SBPCh / Самое большое простое число

RU

Abstract hip-hop, Adult contemporary, Alternative Rap, Blues-rock, Classic rock, Downbeat, Electroacoustic, Grunge, Hard IDM, Hip-hop, Hip-Hop Instrumentals, Indie Dance, Indie-pop, Leftfield, Lo-fi, Post-punk, Prog, R&B, Rap, Rock, Tape Music, Turntablism

http://sbp4.bandcamp.com
http://www.last.fm/music/сбпч
http://www.myspace.com/sbp4
http://twitter.com/#!/sbp4
http://sbp4.livejournal.com/
http://vkontakte.ru/sbp4band

A Love for Nowhere Special: Watu, More Oblakov, HimDom, and dsrtEgl

Some recent, ambient instrumentals from Watu (Minsk) led to angry debates over the finer points of post-Soviet geography. Over time, however, the importance of a concrete address fades away, no matter its name.

Live: Do-Re-Mi Orchestra, Zmitser, Exit Project, and Funky Bizness Gang

Four bands from St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Yekaterinburg all speak to the importance of direct, live performance. Their reasons are artistic, financial, and philosophical.

Liberty and Family: SBPCh, Sophie Villy, Siba.Pro, and Mew19

A new single from Ukraine's Sophie Villy considers the connection between private songs and their public consequence. Some fresh material from Russia, however, is less trusting of the world.

Harmonies Far from Home: Chikiss, Dropps, Vėjopatis, and Print V

Some new dub-techno, trip-hop, and chillwave publications are dedicated to issues of harmony. How do these styles reflect a sense of balance in the outside world? And where exactly does that equilibrium exist?

Flashbacks and Quips: Dandyskills, Chikiss, Arm Author, and Coca Color

Any music that invokes the style of late '80s synth-pop will have a special resonance in the Russian context. Put mildly, a lot was happening in the country. That same sense of heady expectation is now handled with mild irony.

Journey to the City's Edge: Man Gillian, Mikrokristal, and Revoltmeter

For all the negative stereotypes that surround many aspects of "provinciality," that same liminal positioning can be turned to significant benefit. These three projects reconsider what it means to inhabit a city's edge.

The Strange Advantages of Indifference: SBPCh, CAWA, and Phooey!

These three collectives from Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Zhytomyr (Ukr.) all use a recognizably droll, even disinterested style of lyrical delivery. Behind that apparent indifference lies an intriguing view of the world.

Local Stories: Docha Fingers, Photoindustries, Gorq Lana, and SBPCh

Three projects from three cities all make use of a Western rap heritage in order to fashion a locally relevant worldview. Those same local contexts, however, turn the raison d'être of any such narratives into something very different.

The Singular View of Two Generations: Auktsyon and Vstrecha Ryby

Vstrecha Ryby are a young collective from the industrial city of Chelyabinsk. In moving to Moscow, they take inspiration from the well-respected elder statesmen of Russian rock, Auktsyon. Between them all lies a shared worldview.

Downshifting Deluxe: Elochnye Igrushki, Milky Toad, and SV Hutor

The St Petersburg duo of Elochnye Igrushki have published a couple of collaborations - with Milky Toad and SV Hutor. Both frame their lyricism in hushed and muffled tones against a backdrop of very noisy shoptalk.

Three Levels of Complexity: The Slides, Reserve de Marche, and Ned Hoper

Placed side by side, these three projects from opposite ends of Russia suggest that solitude and introspection are trickier than civic struggle. Especially if society keeps interrupting

Electroacoustic Sketches: Zmitser Von Holzman, Nasienie, and Borisov / Nosova

Three new electroacoustic recordings from Moscow, St Petersburg, and Samara all use ambient or improvised soundscapes to celebrate the appeal of transience

Sad Stories: Grishkovets, Nochnye Gruzchiki, Shaiba, and Nebro

Evgenii Grishkovets is a well-known raconteur. His nationally famous, dry, and simple delivery reflects a worldview that informs other spoken-voice genres. Such as rap. We choose three examples from around Russia

Minimum Words, Maximum Fantasy: Pianochocolate and Elochnye Igrushki

Pianochocolate and Elochnye Igrushki are two very different ensembles. Nonetheless, their new instrumental albums both show the particular importance of silence in the context of Russian songwriting.

Vasilii Shumov & "Soderzhanie": Struggles between Form and Content

Yesterday a three-track EP appeared from the ramshackle St Petersburg outfit known as Samoe Bol'shoe Prostoe Chislo (The Biggest Prime Number, aka СПБ4, aka Sbp4orchestra, etc...). Released under the name of "Zhivi khorosho!" (Live Well!), the EP's title would perhaps lead listeners to antici...

Tales (Not) for the Family: Elochnye igrushki & 4 Pozicii Bruno

The two lengthy tracks in this post are the result of a new collaboration between Elochnye igrushki ("Christmas Baubles") and 4 Pozicii Bruno ("The Four Positions of Bruno"). We've spoken of both bands before, but a few things are worth restating and explaining further. Elochnye igrushki (aka "EU"...

Zmitser von Holzman: The Worldview of Russian Electronica... Unplugged

Zmitser von Holzman, perhaps not surprisingly, is not the real name of the bearded young man shown on this page. Were we to rummage through his pockets, somewhere would be official proof of his parallel existence in dull reality - as Dmitrii Gol'tsman, a resident of St Petersburg. This evidently...

SBPCh: The Art of Formlessness

"SBPCh" stands for Samoe bol'shoe prostoe chislo, a long and awkward name that translates into The Biggest Prime Number. Based in St Petersburg, they have recently emerged as an offshoot of the ongoing and well-respected project known as Elochnye igrushki (Christmas Tree Ornaments). In part...