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N.E.P.

From Unearthing The Music

N.E.P. Photo by Yuija Aksenova, sourced from the band's Facebook page

N.E.P. (Russian: Н.Э.П.) is a Russian rock band formed in 1988 in Saint Petersburg, then Leningrad, and widely credited as a legend of Russian rock music[1][2][3][4] and classics of Russian rock, according to the biggest national mainstream rock radio.[5]

Biography

The band was formed in January 1988 by Sergey Parashchuk, who leads it to this day. Emerging from the 1980s Soviet rock movement, which was among the most influential drivers of social change in the USSR but was soon to end, the band still managed to make it to the elite of Leningrad rock, the key echelon of the rock movement, before the Leningrad Rock Club vanished together with the socialist system.[6]

The name of the band is an initialism commonly referring to the New Economic Policy adopted by Lenin's government in the 1920s. However, there are alternative interpretations of the band's name: for example, "Let this Perestroyka go to hell" (Russian Нафиг Эту Перестройку).[7]

In 1988 the new band qualified to and successfully performed at the Rock Club's yearly festival. In the same year it recorded its first album, entitled 70 Moments of Spring. Initially the band followed the leaders of Leningrad and Soviet rock music movements (Alisa and Televizor) in both sound and image.[8]

In 1990 N.E.P. released a new album, Dissonance. From 1993 the band's leader Sergey Parashchuk, along with musicians of DDT and Alisa, made up a supergroup named Duby Kolduny performing Soviet-era pop hits, which existed until 1996. The main act did not perform in Russia often, but had several European tours, visiting such countries as France, Germany, etc.[9] During the 1990s the band released two more original albums, Pro... (1991) and Veter Vagonov / Railcar Wind (1994). The N.E.P. sound of the 90s developed strong alternative, specifically funk metal / rapcore features, keeping pace with the world rock music of the time.

By 2003 the band faced a serious challenge after a few of its members left to join other bands such as Alisa.

The end of the decade was marked by a revival of the band featuring a refreshed and consolidated lineup. In 2012 and 2013 it took part in the biggest Russian open-air rock festival, Nashestvie run by the nationwide pop rock Nashe Radio.[10] N.E.P. resumed an intense activity performing at Saint Petersburg and national clubs, as a complete outfit or in a reduced format, as Sergey Parashchuk accompanied by the band's lead guitar player, Marat Kapranov.

In a 2013 interview for the rock magazine Rocketsmusic, Sergey Parashchuk unveiled the band's current plan to record a long-awaited new album.[1]

Discography

Studio albums

  • 70 Moments of Spring (1988)
  • Dissonance (1990)
  • Pro... (1991)
  • Veter Vagonov / Railcar Wind (1994)
  • Encyclopedia of Russian rock. NEP (compilation, 2001)

References

  1. "Сергей Паращук ("НЭП"): Мы не имеем права выпустить наш новый продукт более фигового качества | ROCKETSMUSIC |" (in Russian). Rocketsmusic.ru. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  2. "NEP in "China-town"". rRock.ru. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  3. "Легендарная группа "НЭП" выступила в "China-town" | Рок журнал". Rammstein.ru. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  4. "Big Rock football! Large rock concert! "September 21, 2013 the Leningrad Rock Club presents" (in Russian). Insurgent.ru. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  5. НЭП. "Наше 2.0". Nashe.ru. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  6. "Interview with Andrei Burlaka : St. Petersburg, 24 October 1991" (PDF). Hf.uib.no. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  7. "Праздник НЭПа – События – UP! | Портал современной культуры". Uprc.net. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  8. "НЭП". Music-review.ru. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  9. "НЭП :: "У нас нет ни одного концептуального альбома..."". Muzykalnaya Gazeta. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  10. "Nashestviye 2013 official program". Nashestvie.ru. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.

External links

Text adapted from Wikipedia

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