Chaif (Чайф) is a Russian rock band originally from Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). The name is a play on the Russian words for “tea” (chai, чай) and the slang for “pleasure” (kaif, кайф). Chaif saw national fame in the early 1990s with hits like “Don’t Rush” (“Не спеши”) and “17,” and they are still well known […]
Delfin (Дельфин, eng. Dolphin) is the stage name of Andrei Lysikov (Андрей Вячеславович Лысиков), a popular Russian musician who plays experimental electronic music. He has often been compared with Moby. Lysikov got his start in the scandalous 90s hip-hop trio Bachelor Party (Мальчишник), where he was the main songwriter. As Delfin, Lysikov has received numerous […]
Voskresnie (Воскресение) is a Russian rock group which has existed in two distinct incarnations. The first lasted from 1979 to 1982; the second, after a long hiatus, started in 1994 and continues to the present day. Voskresenie’s sound has ranged over the years from rhythm-and-blues to blues to psychedelic rock. Its name translates to “Sunday” […]
Mashina Vremeni (Машина времени) was one of the Soviet Union’s pioneering rock bands. Formed in Moscow in 1969, Mashina Vremeni has worked across various genres over the years, and continues to make music today. Their name translates to “Time Machine.” Mashina Vremeni’s eclectic sound, which has ranged from classic rock, to blues, to Beatles-style pop, […]
Evgenii Margulis (Евгений Шулимович Маргулис) is a prolific Russian rock musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and one of Russia’s most famous blues composers. He is known as a founding member of one of Russia’s most important classic rock bands, Time Machine (Машина времени), as well as a founder and on-again-off-again participant in Voskresenie (Воскресение), also a […]
Crematorium (Крематорий) is a popular rock band in Russia. Headed by vocalist and songwriter Armen Grigoryan (Армен Григорян), who founded the band in Moscow in 1983, its sound ranges from blues to psychedelic to classic rock and Grigoryan’s lyrics often deal with the fantastic, such as the possibility of life after death. In the beginning, […]
Agata Kristi (Агата Кристи) was one of Russia’s most popular rock bands during the 1990s. Their sound tends toward gothic rock and post-punk, and at times even new wave. Agata Kristi’s impressive repertoire includes ten studio albums, five compilations, and eighteen music videos, as well as a long history of tours around Russia and abroad. […]
Piknik (Пикник) is one of Russia’s longest-running rock bands. Headed by vocalist/guitarist Edmund Shklyarsky (Эдмунд Шклярский)—the band’s sole consistent member across its 30+ year career—Piknik was formed in Leningrad in 1978, and were heavily influenced by British rock groups like Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull. Over the years, however, Piknik has developed their own unique […]
Aria (Ария) was one of Russia’s first heavy metal bands, and the very first to reach large scale commercial success in Russia. Dubbed the “Russian Iron Maiden” by the media, Aria was at peak success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Aria was formed in 1985 by Holstinin and Alik Granovsky as a side […]
