In the early 1980s, a electro/funk single was released by Afrika Bambaataa (and colleagues) called "Renegades of Funk." Thanks to the bold production work of Arthur Baker, it would go on to become not only a major dancefloor hit, but also an enduring social statement. The track, in short, suggests...
Last week, the Lithuanian net-project Mondayjazz released a new mixtape/set from Moscow beat maestro Dza. It's currently promoted, in Russian, as "a mash-up made from tracks by all kinds of hip-hop performers, both from Russia and further afield. Banging beats for ya ears!"
Indeed.
It come...
When speaking of Alla Farmer, two things should be established ASAP. Thankfully, Miss Farmer hits both targets at the outset of her most basic biographical sketch: "I was born and raised in Samara, Russia. I play in Bajinda Behind the Enemy Lines." We paid some attention to the members of Bajinda...
For the second time this spring, we turn to the Datenbits label - and in particular to a project based originally in Kharkov. As the two local snapshots in this post would suggest, the city's history is both long and dramatic. Archaeologists have no qualms about displaying proof of a local popul...
(The) Maneken is an increasingly important figure in Ukraine's house scene - and, as a result, we've cast an inquisitive eye in his general direction on more than one occasion. Not only does the solo work of this performer, aka Evgenii/Zhenia Filatov - stand out as extraordinarily well-produced cr...
This month has seen the release of a new album by Sevara Nazarkhan, whom Moscow's OpenSpace magazine recently called "the most internationally famous 30 year-old woman born in the Soviet Union." This new CD, published as the work of Sevara and El'f (an "alter-ego" of the singer), is titled Tak Leg...
It bears mentioning at the outset of this article that the Moscow jazz musicians under consideration here have nothing to do with this man. With all possible confusion now out of the way, we can say with confidence that the members of Venger Collective do have a lot to do with the following indi...
This Saturday in Moscow's 16 Tons nightclub, the downtempo/breaks outfit Kooqla will present their new single to the public. Entitled "Mute," it has been available for a few weeks as a free download, together with almost two hours' worth of vocal and instrumental samples. This "remix pack," as its...
Three years ago, Jermook offered their debut album to the Moscow public; the band’s nervousness was palpable, as a journalist then noted. “The whole launch party reminded me more than anything of a highschool band playing in the assembly hall. The musicians were on edge and the amps kept m...
The summer of 2009 saw the appearance of a new name on Russia's R&B/pop horizon: Ika, shown above in a fairly unflustered state. Thanks to a concerted effort by Moscow's Gala Records, the hit "Hold My Hand" (Derzhi menia za ruku) was heard from coast to sunny coast on radios, iPods, and lapt...
