Today, the group Pussy Riot released the EP “Knife”, which will be the Preface to the first full-fledged album. Ahead of the release of the album Boris Barabanov not without the help of the members of the band Nadezhda Tolokonnikova remembered how Pussy Riot became musicians.Pussy Riot have called the group that for the mass consciousness means first of all the music. In the video, filmed during the “punk prayer” in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, visible to the guitar, but it sounded like this music, just do not remember. She was definitely connected with the notion of “punk”. At first, says now Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Pussy Riot singing in General wasn’t going to, but strongly encouraged fellow musicians to political activity. And when I realized that all efforts are in vain, had to make music ourselves.”We have soul to it absolutely was not lying— says Nadezhda Tolokonnikova on a zoom conference with the correspondent of “Kommersant”, choosing for it a background of the Spasskaya tower of the Kremlin.— Long evenings Katya Samutsevich tried to write lyrics for songs and understand the concept of rhyme seems to date.”Early Pussy Riot is a typical DIY (do-it-yourself). The first song “Kill the sexist” was recorded on a Olympus voice recorder. Using Premiere Pro Pussy Riot looped the instrumental snippet of the song English punk band Angelic Upstarts and put it voice. The music of early Pussy Riot critics often compared with the direction of the feminist punk riot grrrl, and Tolokonnikova agree that the music they were closest.Rehearsing the girls on the Playground, no rehearsal bases were not discussed. They learned to shout over the soundtrack, which during performances played from your iPod using the guitar amp, bought for the astronomical sum of 10 thousand rubles. While the guitar has fulfilled a purely decorative function. In these early stock for performers was important to the song to the end, even if they themselves are arrested. To these concerts the case then it never came. After the “punk prayer” in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the girls were sent to jail.In the period of the imprisonment of Pussy Riot continued to write lyrics for songs and passed them at will. Some of the songs like “Like in a red prison”, was recorded and filmed. “It was important for me that even behind bars, I remain part of the Pussy Riot”,— says Tolokonnikova. In the penal colony in Krasnoyarsk it became part of the Amateur ensemble “Free wind”. In fact, it was her first “live” group, it was the first time she came on stage and was really on tour. “I remember once sang in the women’s prison song Zemfira “Snow”,— says Tolokonnikova.— I wanted to dedicate it to all the lovers in this colony. It was quite radical”.After the release of ��s prison Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhine were engaged in the construction of the Internet resource “the Media”. In early 2015 they released their first English song “I Can’t Breath”. In recording took part the musicians of the Russian bands Jack Wood and Scofferlane, as well as Richard hell (Television), Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Andrew Wyatt (of Miike Snow). The song was dedicated to the murder of police of a black American Eric garner, which had a great resonance in the United States. The participation of Russian actionists added track weight. Tolokonnikova said that this story really touched, despite the fact that it took place in a foreign country.The first songs of Pussy Riot after the release was presented on the performance within the pop-up-exhibition Banksy “Dismaland” in England. There is a group interested in the Manager of Lana Del Rey and Dua Linden — Ben MOSEN. With the emergence of a circle of acquaintances Nadezhda Tolokonnikova has expanded considerably. Among those with whom she worked were, for example, singer Charlie XCX and Dave Sitek from the group TV On The Radio. And Maria Alekhina moved to the side of the theater. Under the production leadership of Alexander Cheparukhin on the basis of her book “Riot Days,” Yuri Muravitsky staged, sustained to date, hundreds of screenings around the world. The basis of this performance also was the music. Specifically for the play was gathered a group that included, among other participants record the first songs of Pussy Riot. During quarantine you can watch the performance on the website of the German partner Pussy Riot — Agency JARO.The song, released on EP, “Knife”, created by Nadezhda Tolokonnikova in the company Viti Isayev — producer, familiar to the public primarily for album of Moniecki “Coloring pages for adults”. According to Tolokonnikova, Isayev they met through Instagram. “In 2019 I passed through abusive relationship,— says Tolokonnikova.— When this happens, I want to beat all the bells, shouting: “do Not repeat my mistakes.” Victor Isaev also gone through a similar experience.”Handwriting Isayev well recognized in the song “the Knife”, which, in essence, is a pop track with a restrained core party keyboards. Nothing like any punk, nor “I Can’t Breath”. But in the case of Pussy Riot it makes no sense to talk about any one style. Pussy Riot a long time do not wear balaclavas, and the animated heroine of the video “the Knife” is, frankly, very similar to Glucose. “Punk is freedom to change the genre, change the approach,” says Tolokonnikova. Hero new songs — not specific policies, and the generalized character, cruel abuser. In a fight with him Pussy Riot are again ready to go to the end.
