Chaif

ChaiF is considered to be perhaps one of the most influential Russian rock and roll rings. Their music, deeply rooted in the customs of Russian folklore, reaches once paradoxically near to the Traditional western notion of rock-n-roll. This is actually the key with their everlasting reputation — high criteria in sound coupled with lyrics that may be grasped and sensed by nearly every Russian, irrespective of age or cultural status. ChaiF’s background dates back to 1976, when Vladimir Shahrin, after that already person in a college band, fulfilled his brand-new classmate Vladimir Begunov, who also became the brand new music group member. They performed together nearly every week at college dances, with repertoire comprising music by Creedence, T.Rex and Rolling Rocks. After portion in the military, in 1984 Shahrin (vocals, electric guitar and harmonica) and Begunov (bass) with trumpeter Vadim Kukushkin and drummer/percussionist Oleg Reshetnikov initial started playing as ‘ChaiF’. The name originates from a tea (“chai”) that was brewed utilizing a coffee-maker. Sipping that ‘chai-f’, close friends were composing and singing music, some of that have been to become the largest strikes of Russian rock-n-roll. ChaiF’s initial information, including a live record Subbotnim vecherom v Sverdlovske (‘One Sunday Evening In Sverdlovsk’) offering many fine music artists such as for example Vyacheslav Butusov, had been hardly ever officially released. In 1987, using their brand-new drummer Vladimir Nazimov, ChaiF documented two albums, Dulya s makom and Der’montin (neither name is actually translatable — first identifies the Russian gesture meaning “no chance”, the additional is a term video game meaning “crappy leather-imitation”), which brought the music group nationwide recognition. Since that time and until past due 1990’s Chaif released fresh albums practically each year, all of them a crucial and commercial achievement. The music group toured frequently throughout entire nation and participated in every kinds of politics, cultural and environmental occasions. Aside from the founding tandem Shahrin-Begunov, the band’s lineup acquired changed many times. Pavel Ustyugov performed electric guitar in 1988-90. Drummer Nazimov still left for Nautilus Pompilius and was changed by Igor Zlobin and afterwards by Valeriy Severin, Shahrin’s and Begunov’s military friend. Bassist Anton Nifantyev, who became a member of the music group in 1986, still left it double — in 1990 and, after coming back in 1992, in 1995. While he was eliminated, from 1990 to 1992, Vladimir Privalov performed the bass. This is the time of four Vladimirs in the music group — in 1990-91 a higher college pupil Vladimir ‘Vovochka’ Zheltovskikh toured with ChaiF playing viola. In 1996 Vyacheslav Dvinin, previously of Nastya Poleva, became ChaiF’s brand-new bassist. In 1993, simply in one time the band documented Oranzhevoye nastroenie (Orange Disposition), an acoustic album-joke, filled with light-hearted catchy music. This record became among the best-selling ChaiF’s information and converted into an ongoing CD-series.