Tantsy Minus: A Band From the 2000s Still Going Strong
I first stumbled upon Tantsy Minus around 1997-1998 on a compilation album with their song '10 капель,' but they didn't leave a lasting impression on me. However, a couple of years later, their songs were everywhere, particularly 'Город.'
The group is from St. Petersburg, and their lead singer, Vyacheslav Petkun, has a complex relationship with his hometown. In interviews, he's expressed both admiration for its beauty and criticism of its darker aspects.
Fast-forwarding a bit, I recall reading their page on a now-defunct social network and realizing that they hadn't been touring much in the past decade, mostly sticking to Moscow and St. Petersburg.
And then there's 'Цветы.'
They also contributed a song, 'Разреши мне остаться с тобой,' to a tribute album called 'Кинопробы,' but it didn't gain much traction.
However, in the 2000s, they released several hit songs, including 'Цветы,' 'Город,' 'Ю (я укутываю),' 'Дерево,' 'Половинка,' and 'Диктофоны.'
Additionally, Vyacheslav Petkun gained popularity for his role as Quasimodo in the Russian adaptation of the musical 'Нотр Дам де Пари.'
Although 'Belle' was also covered by other artists, like Sergey Lazarev and Vlad Topalov, we mostly listened to the version performed by Anton Makarsky, Vyacheslav Petkun, and Alexander Golubev.
I've got a soft spot for the humorists who joked that 'Девчонки любят нас, сильнее, чем 'На-ну,' Viktor Hugo, say thanks to Petkun.' But it's no secret that the vocalist of 'Tantsy Minus' left the project after about a year, citing the challenges of balancing his role. Many critics panned his vocals, saying they were weak compared to the rest of the group. However, his raspy baritone actually added a unique touch, and it's clear he gave it his all.
Fast forward to the group's later days, and they even made fun of their own 'creative biography' with the clip and song 'НеБэль.'
I also recall reading about Vyacheslav's alleged romance with Zemfira, but that might've been just a publicity stunt. We enjoyed their music, as well as Zemfira's.
It wasn't until 2020, during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and self-isolation, that I stumbled upon their 2 new clips on YouTube.
'За шагом шаг' was a powerful tribute to the events unfolding in Belarus at the time.
And 'Весна' captured the essence of life under self-isolation.
Their album '8' was a mixed bag, with some tracks hitting the mark and others feeling a bit off. Songs like 'Девочка,' 'Автобус,' and 'Мне б уснуть в твоих руках' were great, while others, like 'Лыжи,' felt like a departure from their usual sound.
The album also included a song called 'Весточка,' a heartfelt tribute to Mikhail Efremov, written after his arrest.
Overall, half of the new songs were spot on, while the other half felt a bit strange.
I wrote a more in-depth review of the album '8' here.
It's worth noting that the group has released around 9 or 10 albums since the 2000s, but most of them flew under the radar, with limited TV and radio appearances. However, I've stumbled upon plenty of old videos from 'Авторадио' and concerts, which showcase their unique sound.
They've put out a pretty small discography, with mostly mini-albums and a greatest hits collection.
But then I started digging deeper, revisiting their stuff, and I realized just how universal their style was back in the day. They were playing on both 'Russkoe Radio' and 'Nash FM' with equal ease, racking up 'Golden Gramophone' awards and 'Muz-TV' prizes, and even playing shows at the 'Maxidrom' festival and cracking the 'Chartovaya Duzhina.'
They had some amazing music videos too.
Their songs were mostly dance-inspired, and many of them were played on guitar. For a lot of people, 'Tantsy Minus' represented the decade of the 2000s - simple, relatable tracks that still hold up today.
Now, the songs from their newer stuff that I like are also simple, but with a bit more life experience and wisdom to them.
Both old and new songs are easy to listen to, even years after they came out. I listened to them nonstop for almost a year, and re-listened to their entire discography for two years straight on my daily commute. It's a great group to listen to whether you're nostalgic or just looking for some good music without any baggage.
I highly recommend them, and I'm still enjoying their music.