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PrepinakiRock band
Country:
 Russia |
Content:
- The Emergence of Prepinaki
- The Transformation of a Name
- Themes and Inspiration
- Lineup and Collaborations
- The "Khil and Sons" Project and Beyond
The Emergence of Prepinaki
In the vibrant underground music scene of Leningrad in 1990, a group of talented musicians from the Leningrad Rock Club joined forces to form a band that would become known as "Prepinaki", initially under the name "Znaki Prepinaniya" (Punctuation Marks). The core members included brothers Viktor and Alexander Lushin ("Mladshye Bratya") and guitarist Andrei Nuzhdin ("Igry").
The Transformation of a Name
A memorable anecdote surrounding the band's name change emerged during a tour of Denmark in 1991. The Danes struggled to pronounce "Znaki Prepinaniya" and inadvertently rephrased it as "Znaki-Prepinaki." The band embraced this phonetic twist, and for a period, they were known as "Znaki-Prepinaki." Eventually, the first word was dropped, and the band adopted the concise and evocative name "Prepinaki."
Themes and Inspiration
Prepinaki's music transcends genres, seamlessly blending elements of British rave, Soviet romanticism from the 1960s, new wave, and bossa nova. Their distinctive sound is fueled by an eclectic mix of dance rhythms and melodies from various eras and cultures, including traditional pop, disco, Soviet estrada, and Latin beats.
Underlying Prepinaki's music are several recurring themes that define their worldview: the unbreakable bond of male friendship, the tender and lyrical nature of love, the allure of the sea, the significance of being among six friends, the enigmatic "Man of the Rain," and the vastness of space. Their reverence for Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, is reflected in their spiritual connection to him and their annual celebration of their band's anniversary on April 12th, coinciding with the date of Gagarin's historic leap.
Lineup and Collaborations
The current lineup of Prepinaki consists of six members:- Andrei Nuzhdin (guitar, vocals, songwriting)
- Alexander Lushin (vocals)
- Ilya Rogachevsky (keyboards)
- Roman Nevelev (bass)
- Nikolai Lysov (drums)
- Mikhail Nikolaev (percussion)
Over the years, numerous renowned musicians from St. Petersburg have graced the band's ranks.
Prepinaki have embarked on several notable collaborations, including "Real-Madrid" with DJ Lavsky (1995), which performed at legendary parties in the "Rodina" club, and "Deti Kapitana Granta," which featured radio play adaptations of the namesake novel.
The "Khil and Sons" Project and Beyond
In 1996, Prepinaki joined forces with their artistic inspiration, People's Artist of the Russian Federation Eduard Khil, to create the joint project "Khil and Sons." The concept behind this endeavor was to reinterpret the legacy of Soviet estrada music from the 1960s and 1970s. In 1997, they released the album "Khodit Pesenka po Krugu" and continue to tour extensively.
From 1999, Prepinaki collaborated with Natalia Pivovarova, former lead singer of the band "Kolibri" and wife of Alexander Lushin. Together, they performed songs from the 1960s and 1970s, "Kolibri" classics, and original compositions by Nuzhdin, including the popular "Vaza."
Additionally, the "Solnechnyy Udare") project, featuring Prepinaki in a minimal lineup without Lushin, has been periodically revived, with the latest incarnation taking place recently.
