Polittechno

A friend of mine recently introduced me to Polittechno, a genre of music dreamt up by Petersburg-based musician/producer, Alexei Vishnya. The name, 'Polittechno', comes from a compound of the words 'political' and 'techno' and consists of putting politicians' words to techno beats. You're more than likely to have seen Vishnya's most famous clip, 'Kto mog by byt' Prezident' (Who could be President), doing the rounds on You Tube, but there is much more where that comes from.



Vishnya, a sound director who produced about half the albums of legendary rock group Kino, started experimenting with politicians' voices back in 2000, after hearing a news presenter talking about Putin: I was watching TV, listening to journalist Sergei Dorenko, when he said: “Putin and only Putin.” I thought to myself, “that's rap” and started experimenting with famous people's voice, putting them to music. My first song was called “Putin and Only Putin”, with Dorenko performing as lead singer.

Four years later, Vishnya released an album, “Viagra for Putin”, showcasing all the good and great of Russia’s political glitterati: Putin, Zhirinovsky, Gorbachev, Chubais and Irina Kharmada amongst others. Of the 11 songs on the album, my favourites are ‘Russian Pigs’ (see below) and ‘Who’s Boris Berezovsky?”, feat. V.V. Putin, in which Putin disses the disgraced Russian oligarch, currently residing in London despite repeated Russian requests for extradition.


Russian Pigs, featuring Irina Khakamada and Vladimir Zhirinovsky
Essentially Zhirinovsky talk about 'Russian Pigs' - drug addicts, prostitutes, alcoholics and disabled people(?) etc., amongst others. To which Khakamada replies: 'Vladimir Volfovich, you are a coward.' The two argue then argue throughout the song, as Zhirinovsky's accusations of who exactly is a Russian Pig become even more all encompassing: all opposition parties, Americans etc.

Vishnya claims to have no real political agenda, calling his political subjects ‘muses’, responsible for inspiring musical creativity rather than political expression. When asked in a recent interview about his attitude to the Putin-Medvedev tandem, he replied: As philosophers say, I experience total objectivity towards these people – they exist outside my consciousness. Towards the Putin-Medvedev tandem, I am also entirely objective… As regards Putin, I have been observing him for a very long time now – even as far back as when he worked for the Communist party in what was Leningrad. However politics really didn’t interest me at all during the 1990s… Then at some point it became impossible to ignore politics any longer The informational field became so multifaceted that the muses from this sphere came themselves to visit me. I’m sure you understand how funny it is to observe them, their laughability and all their ridiculous pre-election debates.

And what do the ‘muses’ feel in relation to puppet-master Vishnya? His videos attract a lot of attention which can come accross as either positive or negative PR. Vishnya related a story to the newspaper Izvestia about how Irina Khamada invited him to Moscow following her starring role in Viagra for Putin. On one of the songs, entitled Techno Woman, she sings, "I met the president and I gave it to him. This isn’t our first year in politics and we’ve been around." To which Putin replies, ‘She’ll no longer be any one’s political toy.’ According to Vishnya, Irina praised the song as ‘funny’ and described him as a ‘talented boy’ (he was 39 at the time!) but when he suggested she collaborate with him on further songs she retorted: “I’m not a little girl – I’m a representative of the state Duma!”

Although he is yet to release another CD, Vishnya remains prolific, regularly posting new videos on his You Tube channel and on a Live Journal blog. His most recent post, which stars President Medvedev singing about the stability of the Russian political system, has already been viewed almost 6000 times. Nevertheless, despite his popularity, the money is not rolling in - his music (including his album) remains a non-commercial project, distributed for free on the internet : "the fanatical project of a man who’s gone crazy for politics."




The album in it's entirety, if anybody is interested.



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I live in Russia!

Picture: Film Poster for "Molodaia Gvardia"
Now the big raving Brit in me means that I have rather mixed feelings about England being dissed, especially when it includes having accusations of bourgeois-imperialism levelled at me. However, when it’s in a catchy song endorsed by a pro-Kremlin youth group and sung by one of Russia’s most notorious chanson artistes then I guess I can let it lie. “Ya zhivu v Rossii!” (I live in Russia!) is the latest single out by Sergei Trofimov and rather popular on the Molodaia Gvardia youth movement website. It won me over, see what you think:


(You can read by (very badly translated) transcript of the lyrics in English below. If anyone can do any better you are more than welcome!)

Somewhere in London it’s been pouring with rain since the morning
Pavements, streets worn out by cabs
You won’t find any place in the pubs, and on the stock exchange,
The game turns into the usual British gambit

The order of things here is unchanging and simple
Like the parliamentary throne of the Queen
And the influential pound continues the rise
Of the bourgeois-imperial tree

*** Chorus ***

But I live in Russia!
At the furthest point of being
I live in Russia!
It’s simply my motherland

In this untamed great power
Constrained by dreams of days gone by
It’s unlikely that life will become more substantial or simpler
But it’s my home

***

On the Saint-Claire Boulevard chestnuts are flowering
And in the Boulogne forest the cold wind has gone astray
And the glass turns red from Burgundy wine
As if the Holy Grail has been discovered again

Here a united people respect themselves
And their freedom attained through suffering
And they live from day to day, not bemoaning anything
Earning a profit from goods from year to year

I had a friend, he went away a long time ago
To that place which did not have shocks and misfortune in store
For him, our life is like a bad film
Where the budget can’t save the mediocre plot

Sometimes he calls to find out how things are going
And, having heard the latest gossip
Doesn’t understand why we are burning to the ground

In order to once again rise from the ashes

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We Don't Wanna Put In

What ever happened to Eurovision as a happy, shiny vision of a united Europe?

As Russia prepares itself to host the annual music competition in May this year, political differences between Russia and its neighbours look set to threaten the organisers’ vision of the show as a happy manifestation of united Europe. And not just because of tactical voting and deal making to ensure another Russian win.

The Russian entrant, Anastasia Prihkodko, winner of Star Factory (other famous alumni include Dima Bilan, last year’s winner) has come under fire from the Russian media for singing in a mixture of Russian and Ukrainian. Although the singer won at the preselection committee with over 25% of the votes, the choice as been dubbed a scandal, with many echoing the opinion that «a song performed in Ukrainian can't have anything to do with Russia.» As Russian relations with Ukraine are decidedly frosty at the moment it does seem a slightly odd choice, but pretty suggestive that the Russian public is rather less anti-Ukraine than their leaders.

Rather more scandalous is Georgia's choice of Eurovision entry, 'We don't wanna put in' by Stefane and 3G. (See video clip above.) The group, which is made up of Stefan and three sparkly-hot panted girls, hotly deny that the song has any political implications: « Those who can speak English language at least at the level of 5th grade of school should realize that lyrics has absolutely nothing to do with Russia.» However the lyrics «We don't wanna Put in» when sung in strong accented English do sound remarkably like «We don't want Putin», and have already got the Russian's knickers in a bit of a twist.

The Russian prime-minister press secretary, Dmitry Peskov stated: "If this information is true, we regret that participants from Georgia do not intend to concentrate on musical quality, trying instead to use this popular European competition to showcase their pseudo-political ambitions, or, more simply, for mere hooliganism. We hope that these Georgian guests of the Moscow Eurovision will decide to perform a real, beautiful song, since… Georgian culture is very rich in these"

It is not yet clear whether the Eurovision committee, which forbids the performance of any politically motivated songs, will allow Stefan and his girls to go ahead with their entry. In any case, we can be fairly sure, that the song will be receiving nul points from the Russian hosts.
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People of the Year 2008

Photo: Mila Maksimova and Viktor Ribas
From the hallowed halls of the Central Bank to the somewhat less sober surroundings of cyber space, Russian server rambler.ru has also offered its nominations for People of 2008. It has just published a list of the most popular searches of 2008, divided into a series of categories, creating a more representative, if less salubrious, list of who really shaped 2008 for Russians.

Singer of the Year
Narrowly beating boy-band hero, Dima Bilan, sentimental singer MakSim wins the accolade of most searched for Russian singer. Citing her main musical influences as Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, you can probably guess what kind of music she makes. However, here's a clip of one of her best selling songs, if you really must have a listen:
Скачать mp3 МакSим - Лучшая ночь с Mp3ex.net
And the lyrics go: I don't know how to tell you, but this is the best night/ I don't know you to tell you, but with him was the best night/ I don't know what's true or what's false/ I sing about the sky, but rain falls from the sky/ I don't know how many faces I have seen/ In my book, life has fewer pages.
Deep.

Size of the Year
Can’t work out what size they’re referring to? Take a look at this year’s winner, Anna Semenovich and all will be revealed. A one time ice-skating star, Semenovich is now described on her website as an 'athlete/singer/beauty', however I think we all know what she's really famous for. And they say size doesn’t matter…

Jokers of the Year
A Western import, but with a decidedly Russian twist. Our Russia is the Russian take on Little Britain, giving us a whole new host of national stereotypes to laugh at. Potentially even less politically correct than it's English mother show, Our Russia's most beloved characters include Snezhana Denisovna, a scamming provincial school teacher, and Ravshan and Dzhamud, poor immigrant workers from Central Asia who don't speak a word of Russian and are constantly abused by their irrascible, but apparently loveable, Russian foreman. Perhaps a little close too close to the bone?

Factory of the Year
Don’t you just love reality TV? This year’s top “star factory” is House Number 2. A barrel of laughs, in which contestants attempt simultaneously to build a house and find a life partner. Presented by Russia’s answer to Paris Hilton, Ksenia Sobchak, (see below) this really is reality TV at rock bottom. Nevertheless, it is currently in its second and a half year, and the original house has ballooned into a lavish mansion complex.

Our Everything of the Year
Putin. Boring. (Pushkin was in second place though. Nice.)

Black PR of the Year
Any fame is good fame? So might argue Russian socialite Ksenia Sobchak. Compared alternately to a horse or Paris Hilton, this darling of the Russian tabloids is at the same time a national joke and a national treasure. She's impossibly well connected (Daddy was mayor of Petersburg and Putin's mentor), hosts Russia's number one reality TV show and even has political aspirations. In 2006 she set up her own youth organisation All Free, which ostensibly seeks to help deprived youths, but is considered by many as a not very covert attempt to extend Kremlin influence, by preventing the anti-government uprisings that have caused havoc in neighnouring Ukraine and Georgia.

However, despite being the host of one of the most popular TV shows in Russia, she is far from universally loved, and consequently travels at all times with an armed body guard. When asked if the animosity she arouses bother her, she replied: 'No. What I really dislike is when anyone is indifferent. As long as I'm getting a reaction, it's OK. When people are nasty I don't feel anything.' Indeed, any PR is good PR.

Before writing her off completely, I'd just like to draw your attention to an event that happened in Moscow's Sheremetevo airport yesterday afternoon. Ksenia and her fellow 300 passengers were waiting to depart on an Aeroflot flight to New York, when the pilot made a rather unusual address to the plane. Ever alert, Ksenia realised that something was amiss and marched up to the cockpit, suspecting the that pilot was not 100% sober. She told a Russian magazine:" When he started speaking in English I immediately knew. I speak pretty good English and can tell when someone's under the influence. He wasn't definitely drunk, he was slurring all his words. I was furious and marched up to the cabin... which stank of alcohol."
According to eyewitnesses, a struggle then ensued, and the flight was canceled. "Ksenia saved us all!", one overjoyed passenger was overheard to say. It would seem there's much more to Sobchak than meets the eye...

So, there we have it: blondes, boobs, poetry and Putin. The Russian web in a nut shell.


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