The Hatters is simply a Russian folk-rock band founded in 2016 in St. Petersburg. The permanent members of the group are Yuri Musicenko, Paul Lychadeyev, Aleksandr ‘Kikir’ Anisimov, Dmitri Wiecherin and Anna Muzychenko, however, during their activities they undertook cooperation with many another musicians.
Russian culture is gone?
Folklore in music is inactive alive in all parts of the world. This is the actual music of the soul, which speaks very much about each nation and is no different in the case of the Petersburg band. This is simply a work across Russia with all the wealth of influence of this multiethnic country. We will experience conventional harmony, instrumentality and solutions from Russian songs, but besides Balkan, Gypsy and even elements of Polish music, due to the fact that Poles besides influenced Russian music and vice versa. Yes, yes, I know – present it is very incorrect to mention it in our country, but due to the fact that I love hitting a proverbial cage with monkeys, I will give a standard example: what would be the most beautiful compositions Frederick Chopin without the orchestration he composed for him Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov?
I besides compose this review in contrast to the “Polish psychiatry” which adapted criminally to the thoughtless words “minystra” Piotr Gliński. This villain in the tide of “wisdom” said he was (remembering – we are talking about the Minister of Culture) that “This is not the time for Russian culture”.
Such a climate is common and even among musicians (and this environment is closest to me) absolute aversion slow turns into zoological hatred of everything Russian. In a good speech present it is said that Russians actually do not have cultures (really, I hear it from many people). Therefore, for the sake of balance, I encourage you to scope for The Hatters – or Russian folklore (in the real sense of the word), which is excellent, and the best proof of this is the performance "V", which unfortunately due to the pandemic of the sinister virus Zwid19 had to take place “without an audience”.
Russian Style
The performance was recorded in the spring of 2021 at the Petersburg Licedea theatre with limited audience participation. However, I feel that there was any kind of fort there and we just don't see everything. Unfortunately, it is circumstantial signum temporisThat marks the full culture... I besides came to play a performance streamed, without the participation of the audience, due to the fact that we released the album with the band in 2020 and its promotion was possible at the time only in this kind of fashion – a very unusual experience...
However, it must be admitted that the Russians did it absolutely brilliantly, and all time I watch this performance I have large respect for them due to the fact that I absolutely do not feel this awkward climate of pretending. At times instrumentalists seem to lose even more in music than in large concerts with average audience participation. The narrator whose issues are intertwined with the performance explains everything (fantastic procedure).
The band debuted in 2016 with the single "Russian Style", which is virtually the emanation of the Russian soul in music. Besides, just perceive to the words that culminate in chorus: "Feel the Russian kind – a immense soul, You know! Catch this Russian style, from a truly simple Russian guest”. The text is in English, like many another texts by The Hatters. This is related to the fact that in those years the Eurovision Festival won the small large squad (I will most likely compose about them soon) in which Yuri Musicenko sang choirs. Thus, modern music from Russia has truly won planet scenes. Notabene, both small large and The Hatters, are inactive touring the world.
Recording this part in English was an excellent decision due to the fact that it opened quite a few doors. Let's make a deal – people, like a long and wide world, love folk due to the fact that it's simple but very "sudden" and honest music. By playing root music, you can't fake anything. The single "Russian Style" made a large deal, and the video, which in a mocking way shows Russia's perception of the "West" has over 15 million views on YouTube!
In general, the clips we get from The Hatters and small Big, who work closely together, are a masterpiece – a circumstantial sense of humor and a ravenous climate, on the 1 hand, they mock (like their lyrics) with “Russianity”, while on the another hand the music is as much “Russian” as possible. I encourage you to get to know the full thing. To associate with their creation is pure joy!
Folk it is essential to play!
The general belief about folk music is: music to be nipped, simple songs! Yeah, that's 1 side, but the another is simply a small more complex. As my colleague said, the perfect accordionist who played folklore traveled halfway around the world: “Easy? Is it catchy? A heartbeat? You see – due to the fact that to play like that you should be able to play.” How true!
The power of The Hatters is in addition to the large compositions and tunes they capture, it's the amazing skills of musicians. Yuri and Anna Muzyczenko are excellent vocalists. utilizing the full scope of means of expression characteristic of the species (singing, melorecitation or screaming), they are always "perfectly at the point" – all sung interval, even if it gives the impression of "breaking up" is an absolutely refined form of artistic expression. As they sing these choruses or parties almost whisper, you can hear actual love, and the climate becomes dense. Yuri is besides a large violinist. Anna Muzyczenko looks amazing at the performance – in black creation, beautiful hairstyle and makeup, with a certain vocal-actor talent she becomes a actual “added value” to the full performance. They're both absolutely phenomenal!
Paweł Liczadieev playing accordion, keyboard instruments and singing choruses is the actual soul of their music. Accordion is simply a wonderful and hard instrument that brings this “eastern” breeze as shortly as it appears. Liczadyev plays highly dynamic, utilizing the specificity of the accordion and always appears in these key moments "taking over" the melody or building the rhythm. It shows extraordinary vigilance and a culture of playing.
The rhythmic section, i.e.Alexander Anisimov playing bass instruments and drummer Dmitri Wieczerinin, are besides the real characters of the concert! Folks, especially east ones, are music in which they “clap at once”. Explaining this simply – erstwhile we broadcast the metre “1,2,3,4” then the Yankees will always accent 2 and 4, and the people of east 1 and 3. This is besides a subject for a separate discussion, due to the fact that Poles naturally applaud 1 and 3, but over the years we besides learned 2 and 4.
Playing in the folk rhythm section is truly a gallery work, requiring perfect sense of rhythm and amazing condition. Both gentlemen are doing very well with fantastic dynamics. By the way, during this concert, the band besides arranges to have a romanticist affair with the western wind.
All members of The Hatters are simply perfect musicians, and that's why simple styling seems to take on specified blushes.
Musical Madness and Authenticity
Musicians of The Hatters during the performance “V” are accompanied by a string trio and a four-man brass section and this is full madness! Thanks to this combination, an extraordinary spectrum of possibilities emerges. The titanium work has been arranged here; the richness of solutions inspires real admiration. Additionally, musicians took care of specified ornaments as vocal effects, whistles, whispers, wheel sounds, chains or melorecitation.
In addition, there is an incredible talent of acting and a shocking charism of the full band. It's truly rare. There are bands with a charismatic leader or two, but here each musician shines his own light, and yet they work so well together. It can't be fake – they're just a squad in the fullest sense of the word. They evidently love each another and what they make together. This is not a cliché on my part – I know quite a few groups consisting of musicians who barely know each another all day, and here we have an impossible to deceive phase authenticity.
In fact, they frequently talk about it in their texts, which tell a communicative about sharing. They besides do not hide that they like to party, which they express in many pieces (the clip to "No Rules" is real gold). Yuri Musicenko erstwhile described the species they execute as "Russian-Gypsy street folk alcoholic hardcore on spiritual instruments" And I believe him.
This is entertainment!
Now a sad conclusion for us. The Hatters is simply a Russian amusement music for the masses, which has besides won the world. A band with a purely entertaining character – specified music “under the shoe” to drink and play. It's that in a restaurant, the legs are turning to dance and wanting to sing. However, there is so much musical wealth, how much executive finesse and Soul! Any thought where I'm going with this?
Poles, despite specified a rich tradition of folk music, alternatively of developing it and playing it in the world, imagined disco-polo. A nation whose all region has a beautiful folklore, wonderful songs, excellent musicians, not only cannot exploit this potential, or can only do it inwardly (vide -Golec Orchestra), it is simply a mass drowsy and playing with disco-polo, which is simply a "art pigsty".... Curtain!
Meanwhile, folk music, which is amusement but valuable, comes from these “primitive, non-Russian cultures”. That should give us any thinking...
The performance “V” and the full work of The Hatters I recommend, both as amusement and as a non-liable musical feast. Their music simply gives the listener a large burden of joy! Fortunately YouTube hasn't blocked them yet, so I put a link under the text, but you can easy find it by typing "The Hatters V" into the search engine. Of course, I encourage you to buy records on physical media.
It's 1 of those bands where I put all the discography on me, I turn on the "random choice" and I can perceive all day! Of course, having the right mood, due to the fact that that's what it is. I'm not hiding that you perceive exceptionally well in good company, with a glass of "white" and a good snack, but well... That's the music's job, and The Hatters know it!
Bartosz Iwicki
The Hatters, V, Warner Music Russia, 2021.
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