| Sovietwave | |
|---|---|
 Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, with text inCzech language. Common motifs of Sovietwave areretrofuturism,technological utopianism, and musical elements evocative of theSpace Age. | |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early 2010s,post-Soviet states (particularly Russia, Belarus and Ukraine) |
| Typical instruments | Digital audio workstation |
| Other topics | |
Sovietwave (also styledSoviet wave[1] orSoviet-wave[2]) is a subgenre ofsynthwave music and accompanyingInternet aesthetic which originates fromthe former Soviet Union, primarilyRussia. It is characterized by an emphasis on the technology and culture of theSoviet Union, such as theSoviet space program andretrofuturistic Soviet era architecture and art, and is an expression ofnostalgia for the Soviet Union.[1] Linguist Maria Engström described Sovietwave as the post-Soviet counterpart tovaporwave, evoking a similar nostalgic critique of the "contemporary collapse of futurity" and longing for the lost optimism of a bygone era.[3]
At the height of thetrance music boom in the 2000s, Russian trance duoPPK used the melodies ofSoviet electronic music as the basis of their compositions, pioneering the fusion of contemporary electronic music with Soviet-era nostalgia.[4][5]
Until 2014, the groups of the "Soviet wave" — N.E.M.O.,Kim and Buran [ru], PPVK — were often classified as indie,lo-fi or other type of electronics. One of the first performers who took a course to isolate themselves from the rest of electronic music was theKharkiv project "Mayak".[6]
The main inspirations for Sovietwave artists are typically thecollective cultural memories associated with the Soviet era.[7] Lyudmila Shevchenko ofJan Kochanowski University considers the genre a manifestation of romanticized "nostalgic myth".[8] Sovietwave became popular in post-Soviet countries in the latter half of the 2010s, drawing on synthwave andnostalgia for mid-century Soviet culture in the region.[9]
In September 2017, on Moscow City Day sovietwave compositions were used in the musical design of the Crafts Park pavilion.[10] In August 2018, the first music festival "Volna-1" ("Wave-1") dedicated to the genre was held in St. Petersburg;[11] "Volna-2" was held on August 10, 2019, in Moscow.[12] On July 22, 2019, an Olympic Night concert party was held in the abandoned SKA pool inNovosibirsk, decorated in the style of Soviet nostalgia; most of the collectives belonged to local sovietwave groups.[13]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Sovietwave experienced a growth in popularity, along with related forms ofvaporwave and synthwave.[14] This upsurge was driven in large part by the success of theBelarusianpost-punk bandMolchat Doma, whose song"Судно (Борис Рыжий)" from the albumEtazhi became a popularmeme onTikTok. According to Cat Zhang ofPitchfork, the song connected withGeneration Z's "deep pessimism towards the future".[15] Molchat Doma's entry into the mainstream spawned multiple compilations of the genre on streaming platforms such asSpotify andYouTube,[16] which feature more overt nostalgia for Soviet and Space Age aesthetics despite the band's criticism of the genre for "fail[ing] to recognize the harsh realities of life in the region".[17]
Sovietwave gained popularity primarily with youngerMillennials and Generation Z in post-Soviet states.[18] Hungarian lifestyle writer Zsófia Tóth noted that Sovietwave "playlists are usually listened to by young people who were born just before the fall of the Soviet Union or have only experienced its aftermath."[18] Tóth theorized that younger audiences were drawn to Sovietwave not out of nostalgia for an era they could remember, but as a form of escapism which reflected their disillusionment with current social and economic conditions in their home countries.[18]
Music historian Stephen Gamble described the growing popularity of Sovietwave as part of a larger trend which encompassed the rise of thelo-fi genre in the late 2000s.[19] Gamble notes that Sovietwave was brought to an international audience by "the wide accessibility of YouTube music mixes."[19]
Sovietwave is based on modern electronic music trends such aslo-fi andambient music, as well as thenew wave andsynth-pop of the late Soviet Union.[20] Despite Sovietwave's widespread use of sampling from radio programs and speeches, the genre is not overtly political.[20] Sovietwave music is characterized by an emphasis on the cultural, political and scientific aspects of Soviet life,[21][22] with excerpts from educational films and speeches by Soviet statesmen being used primarily to create a nostalgic experience for the listener.[21] Sovietwave usually draws on images of space and technological progress which disappeared with the collapse of theSoviet space program, together with positive childhood reminiscences andtechnological utopianism of theSpace Age;[21][22] social scientist Natalija Majsova described this trend as "nostalgia for the past future".[23]
The genre is influenced by the music of old Soviet animation and film, such asThe Mystery of the Third Planet,Guest from the Future,The Adventures of the Elektronic,Courier,Leopold the Cat,Moscow-Cassiopeia,Office Romance,One Hundred Days After Childhood,Three from Prostokvashino, andYeralash. Common musical influences on the genre include Soviet composersVyacheslav Mescherin,Eduard Artemyev andAleksandr Zatsepin, and the bandsZodiac,[20]Alliance,[22][24] Forum, Mayak, and New Collection. The genre is also influenced by the work of Western musicians that were popular in the USSR, such asDepeche Mode,Digital Emotion, andModern Talking.[9]
Russian researcher Ivan Beletsky described Sovietwave as being similar to the earlier microgenrechillwave, noting that both evoke the popular music and aesthetics of the 1980s, and often utilize low frequency beats and vintagesynthesizers.[6] Beletsky described Sovietwave aesthetics as evoking "the bright side of the Soviet state of the 1960s-80s", playing on the childhood memories of those who lived through that era, as well as the general sense of optimism associated with the Space Age.[6]
Stephen Gamble described Sovietwave as a mixture of older Soviet music "with the electronic sounds ofsynthwave."[19]