Distemper is a Russian ska-punk band known for their combination of straightforward punk rhythms with danceable ska parts. Starting out in 1989 as a hardcore punk band, Distemper transitioned to their current ska sound around 1995. They consistently use a version of their name written in Latin characters. The band was formed in 1989 in […]

Aleksandr Novikov (Александр Новиков) is a Russian singer-songerwriter, performer, and poet who works mostly in the shanson genre, which he calls “urban romance” (городский романс). He is also the art director of Novik Records (Новик-Рекордс; “novik” also means “novice”). He was born and spent his early years on the Kuril Islands, in Sakhalin oblast, near […]

Band’Eros (Банд’Эрос) is a Russian R&B/hip-hop group that was founded in Moscow in 2005. The band’s name is a purposeful play on words – calling to mind both “banderos” – a Spanish word for an outlaw and “Band Eros” – referring to a certain sexuality within the group. The original members were Batishta (Kirill Petrov/Батишта, […]

Infinity (Инфинити—not a real word in Russian) is a Russian electronic/dance group. It was formed in 2007 by Tanya Bondarenko (Таня Бондаренко) and Aleksey Kutuzov (Алексей Кутузов). Before that, the two had created similar music under the name Black and White (Чёрное и Белое), without achieving much success. Bondarenko sings and writes songs; Kutuzov composes […]

Ruki Vverkh! (Руки Вверх!) is a Russian electronic pop group who takes their name from the ubiquitous DJ command for people to “get their hands in the air.”  The group’s name suits their musical style, which blends high-energy electronic pop with samples and aspects of world music. This popular group once worked as official spokesmen […]

Russkii Razmer (Русский Размер, Eng: “Russian Size”) is a Russian electronic group whose music falls somewhere among techno, trance, synth-pop and eurodance. The band has had a number of hits and is much loved in the Russian electronic music festival circuit. Russkii Razmer formed official in 1993, but founding members Dmitri Kopotilov (Дмитри Копотлив) and […]

DJ M.E.G. is a popular Russian DJ, producer, and choreographer. M.E.G. stands for the artist’s initials, his full name being Eduard Georgievich Magaev (Эдуард Георгиевич Магаев). DJ M.E.G. has worked with the likes of Timati and David Guetta, among others, and his sound is known around the world for its upbeat, poppy vibes. Magaev comes […]

Car-Man (Кар-мэн) is a Russian techno-pop band, which reached peak popularity in the early nineties. Known as much for their dance moves as their music, the original lineup consisted of Bogdan Titomir (Богдан Титомир) and Sergei Lemokh (Сергей Лемох), and continues today as a solo project of Lemokh. Titomir and Lemokh met when they were […]

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 […]