartak, Siemiatycze County
*Tartak, Sokółka County
*Tartak, Suwałki County
*Tartak, Mińsk Co ...
, TNMK
TNMK or Tanok na Maidani Kongo ( uk, Танок на майдані Конґо, ; literally "Dance at the Congo Square") - is the most successful Ukrainian hip-hop group. They are known for clever, yet often tongue-in-cheek, lyrics; mixing hip-ho ...
, Viy, Vopli Vidoplyasova and others. Opalnyi Prynz was, perhaps, the most influential rock band in the late 1980s and early 1990s, followed by its predecessor Loony Pelen. Okean Elzy
Okean Elzy ( uk, Океан Ельзи, translation: ''Elza's Ocean'') is a Ukrainian rock band. It was formed in 1994 in Lviv, Ukraine. The band's vocalist and frontman is Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. In April 2007 Okean Elzy received ''FUZZ Magazine'' ...
, featuring Svyatoslav Vakarchuk
Sviatoslav "Slava" Vakarchuk ( uk, Святослав Іванович Вакарчук; born May 14, 1975) is a Ukrainian musician, politician and public activist. He is the lead vocalist of Okean Elzy, a rock band in Ukraine. Vakarchuk is a for ...
has long been among the most popular bands of Ukrainian pop-rock, and has had some success abroad. The band Mandry
Mandry ( uk, Мандри) is a Ukrainian folk-rock/ blues/ska band formed in 1998 in Kyiv. The band's vocalist and lead member is Serhiy Fomenko. Their music combines traditional Ukrainian folk music with modern rhythms, influenced by urban l ...
is known for fusing traditional Ukrainian music with rock, blues, reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and chanson
A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic so ...
s. The pop-singer Ruslana
Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko ( uk, Руслана Степанівна Лижичко, ''Ruslana Lyzhychko''; born 24 May 1973), known mononymously as Ruslana, is a World Music Award and Eurovision Song Contest winning recording artist, holdi ...
also uses some elements of rock in her work.
The Chervona Ruta was a very important Ukrainian rock music festival.
"Пісенний Вернісаж" - New Ukrainian Wave 92 -
Festival of the best Ukrainian folk/pop/rock bands (Producer- Rostyslav-show, 1992)
Famous Ukrainian heavy metal bands include Fleshgore, Firelake, Nokturnal Mortum
Nokturnal Mortum are a Ukrainian black metal band from Kharkiv. They were one of the founders of the Ukrainian black metal scene and pioneers in the early National Socialist black metal ("NSBM") scene.
The band has claimed to have moved away f ...
, Astrofaes, Drudkh
Drudkh is a Ukrainian black metal band. It currently consists of (former member of Hate Forest and Dark Ages), Thurios (former member of Astrofaes), Krechet, and Vlad. All four also belonged to Blood of Kingu until it was disbanded. Their l ...
, and Hate Forest
Hate Forest is a Ukrainian black metal band formed by Roman Saenko, the leading member of Drudkh, Dark Ages, and Blood of Kingu. Thurios joined the band in 1998 after the recording of ''Scythia''. The music is mostly very fast, but occasionall ...
.
Metal Heads Mission is the biggest metal festival in Ukraine and ex-USSR countries.
History
1960s-1970s
Such bands as Eney and Hutsuly were created in the 1960s during Khrushchev Thaw. Eney ( uk, Еней) was theUkrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
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 ...
band that performed its own repertoire
A repertoire () is a list or set of dramas, operas, musical compositions or roles which a company or person is prepared to perform.
Musicians often have a musical repertoire. The first known use of the word ''repertoire'' was in 1847. It is a ...
. It was named after the famous character, Aeneas
In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas (, ; from ) was a Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy (both being grandsons ...
, from one of the literary work
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
of Ivan Kotlyarevsky.
During the 1960s students from a special music school in Kyiv formed this group. The group was named after Mykola Lysenko
Mykola Vitaliyovych Lysenko ( uk, Мико́ла Віта́лійович Ли́сенко; 22 March 1842 – 6 November 1912) was a List of Ukrainian composers, Ukrainian composer, pianist, conductor and ethnomusicologist of the late Romantic mus ...
. They initially played unique interpretations of Ukrainian folk songs. Later, after members were exposed to the late works of The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
, they started to rearrange works of Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...
and Khachaturian. In 1971 the band split as Petrynenko and Blinov left it to form the new group ''Dzvony''. The band started to experiment in new genres: blues and soul. In 1972 the band and their music were banned in the Soviet Union and labeled "bourgeois-national". As a result, all existing records/recordings were destroyed. After that the band went underground until 1974. The members then merged with ''Dzvony'' into the new vocal-instrumental ensemble ''Decorative Trails''. After the group was accepted to the ''Ukr-kontsert'' it changed its name to ''Hrono''. In 1977 the ensemble became ''Eney'' once again. After a period of time, the group broke up and members either joined different bands or went solo. Petrynenko later created his own group Hrono.
1980s
The rise of rock music in the middle of 1980s was inspired byGorbachev
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 ...
s perestroika with its doctrinal
Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...
s of glasnost and uskoreniye
''Uskoreniye'' ( rus, ускорение, p=ʊskɐˈrʲenʲɪɪ; literally meaning ''acceleration'') was a slogan and a policy announced by Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev on 20 April 1985 at a Soviet Party Plenum, aimed a ...
.
Several rock bands were formed in the rock club "Kuznia", in Kyiv. Among them are Adem (1985), Vopli Vidopliasova (1986), Komu Vnyz (1988).
The most prominent event was Chervona Ruta music festival held for the first time in Chernivtsi in 1989.
Such bands as Braty Hadiukiny, Mertvyi Piven, Opalnyi Prynz, Skriabin and Sestry Telniuk were formed in the late 1980s
Braty Hadiukiny ( uk, Брати Гадюкіни) is a rock band from Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...
, one of the most successful Ukrainian bands of Soviet
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 nation ...
times. The band music style combines different genres such as rock'n'roll, blues, punk, reggae, funk and folk. Ironical song lyrics contain a lot of local vernacularisms, slang and surzhyk. The name translates as "Hadyukin Brothers", where the fictional surname Hadyukin is derived from the word ''hadiuka'', or "viper
The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs tha ...
". The abbreviation literally means "snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...
s" (In Ukrainian the two words are cognates.)
The band was active mainly between 1988 and 1996. In January 2006 they held a big solo concert in Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
which was a big event in Ukrainian media space and was visited by lot of famous people (including that time prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko ( uk, Юлія Володимирівна Тимошенко, ; Hrihyan ();
Mertvyi Piven ( uk, Мертвий Півень) is a
Haydamaky ( uk, Гайдамаки) is a
* Eney
* Gorgisheli
* The Telniuk Sisters
*
* Firelake
* Fleshgore
*
* Komu Vnyz
* Viy
*
* JetRockers
*
* Braty Hadiukiny
*
*
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 ...
band that formed in 1989. The first concert was given in 1990 at the first Vyvykh festival. Their debut album ''Eto'' recorded in 1991, at the end of the Chervona Ruta festival ( Chervona Ruta), where the group took first prize in the category of performers art songs. Dead Rooster began as an acoustic band. During the second half of the 1990s, they evolved into a grunge/art-rock band, though their music can't be described by one particular style. Dead Rooster has changed personnel several times.
Many songs of the band were written in lyrics of Ukrainian poets like Yuri Andrukhovych
Yurii Ihorovych Andrukhovych ( uk, Юрій Ігорович Андрухович) is a Ukrainian prose writer, poet, essayist, and translator.
Biography
In 1985, Andrukhovych co-founded the Bu-Ba-Bu poetic group, which stands for «burlesque ...
, Maksym Rylsky
Maksym Tadeyovych Rylsky ( uk, Максим Тадейович Рильський; russian: Максим Фадеевич Рыльский; in Kyiv – 24 July 1964 ''id.'') was a Ukrainian poet, translator, academician, Doctor of Philologi ...
, Oleksandr Irvanets
Oleksandr Irvanets (born 24 January 1961) is a Ukrainian poet, writer, playwright, and translator.
References
Ukrainian poets
1961 births
Living people
People of the Revolution on Granite
Ukrainian writers
Ukrainian dramatists and playwr ...
, Viktor Neborak
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
, Yurko Pozayak, Serhiy Zhadan, Natalka Bilotserkivets, Ihor Kalynets and Taras Shevchenko
Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko ( uk, Тарас Григорович Шевченко , pronounced without the middle name; – ), also known as Kobzar Taras, or simply Kobzar (a kobzar is a bard in Ukrainian culture), was a Ukrainian poet, wr ...
. The album ''Pisni Mertvoho Pivnya'' is based on the Andrukhovych's poetry collection of the same name.
In 2009 their song "Kiss" ("Potsilunok") was featured in the a soundtrack of ''Cold Souls
''Cold Souls'' is a 2009 comedy-drama film written and directed by Sophie Barthes. The film features Paul Giamatti, Dina Korzun, Emily Watson, and David Strathairn. Giamatti stars as a fictionalised version of himself, an anxious, overwhelmed actor ...
'', an American film directed by Sophie Barthes
Sophie Barthes (born 1974) is a French-American film director and screenwriter best known for her 2009 film ''Cold Souls''.
Early life
Barthes was born in France and was raised in South America and the Middle East. She moved to New York in 2001 t ...
.
Vopli Vidopliasova ( uk, Воплі Відоплясова) was formed in 1986 in Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
. Their influences include folk, patriotic songs, punk, hard rock, heavy metal and, most recently, electronic music.
Their song ''Den Narodzhennia'' is featured in 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 ...
'' and ''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 ...
'' by director Aleksei Balabanov
Aleksei Oktyabrinovich Balabanov (russian: Алeксeй Oктябpинoвич Балабанoв; 25 February 1959 – 18 May 2013) was a Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer, a member of European Film Academy. He started from cre ...
. Band member Oleh Skrypka has also produced several solo albums.
Komu Vnyz ( uk, Кому Вниз) was founded in 1988 in Kyiv. They wound up at their first festival Chervona Ruta completely by chance. It was too late to submit the sample recording to the panel of judges for the tryout, but Taras Petrynenko
Taras Petrynenko ( ua, Тара́с Гарина́льдович Петрине́нко, born 10 March 1953) is a Ukrainian musician, People's Artist of Ukraine.
Background
His musical career started in 1969 after his performance on the dance fl ...
, after listening to their work, insisted that they participated in the event.
As of 2011, Komu Vnyz is translating their lyrics into English in order to re-release their albums in Europe.
Early 1990s
Haydamaky ( uk, Гайдамаки) is a 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 s ...
band formed in Kyiv in 1991. The music of Haydamaky is inspired by various ethnic 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 ...
from around the world, especially from various regions of Ukraine, such as Polesia
Polesia, Polesie, or Polesye, uk, Полісся (Polissia), pl, Polesie, russian: Полесье (Polesye) is a natural and historical region that starts from the farthest edge of Central Europe and encompasses Eastern Europe, including East ...
, Bukovina, and Transcarpathia
Transcarpathia may refer to:
Place
* relative term, designating any region beyond the Carpathians (lat. ''trans-'' / beyond, over), depending on a point of observation
* Romanian Transcarpathia, designation for Romanian regions on the inner or ...
. Other influences include the Romanian folklore, punk music sound of Shane MacGowan
Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan (born 25 December 1957) is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of Celtic punk band the Pogues. He was also a member of the Nipple Erectors and Shane MacGow ...
and by the reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
of such bands like Burning Spear
Winston Rodney OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian and one of the most influential and long-standing roots ...
and Black Uhuru
Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru ( Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick "Duckie" Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful per ...
.
Haydamaky have recently performed at many club venues across Europe, including as a special guest at a concert of Asian Dub Foundation
Asian Dub Foundation (ADF) is an English electronic music band that combines musical styles including rap rock, dub, dancehall, ragga, and South Asian music. The group also includes traditional rock instruments such as electric bass and guit ...
in Bratislava, Slovakia. Other club appearances this year were held in Germany, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and 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 millio ...
.
Okean Elzy
Okean Elzy ( uk, Океан Ельзи, translation: ''Elza's Ocean'') is a Ukrainian rock band. It was formed in 1994 in Lviv, Ukraine. The band's vocalist and frontman is Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. In April 2007 Okean Elzy received ''FUZZ Magazine'' ...
( uk, Океан Ельзи, translation: ''Elza's Ocean'') is one of the most successful and popular Ukrainian bands. It was formed in 1994 in Lviv, Ukraine. The band's vocalist and frontman is Svyatoslav Vakarchuk
Sviatoslav "Slava" Vakarchuk ( uk, Святослав Іванович Вакарчук; born May 14, 1975) is a Ukrainian musician, politician and public activist. He is the lead vocalist of Okean Elzy, a rock band in Ukraine. Vakarchuk is a for ...
. Okean Elzy is one of the best-loved Ukrainian rock band not only in Ukraine but also in most CIS
Cis or cis- may refer to:
Places
* Cis, Trentino, in Italy
* In Poland:
** Cis, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, south-central
** Cis, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, north
Math, science and biology
* cis (mathematics) (cis(''θ'')), a trigonome ...
countries. In April 2007 Okean Elzy received FUZZ Magazine music awards for “Best rock act”.
Plach Yeremiyi Plach Yeremiyi ( uk, Плач Єремії) is a Ukrainian rock band from Lviv, Ukraine. The band was actually formed in February 1990, but the two most constant musicians - Taras Chubay and Vsevolod Dyachyshyn have played together since 1984 in ...
( uk, Плач Єремії) is a rock band from Lviv, Ukraine. The band was actually formed in February 1990, but the two most constant musicians - Taras Chubay
Taras Hryhorovych Chubay ( uk, Тарас Григорович Чубай), (born on 21 June 1970 in Lviv) is a Ukrainian musician and poet, singer and composer, leader of the Ukrainian rock band Plach Yeremiyi.
Biography and personal life
Tar ...
and Vsevolod Dyachyshyn have played together since 1984 in the band Tsyklon (''Циклон'').
Plach Yeremiyi songs are usually serious, philosophical poems many composed by lead man Taras Chubay's father ''Hryhoriy Chubay'' and given a contemporary rock sound. The group's name comes from Taras Chubay's father's Magnum opus
A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
''Plach Yeremiyi'' posthumously published in 1999. The music in the songs sounds hard, then changes to an easy ballad and again explodes, overfilled by emotions. All this has a specific "Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...
" colouring.
Late 1990s
Dymna Sumish
Dymna Sumish ( uk, Димна Суміш) is a Ukrainian musical band. Founded on 3 December 1998 in Chernihiv, the group plays a mix of hardcore punk, hardcore, punk rock, punk and psychedelic rock. Winners of the festivals «Chervona Ruta (fest ...
( uk, Димна Суміш) was founded on 3 December 1998 in Chernihiv
Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within ...
. The group plays a mix of hardcore
Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to:
Arts and media Film
* ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film
* ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott
* ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
, 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 psychedelic rock. Winners of the festivals «Chervona Ruta» (Ukraine), «Pearls of the Season» (Ukraine), «Boards» (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 millio ...
), «Woodstock» (Poland). Its name means ''Smoking Mix''.
All members of the group are vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetariani ...
s. They openly express their opinion against violence, drugs and alcohol, trying to convey to the listeners with their music and lyrics the value of life.
In April 2012 the participants of the group said that the group temporarily stop their activity because of inability to cope with the situation in Ukraine - when a culture isn't valued, but instead all the power has policy
Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...
, social experiments and "totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regu ...
".
Druha Rika ( uk, Друга Ріка) is a rock band from Zhytomyr
Zhytomyr ( uk, Жито́мир, translit=Zhytomyr ; russian: Жито́мир, Zhitomir ; pl, Żytomierz ; yi, זשיטאָמיר, Zhitomir; german: Schytomyr ) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative ...
. The band's style determined as Brit Pop
Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge mu ...
. Druha Rika released five studio albums and two compilations. The name of the band means ''Second river''.
Tartak Tartak (Polish for ''sawmill'') may refer to:
Places Poland
*Tartak, Greater Poland Voivodeship
*Tartak, Lublin Voivodeship
*Tartak, Augustów County
*Tartak, Siemiatycze County
*Tartak, Sokółka County
*Tartak, Suwałki County
*Tartak, Mińsk Co ...
( uk, Тартак) is a popular hip-hop/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 ...
/alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
crossover band from Ukraine. They mix styles of guitar rock, hip-hop and dance music to produce an energetic compositions and lyrics.
"Tartak" means ''woodsaw'' in Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
. Sashko thought that tartak symbolized something energetic, loud, active, and hence appropriate for a band name.
Sashko Polozhynskyi founded the group in the Fall of 1996 in Lutsk
Lutsk ( uk, Луцьк, translit=Lutsk}, ; pl, Łuck ; yi, לוצק, Lutzk) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast (province) and the administrative center of the surrounding Lu ...
, Ukraine. The group has released five albums with a total of 74 songs and 9 videos. Tartak's songs "Ni Ya Ne Tu Kokhav" and "Stilnykove Kohannia" stayed on the Top 40 charts for 144 days and 75 days respectively. Tartak was one of the bands that performed during the events of the Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution ( uk, Помаранчева революція, translit=Pomarancheva revoliutsiia) was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate afterm ...
as seen in the adjacent picture.
The true founder of Tartak was Vasyl Zinkevytch jr., a friend of Sashko. Bohdan Zinkevych came up with the name. Vasyl came up with the idea and put together the group; he also arranged the rehearsals since his father is a famous singer he has access to studios, so they could make records. At the beginning they were struggling because their lyrics weren't a success and the soloist (Vasyl Zinkevych) had no voice for lyrics they wrote. Sashko soon made changes because for a long time he was trying to make a place for himself in the show business. In the late 1990s Sashko was making his way as a showman on the concerts, parades, and other musical events! when his fame actually came to him he claimed that the idea of Tartak was his idea.
Tin Sontsia ( uk, Тінь Сонця, sometimes literal translation Sun Shadow is used) is a folk metal
Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...
band from Kyiv. Primarily the band's style was close to alternative rock, but in 2003 they have come to so called Cossack rock. Almost all of the lyrics are in Ukrainian except couple of Belarusian songs.
The band has taken part in number of festivals the biggest of which are Basovišča
Basóvišča (pronounced ; Music Festival of Young Belarus) is the festival of Belarusian alternative and rock music, which is annually conducted by the Belarusian Association of Students since 1990.
The festival takes place during two July ...
and Zakhid.
2000s–2010s
BoomBox (also: БумБокс, Bumboks) is a Ukrainianfunky
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...
groove
Groove or Grooves may refer to:
Music
* Groove (music)
* Groove (drumming)
* The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s
* The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station
* Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station
...
band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
*Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
, which was founded in 2004 by singer Andriy Khlyvniuk and Andriy “Mukha” Samoilo on guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...
. In April 2005 the band released its first album, which only took 19 hours to record.
Their songs are in predominantly in Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
, but songs in Russian and English also appear on their albums and singles.
S.K.A.Y. SKAI is a Ukrainian pop-rock band.
Skai may refer to:
* Skai Group, Greek media group, contains :
:* Skai TV, a Greek television network.
:* Skai 100.3, a Greek radio station.
* a fictional river located near the town of Ulthar in the Dreamland ...
( uk, С.К.А.Й.) is a 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 ...
band formed in 2001 in Ternopil
Ternópil ( uk, Тернопіль, Ternopil' ; pl, Tarnopol; yi, טאַרנאָפּל, Tarnopl, or ; he, טארנופול (טַרְנוֹפּוֹל), Tarnopol; german: Tarnopol) is a city in the west of Ukraine. Administratively, Ternopi ...
, Ukraine.
After the band had been formed in 2001 it started to tour the country and performed at several festivals like ''Perlyny sezonu'', ''Tavriyski ihry'' and ''Chervona ruta''. They became more known for a broader audience after their appearance on the programme "Fresh Blood" on the Ukrainian TV channel M1. The general director Eduard Klim from Lavina Music saw them and signed them to his label.
In 2006 their first album "Te, shcho treba" was released. They released their second album "Planeta S.K.A.Y." already in 2007.
The frontman Oleh Sobchuk in 2008 was awarded the medal of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church ( uk, Українська православна церква, Ukrainska pravoslavna tserkva; russian: Украинская православная церковь, Ukrainskaya pravoslavnaya tserkov', UOC), common ...
"1020 Years of Baptism of Rus" for his participation in the rock-tour with the same name.''"His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr Handed Out Church Awards to Priests and Musicians Who Took Part in All-Ukraine Rock Tour Dedicated to 1020th Years of the Baptism of Rus", Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), 2008.''
In October–November 2013 the group took part in agitational concerts "We are united", which were organized by pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk
Viktor Volodymyrovych Medvedchuk ( uk, Віктор Володимирович Медведчук, ; born 7 August 1954) is a Ukrainian lawyer, business oligarch, and politician who is since September 2022 living in exile after being handed over ...
in Ukrainian cities.
Notable festivals
* Bandershtat (Volyn Oblast
Volyn Oblast ( uk, Воли́нська о́бласть, translit=Volýnsʹka óblastʹ; also referred to as Volyn or Lodomeria) is an oblast (province) in northwestern Ukraine. Its administrative centre is Lutsk. Kovel is the westernmost town ...
, 2007–present)
* Chervona Ruta (different cities of Ukraine, 1989–present)
* Taras Bulba
''Taras Bulba'' (russian: «Тарас Бульба»; ) is a romanticized historical novella set in the first half of the 17th century, written by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852). It features elderly Zaporozhian Cossack Taras Bulba and his sons And ...
(Dubno
Dubno ( uk, Ду́бно) is a city and municipality located on the Ikva River in Rivne Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Dubno Raion (district). The city is located on intersection of two major ...
, Rivne Oblast
Rivne Oblast ( uk, Рі́вненська о́бласть, translit=Rivnenska oblast), also referred to as Rivnenshchyna ( uk, Рі́вненщина) is an oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. The surface area of th ...
, 1991–present)
* Tavria Games (Kakhovka
Kakhovka ( uk, Кахо́вка, ) is a port city on the Dnieper River in Kakhovka Raion, Kherson Oblast, of southern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of the Kakhovka urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. It had a population of
It ...
, Kherson Oblast, 1992–present)
* Rock-Existence (Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
, 1996–2005)
* Rock-Sich (Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
, 2006–2013)
* Stare Misto (Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukrain ...
, 2007–2013)
* Trypilske kolo ( Rzhyshchiv, Kyiv Oblast
Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, w ...
, 2008–present)
* Zakhid (Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast ( uk, Льві́вська о́бласть, translit=Lvivska oblast, ), also referred to as Lvivshchyna ( uk, Льві́вщина, ), ). The name of each oblast is a relational adjective—in English translating to a noun adjunct w ...
, 2009–present)
* Respublica (Kamianets-Podilskyi
Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...
, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, 2011–present)
List of notable Ukrainian rock bands
Plach Yeremiyi Plach Yeremiyi ( uk, Плач Єремії) is a Ukrainian rock band from Lviv, Ukraine. The band was actually formed in February 1990, but the two most constant musicians - Taras Chubay and Vsevolod Dyachyshyn have played together since 1984 in ...
* Mertvyi Piven
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emp ...
* Astrofaes
* Blood of Kingu
Blood of Kingu was a black metal band from Ukraine formed in 2005 by Roman Saenko, the main member of Drudkh, Dark Ages and Hate Forest.
Lyrically, Blood of Kingu deals with Sumerian/ Ancient Egyptian and Indo-European mythology and history. ...
* Drudkh
Drudkh is a Ukrainian black metal band. It currently consists of (former member of Hate Forest and Dark Ages), Thurios (former member of Astrofaes), Krechet, and Vlad. All four also belonged to Blood of Kingu until it was disbanded. Their l ...
* Hate Forest
Hate Forest is a Ukrainian black metal band formed by Roman Saenko, the leading member of Drudkh, Dark Ages, and Blood of Kingu. Thurios joined the band in 1998 after the recording of ''Scythia''. The music is mostly very fast, but occasionall ...
* Khors
Khors, Хорсъ is a Slavic god of uncertain functions mentioned since the 12th century. Generally interpreted as a sun god, sometimes as a moon god. The meaning of the theonym is also unknown: most often his name has been combined with th ...
* Nokturnal Mortum
Nokturnal Mortum are a Ukrainian black metal band from Kharkiv. They were one of the founders of the Ukrainian black metal scene and pioneers in the early National Socialist black metal ("NSBM") scene.
The band has claimed to have moved away f ...
Indie rock
Indie rock is a 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 music they produc ...
* Brunettes Shoot Blondes
Brunettes Shoot Blondes is a Ukrainian indie rock band, founded in early 2010 and based out of Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine. The band released 2 mini-albums and 7 singles.
The group gained international recognition in September 2014 for an animated music ...
* Esthetic Education
* Marakesh
* Valentyn Strykalo
Folk metal
Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...
* Holy Blood
* Kroda
Kroda ( uk, Крода) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian Pagan metal, pagan metal band formed in 2003 in Dnipro. The band's primary lyrical themes are heathenism, history, nature, traditionalism and anti-Christianity. Their sixth full-length album was rele ...
* Motanka
* Tin Sontsia
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 s ...
* KOZAK SYSTEM
* Los Colorados
* Haydamaky
* Mandry
Mandry ( uk, Мандри) is a Ukrainian folk-rock/ blues/ska band formed in 1998 in Kyiv. The band's vocalist and lead member is Serhiy Fomenko. Their music combines traditional Ukrainian folk music with modern rhythms, influenced by urban l ...
* PanKe Shava
PanKe Shava is a Ukrainian rock band founded by Tymofiy Morokhovets in 2008 in Lviv. PanKe Shava plays music that can be described as "rock'n'love" with the elements of ethno music. The band uses such instrumental highlights as a violin, trumpe ...
* TIK
* Vopli Vidopliasova (VV)
* Yurcash
Obiymy Doshchu
Obiymy Doshchu ( uk, Обійми Дощу, translation: ''Rain's Embrace'') is a Ukrainian rock band that describes its music genre as a lyrical, autumnal rock music with progressive rock, neoclassic and doom metal influences.
Biography ...
Conquest
Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms.
Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...
* Monolit
* Exact Division Exact division, also called consensus division, is a partition of a continuous resource ("fair cake-cutting, cake") into some ''k'' pieces, such that each of ''n'' people with different tastes agree on the value of each of the pieces. For example, c ...
* KPP
* Kryliya
* JackRebel
* Bila Vezha
Jinjer
Jinjer ( "ginger") is a Ukrainian metalcore band from Donetsk, formed in 2008. None of the founding members remain with the band. The current lineup considers 2009 as its official year of formation, with the arrival of singer Tatiana Shmailyuk ...
* Make Me Famous
Make Me Famous were a Ukrainian metalcore band. They were founded by lead guitarist and co-vocalist Denis Shaforostov, who gained popularity through his YouTube channel "above92", and songwriter/guitarist Jimmy X Rose. They released one EP and ...
* MY RENAISSANCE
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 ...
* BoomBox
* Druha Rika
* Krykhitka (ex-Krykhitka Tsakhes)
* Lama
* Okean Elzy
Okean Elzy ( uk, Океан Ельзи, translation: ''Elza's Ocean'') is a Ukrainian rock band. It was formed in 1994 in Lviv, Ukraine. The band's vocalist and frontman is Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. In April 2007 Okean Elzy received ''FUZZ Magazine'' ...
* Opalnyi Prynz
* S.K.A.Y. SKAI is a Ukrainian pop-rock band.
Skai may refer to:
* Skai Group, Greek media group, contains :
:* Skai TV, a Greek television network.
:* Skai 100.3, a Greek radio station.
* a fictional river located near the town of Ulthar in the Dreamland ...
* Skriabin
* Trystavisim
Trystavisim (ukr. Триставісім) - is a Ukrainian rock band from Uzhhorod, Zakarpattia, Ukraine.
Description
The music played by a rock band is built on the basis of elements of folk-rock, punk, ska and is decorated with a col ...
Dymna Sumish
Dymna Sumish ( uk, Димна Суміш) is a Ukrainian musical band. Founded on 3 December 1998 in Chernihiv, the group plays a mix of hardcore punk, hardcore, punk rock, punk and psychedelic rock. Winners of the festivals «Chervona Ruta (fest ...
* Flit
* Mad Heads XL (ex-Mad Heads)
* O.Torvald
O.Torvald ( uk, Оторвальд) is a Ukrainian rock band. It was formed in 2005 in Poltava, Ukraine. Its debut album O.Torvald was recorded in 2008. O.Torvald took part in festivals such as GBOB, Chervona Ruta (festival), Chervona Ruta, Tavri ...
* Perkalaba
* Qarpa (ex-Faktychno Sami)
* Robots Don't Cry
* Sobaky v Kosmosi
* Teoriia Gvaltu
Tartak Tartak (Polish for ''sawmill'') may refer to:
Places Poland
*Tartak, Greater Poland Voivodeship
*Tartak, Lublin Voivodeship
*Tartak, Augustów County
*Tartak, Siemiatycze County
*Tartak, Sokółka County
*Tartak, Suwałki County
*Tartak, Mińsk Co ...
* TNMK
TNMK or Tanok na Maidani Kongo ( uk, Танок на майдані Конґо, ; literally "Dance at the Congo Square") - is the most successful Ukrainian hip-hop group. They are known for clever, yet often tongue-in-cheek, lyrics; mixing hip-ho ...
List of rock bands Outside Ukraine
*The Ukes
The Ukrainians are a British band, which plays traditional Ukrainian music, heavily influenced by western post-punk.
Career
The Ukrainians were formed in 1990 by Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka, with singer/violinist Len Liggins an ...
(Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
, England)
* The Ukrainians
The Ukrainians are a British band, which plays traditional Ukrainian music, heavily influenced by western post-punk.
Career
The Ukrainians were formed in 1990 by Wedding Present guitarist Peter Solowka, with singer/violinist Len Liggins and ...
(Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
, England)
* Klooch (Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
, Canada)
* Enej (Olsztyn
Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini''
* Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...
, Poland)
* Berkut (Olsztyn
Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini''
* Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...
, Poland)
* Svoboda (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 ...
, Russia)
* Sontse-Khmary (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 ...
, Russia)
See also
* Ukrainian metalReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ukrainian Rock Rock music by countryRock
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 ...
Ukrainian rock music groups