Tequilajazzz is definitely one of the most interesting bands of the 1990’s in Russia. The band is currently residing in St. Petersburg but has been touring all around the world. The band describes its music as power pop and the band combines styles like pure punk, hardcore to jazz and film music. The leader of the band, Yevgeni Fedorov is also a highly respected film composer.
Zveri are a Russian pop/rock band who released their debut album Golod (Hunger) in 2003. Zveri was formed in mid-2002 by Roman Bilyk, the lead singer of the band, better known as Roma Zver. The group was named after his nickname. He was soon joined by Maksim Leonov on guitars, Kostya Labezkiy on the bass, Kirill Antonenko on keyboards and Misha Kraev on the drums and the group began work on their debut album. This album contained many of the group’s best-known songs, such as Dozhdi-Pistolety (Rain-Guns), Dlya Tebya (For You) and Prosto Takaya Sil’naya Lyubov’ (Simply such a strong love).
Akvarium is a Russian rock group, formed in Leningrad in 1972 by Boris Grebenshchikov and Anatoly (George) Gunitsky. The band is one of the oldest existing rock bands, and still releases singles regularly. Fans can visit their official multilingual site for more information and updates on this great band.
Agata Kristi is a Russian rock group led by brothers Vadim and Gleb Samoylov, that was established in Sverdlovsk in 1988.
The original band comprises:
Auktyon is a slightly avant gardist rock band that was formed in the early 1980’s. They are still quite popular and are regularly touring. The lineup of Auktyon are:
- Leonid Fedorov - vocals, guitar, percussion
- Oleg Garkusha - show, declamation, vocals
- Viktor Bondarik - bass
- Dmitry Ozersky - keyboard, percussion, trumpet
- Nikolay Rubanov - saxophones, bass-clarinet, jaleika
- Boris Shaveinikov - drums, percussion
- Pavel Litvinov - percussion
- Mikhail Kolovsky - tube, trumpet
- Mikhail Rappoport - sound engineer
Vopli Vidopliassova is a humorous folk rock band from Kiev, Ukraine. The band was formed in 1986 and has been quite popular ever since. Vopli Vidopliassova also gained some popularity in France and was reported to have toured with Sonic Youth in the USA. The video below is a nice one, hope you’ll check it out.
Mumiy Troll is a Russian rock group, founded in 1981 in Vladivostok by linguist Ilia Lagutenko. The literal name of the band, mummy troll, has no specific meaning in Russian, and is reminiscent of the Tove Jansson characters, the Moomintrolls.
Zemfira Talgatovna Ramazanova was born on August 26, 1976 in Ufa, and is the leader and lead vocalist of the Russian rock group Zemfira. The group was formed in 1998 and has been immensely popular in Russia and other former Soviet republics.
Gorky Park is a Russian glam metal band, that gained mainstream popularity in USA during the Perestroyka times. Gorky Park is famous for its kitsch use of western stereotypes of Russians, such as pseudo-traditional clothing, balalaika-like guitar design and Hammer and sickle as their logo. It was the first Russian band to be aired on MTV.
t.A.T.u. is a Russian Grammy-winning duo formed in Moscow, Russia in 1999. The group consists of Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova. A third Russian studio album, titled Upravleniye Otbrosami is expected for a 2008 release, while their third English studio album, Waste Management, is expected to be released as the soundtrack for the upcoming film You and I.