15 worthy Russian performers who are not on radio and TV

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The tastes of a more or less discerning listener differ from those of a mass audience. Lifehacker has prepared a selection of interesting domestic performers for those who are tired of pop music and are not satisfied with the format of radio stations and music TV channels.

1. Mujuice

Roman Litvinov, better known as Mujuice, is perhaps the most prominent electronic music performer in Russia over the past decade. The artist has more than a dozen full-length releases, the smaller part of which was recorded with live vocals.

The last such album was Amore e morte, released last year. The release got lost in the stream of new music and did not become as successful as, for example, Cool Cool Death !, released ten years ago. Despite this, Mujuice is popular even now, musicians such as Zemfira Ramazanova do not hesitate to collaborate with him, and the performer himself is a welcome participant in major Russian and foreign festivals.

Go to the Mujuice "VKontakte" community →

2. Antokha MC

"Antokha MC" is a musician from Moscow, who started with studying at a music school in the class "Trumpet", and now is one of the most promising Russian hip-hop artists.

You can find echoes of 5'nizza and Micah in Anton's work, but on the whole it is quite original - this is not hip-hop in the classical sense of the term. The music is influenced by funk and reggae, and an additional highlight is the accompaniment, which is played by the trumpet in some songs.

Go to the "Antokhi MC" community "VKontakte" →

3. Medzhikul

The absence of the St. Petersburg group "Medzhikul" in the rotation of radio and TV is quite possibly a temporary phenomenon. Their debut album "All About Martha" has everything to please almost any listener: to the songs of "Medzhikul" you can dance both incendiary and slow dances, they want to sing along, while the music itself is very far from the sore pop pop music …

"Medzhikul" is perhaps the first group in Russia to perform music in the rhythm and blues genre of the 70s - the so-called Motown Sound. Petersburgers skillfully combine the features of this genre with modern musical techniques and funny texts in Russian, as a result, their compositions sound fresh and familiar at the same time.

Go to the community "Medzhikul" "VKontakte" →

4. Harajiev Smokes Virginia

A group from Kazan, which started in 2009 with downhole mat-rock, now performing indie rock with elements of pop music. The group has six full-fledged releases, each of which, probably, forever settled in the memory of my smartphone.

There are only three members in the group, the main instrumental backbone is drums, bass, guitar and vocals. Other instruments are used in HSV recordings, but this minimum set is sufficient for performing songs at concerts. If you love perky and romantic guitar music, do not understand English lyrics and have no prejudices about high male vocals, then Harajiev Smokes Virginia! you will like it.

Go to the Harajiev Smokes Virginia community! "VKontakte" →

5. Motorama

Rostov-on-Don gave the hip-hop lovers "Casta", and the fans of modern independent music - the couple Vlad and Irina Parshin, who were at the origins of the projects Motorama, "Morning" and "Bergen Kremer" ("Summer in the City"). The main project of the musicians is considered to be Motorama: the discography of the collective includes four full-length and two mini-albums, and the tour map extends far beyond the borders of Russia.

Motorama's work is usually classified as post-punk and twi-pop. Unpretentious progressions and melodies, 4/4 time signature and minimalistic accompaniment make Motorama music simple and enjoyable.

Go to the Motorama "VKontakte" community →

6. Thanks

"Musical group from Moscow" - this is the full text of the annotation in the "Thank you" community "VKontakte". Participants do not try to trump a variety of style tags and do not compare themselves with the hegemon of genres. The band's style is really hard to describe without resorting to boring musical terms. In simple terms, "Thank you" is a perky and sometimes experimental guitar rock with clever lyrics in your native language.

Go to the community "Thank you" "VKontakte" →

7. BCH

BCH is a project of the Moscow musician Viktor Isaev. It all started with the album "Mignon", released in 2014, unusual both in form and content. High-quality R&B and soul are not very common in Russian music, and BCH has not only become a good alternative to James Blake, but also released an original experimental release. Mignon is the album where very non-Russian music is combined with the most Russian lyrics - the poems of the Silver Age poets.

The latest release of the BCH "Hellenic Secret" has already been recorded with the author's texts. The music itself has also undergone changes: the songs are unlike each other and combine echoes of many directions - from trip-hop to retro wave.

Go to the BCH "VKontakte" community →

8. Pinkshinyultrablast

Pinkshinyultrablast is a shoegaze band from St. Petersburg and the only Russian band that Pitchfork likes to write about. Shoegaze is an alternative rock genre that originated in England in the late 80s. The music of this style is characterized by a specific work with guitar effects and the detached behavior of musicians on stage, absorbed in this work.

In Russia, the boom of shoegaze music in the 80s and 90s went unnoticed, so this genre is still not popular with a wide audience. Pinkshinyultrablast do not count on success with the Russian audience: they give concerts abroad much more often than in Russia.

Go to the Pinkshinyultrablast "VKontakte" community →

9. On-The-Go

A group from Togliatti, which began in their hometown with a down-the-hole dance-rock and later changed both genre and place of residence. After moving to the capital of Togliatti, he took over the label Xuman Records, and the very first release In The Wind marked the beginning of the band's creativity in a new style. Now On-The-Go is a Moscow band working in the indie-pop genre and sounding not at all in Russian.

Go to the VKontakte On-The-Go community →

10. Sirotkin

Moscow bard Sergei Sirotkin, year after year, proves that in Russia you can become a popular performer simply by playing beautiful music. The pursuit of fashion, the desire to turn creativity into a meme, daring experiments - this is not about Sirotkin. Here - only a guitar and a young man with a beautiful voice.

Go to the Sirotkin VKontakte community →

11. Oligarkh

Oligarkh is another bold project from St. Petersburg, combining modern dance electronics and samples from folk songs, church chants and old-school Russian rap in its work. The track Forgive Us turned out to be especially provocative - a composition in the trap style with a sampled memorial prayer. To some it seemed a blasphemous mockery, to someone - a respectful rethinking, but the fact remains: it was done in an interesting and talented way.

Oligarkh's most serious video work is the clip Rechka, in which a folk song about Timonya received a modern interpretation.

Go to the Oligarkh "VKontakte" community →

12. Verbludes

Verbludes is a group from Moscow performing pleasant twi-indie rock. The prefix "twi" is the child's interpretation of the word sweet. This genre is distinguished by sentimentality and deliberate primitiveness of sound.

The first single of the group was the song "Be interesting to you", full of kindness and summer mood. Not so long ago, the group also released a full-length album. Verbludes is suitable for those who are looking for something new and relevant, but do not want to bother delving into dubious trends.

Go to the Verbludes "VKontakte" community →

13. Theodor Bastard

Theodor Bastard are the founders of the world music style in Russia. The group from St. Petersburg follows the canons of the genre: it combines folklore traditions and instruments from different countries, but the texts invariably remain in Russian. Theodor Bastard's music does not fit into the format of radio and TV, but this does not prevent the band from giving successful concerts in Russia and abroad.

Go to Theodor Bastard "VKontakte" community →

14. Naadya

Naadya is a Russian electropop group founded in 2013. The songs of the group are distinguished by sentimentality and romance. Clips of "Naadi" are not shown on music TV channels, but the popularity of the group ensured it far beyond the underground: the song "Pirates" became the basis for the song of the same name by rapper L'One, and the group also recorded a cover version of the soundtrack from the children's show "Call of the Jungle" ordering TNT. In addition, "Naadia" actively gives concerts and participates in festivals in Russia and abroad.

Go to the community "Naadya" "VKontakte" →

15. Glintshake

In this collection there is a place for the avant-garde - the current work of the group Glintshake, or simply GSh. From 2012 to 2015, the project of Katya Shilonosova and Zhenya Gorbunov (also known as a member of the Narkotiki group) could be attributed to the genre of alternative rock, and the songs were performed in English. Two years ago, the project was reformatted: the texts became Russian-speaking, and bold experiments found their place in music.

The album with the telling name OESH MAGZIU and the cover in the style of Russian constructivism became the subject of controversy and discussion: where some saw kitsch, others found genuine art. Despite criticism, the music of the new GS is popular, and the group itself is a welcome guest at major independent music festivals.

Go to the Glintshake "VKontakte" community →