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 Viktor Bondaryuk (Виктор Вондарюк) began playing music together several years earlier after the two met in Leningrad. Russkii Razmer’s first material consisted of a few songs that Kopotilov had written himself years before, notably “Hello, America!”, which would appear on their first album.
Russkii Razmer’s first album was U-A-U (Ю-А-Ю), and was recorded and produced by the famous Moscow producer Vadim Volodin. This album featured additional vocals by the singer Anzhela (Анжела), and was highly influenced by the then-new rave movement in Russia, though it also featured several more melodic tracks. The track “Batman” from this first effort made it high on the music charts, the notoriety from which got Russkii Razmer the opportunity to participate in various television music shows.
In 1996 the group released two new full-length albums: Let’s Go! Let’s Go! (Давай давай!), and Meow (Мяу). By 1998 Russkii Razmer released another successful album—Shall We Dance? (Танцуем?)—which made its way to Europe and the United States. From then on Russkii Razmer went on numerous foreign tours, visiting the United States more than fifteen times from 1997-2005. Shall We Dance? featured vocals from Eva Polna, and was followed the next year with Russkii Razmer’s most electro-pop release, 650.
Russkii Razmer has also released an album of covers of popular songs, mostly from Soviet films, entitled Next. 2000 saw the band’s most successful release, BumZ-BumZ (БумZ-БумZ), from which nearly every track became a radio and club favorite. Every release after this has featured the vocalist Eleonora (Элеонора).
Since the early 2000s, Russkii Razmer has maintained steady presence with live shows and releases, included a retrospective of their earlier work. However, they have not quite seen the level of popularity that they enjoyed in the 1990s.
Here is Russkii Razmer with “Angel of the Day” (“Ангел дня”):
Lyrics for “Ангел дня”:
В сумке сигареты, цепь, учебник и дневник
Ты идёшь с кастетом в школу, ты скрываться не привык
Знаешь точно, где их встретить, ты сегодня не один
Твой приятель возле школы покупает героин
Ни один ангел дня
Не споет для тебя
Никогда…
В школьном коридоре, что б потом попить пивка
С другом ты стреляешь деньги до последнего звонка
Этим вечером на рэйве, про подругу не забыв
Покупаешь в автомате для себя презерватив
Ни один ангел дня
Не споёт для тебя
Никогда…
Ни один ангел дня
Не споёт для тебя
Никогда…
Here is a live video of Russkii Razmer with their song “The Years Run By” (“Бегут Года”):
Lyrics for “Бегут Года”:
Ушел от нас последний день
Как исчезает в полдень тень.
Любовь уходит с пожелтевшею листвой
И растаемся мы стобой.
Пр.
Бегут года и грусть печаль
В твоих глазах
А я не знаю что тебе сказать
Найти слова и без слов
Ответить на твою любовь
Чтоб стала ты моей судьбой
Весенний мир тебе дарю
И за любовь благодарю
Тебя опять среди прохожих узнаю
И вновь как в юности пою
Пр.
Бегут года и грусть печали
В твоих глазах
А я не знаю что тебе сказать
Найти слова или без слов
Ответить на твою любовь
