Quarantine is the perfect time in order to savor music. Not so long ago the EP “Loud” was released by young pop artist Pasha Rudenko, whose music is characterized by a distinctive style, melody and content. Next came a landmark album of the group “Vintage” “Forever…”. Works of artists of different generations and as if from different planets, but they have in common. The soloist of “Vintage” Anna Pletneva called them with Alexei Romanov offspring “farewell with the world as it was and it never will be”. Rudenko released the album, too, said goodbye, in his case with the lyrical period in the work, and said solid immersion only in dance music. And they share texts, composed by the poet Alexander Kovalev, songs on poems of which are also performed by Dima Bilan, Sergey Lazarev and Ani Lorak, Mitya Fomin and other pop stars. “ZD” listened to fresh works and discussed them with Alexander Kovalev.
“Forever…” is the first album of the band “Vintage” for the last 6 years (the previous “Decamerone” was published in 2014). During this time with the team there were various twists and turns: “musical husband and wife”, as loving and jokingly called herself Anya and Alex, said on parting, “Vintage” a while turned into a girls band, and Anya were engaged in a solo career. And yet the creative power of karma and attraction was stronger. The new job is proof of this. The infinity sign on the cover means and the inverted figure 8 — the eighth record. On the one hand, the songs from it sound in the best traditions of the team and it is absolutely natural that they will continue, with another — the concept was special. The album begins with the Intro, in which Alexei Romanov remembers a fateful meeting with Anna Pletneva and calls the disc “with gratitude” to her and to all the fans for the “miracle” that happened to him. The final audio — Outro from Ani. Small monologues prelude sound before each song. Together they combine into a colorful but harmonious picture, which is painted with broad expressive strokes, but not devoid of fine detail. In the sound and connect deep tool, and dynamic electronic party, in the texts of reality and some fabulous, mythological and cosmogonical. The songs resonate with the times and simultaneously outside its borders.
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EP “out Loud” Pasha Rudenko consists of 5 compositions. Despite the concise format of a mini-album, it presents a novel, where each song becomes a separate episode. The first “drama” begins as a musical performance. Disturbing violin sound smoothly into a subtle Oriental motifs: “As you unravel, not only injuring?” Fully justifying named��e, the song sounds really dramatic, the degree of emotion is raised to the limit almost in the prologue. In the next song “Heartless” with a pulsating rhythm similar to a heartbeat, the performer keep up the emotional momentum, continuing with the questions: “do you Have a soul?” The plot develops in “the Shot”, “Mute”, the plot thickens. In the final song “Remember me” the history of relations of heroes ends in Heartbreak.
it is not Surprising that in an interview, Pasha announced the temporary end lyric creative period and the transition to work on dance songs. “Nastradamus” it’s time to get on a more positive wave. However, it is worth noting that all these experiences do not sound depressing, don’t push to go out the window after listening to, but only invite to sadness, memories of love stories.
From the author of the texts of both plates Alexander Kovalyov talked about the features creative cuisine and that only the distinguished artists of different generations.
how did the collaboration with the group “Vintage”?
– it All started not even with “Vintage”. We with Alexei Romanov are friends since adolescence, and the first joint song composed in the early 1990s. Then, around 2004, when I moved away from it far enough, he asked me again to start writing songs together, but different artists, because he had requests. He also writes great poetry, but doesn’t really like to do it, being oriented still to the music. So began to emerge of the composition, successful including, and in 2006 there were “Vintage”. And the first song “Gomenasai” from the debut album “Crime of love” was also written by us in collaboration. And so it went. Almost all albums, except album “Very Dance”, where Alex acted as a composer, was always my song. Including on the newly released.
And this time the “internal kitchen” was different from previous works?
– the Song “Match”, for example, we and Alex discussed a long time ago, before the concept of the album. Same with the song “Fred and George” he wanted to do something life-affirming, bright, with a hint of sadness, but dance — in this canvas fits very well its history. We are gradually brought these songs to mind, something altered. The song “Time” was released a year ago as the solo work of Alex. I think it is actually one of our best works of all time. At the plate she went into the execution of Ani, sounding, of course, is a little different in their own way, but still great — I like the result. The fourth song of my authorship of the “Young and drunk” is completely transformed. It was originally just a dance, sounded easier and poetry, and music, but then Alex changed the melody, and I completely rewrote the text, not focusing on the previous version.
the Birth of the song — a sacred process that is difficult to dissect. And yet: if you and Alexei a proven, established schemes create hits?
– Always happens in different ways. In the case of “Fred and George” Alex initially expressed their ideas, and then I sent him poems. Even some time they were in the table because the tune was born, there was something wrong. Then at some point we started to discuss the text with Alexander Osadchiy, the Director. He offered to do some alterations, and Alesha was born from music. Sasha Osadchy for the first time co-wrote songs with me. It turned out perfectly. In the case with the song “Match” Alex sent me the music with some sketches in the chorus. Already starting from them, I wrote the lyrics. The song “Young and drunk” began with the phrase “sing with me, young and drunk”, around which began to develop the story. So always all the artists and all the works, all very individually. Open a song does not exist.
– Turning to the conversation about Pasha Rudenko, it is worth noting that he’s already an artist of another generation. How did you meet him and what were interested in working with him?
– Pasha, we met when he was a soloist of the project “the Element”. I was interviewing him. He was a good man, a great guy, and we just began to chat, make friends. Also to have some fun: just out interview, and a couple of days Duo “Element” collapsed. Then we began to discuss his solo work. He knew that I write songs, and asked me to help him. What he sent me was pretty damp, I used to love, and I said, “If you want, I have ideas how to do it.” Since then, we have a year and a half or two writing songs together. Are not all, but the process is ongoing.
Watching what is happening in the music inside and a little from the side, as a journalist, editor, music portal, do you feel the difference between artists of different generations?
– If you talk about me and Alex, we, as representatives of the same generation look at the music more conservatively. I often hear from young artists — “the main thing that rocked”. A terrible expression. For us this is not an argument in the production of songs, we have content — musical, semantic, emotional. In order to “rocked”, there are other professionals — arrangers, sound producers. In this sense, the young performers are often highly susceptible to the wrapper and not paying attention to the content. But not all. Sometimes I come across as a superficial attitude to the creative musicians of his generation, and with thoughtful relatedIEM. I think, still it does not depend on age. And, of course, is the concept of trends. In the days of my youth we listened to “Movie” and “Tender may” and the older generation it seemed like some kind of nonsense. Each time has its heroes.
Music industry in Russia is arranged in such a way that the author of the song often remains in the shadows. Not it is a shame?
– When I first started, we were very proud of themselves, and in some cases, being young and ambitious, it’s a little hurt, but then I began to clearly understand that after all the public an interesting person, not the creators. People focus on the face, the voice, remember them. For them it does not matter who is the artist — author of this material or repeater. And this is probably correct. Everyone needs to do their job. Once the artist’s work includes the work face, it is logical. So now I don’t feel any resentment for this reason. I enough people write in social networks. I realized that who cares — he knows, and in fact — we all work for the result, and most importantly, to popular was a good song. Our task is to do them efficiently and skillfully.
