Eastern Europe
The sound of Russia
Russian rock formed in conditions where lyrics mattered more than sound and carried that priority forward. The hip-hop that followed inherited the same weight on the words.
304 artists in the catalog.
What Russia does that nowhere else does
Genres far more common here than across the rest of the catalog. The multiplier is how much more common, weighted by how many artists carry it.
Five records to start with
Not a canon — a way in. Each one links to what it is, who it's for and where to go next.
Russian artists worth walking into
Ordered by how much we can tell you, not just by how well-known they are.
Aquarium
art rock · bard rock
Where to start →Leningrad
Russian chanson · folk music
Where to start →Bi-2
alternative rock · art rock
Where to start →Aria
hard rock · heavy metal
Where to start →Alla Pugacheva
Russian pop · blues
Where to start →Tarakany!
alternative rock · pop-punk
Where to start →Vasily Petrenko
Where to start →Mumiy Troll
Britpop · alternative rock
Where to start →Piknik
Russian rock · art rock
Where to start →t.A.T.u.
Europop · dance-pop
Where to start →Grazhdanskaya Oborona
Siberian punk · alternative rock
Where to start →Krematorij
hard rock
Where to start →