Hello there, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role in Russkaja?

My Name is Georgij Makazaria, born in USSR in the late 70-ies, in Austria since 1989, singer, songwriter, musician, founder of the band Russkaja in the year 2005.

You have given yourselves the tag of being "Russian Turbo Polka", what does that actually mean?

 

Those 3 words describe our musical direction at the best way: we use Russian melodies, mixed with gypsy or Klezmer melodies. We perform the arrangements in a Turbo way, by rocking our guitars and trashing the drums. Our Brass section together with the melancholically violin make your dance polka like you're losing control!

The video for your new single Rock'n'Roll Today has just been released, it's pretty psychedelic, what's the inspiration behind that?

 

The inspiration is the work bythis great Animation-Artist Juppi Juppsen, with whom we already worked on the video for Energia of our last album. With him we worked out the whole hippie like look of our new record, it’s a reference to the great psychedelic artworks of the seventies hippie era.

The single has a pretty simple message around getting lost in the music, is that something you strongly believe in?

 

More than this - it is something I strongly practice myself every time I need it and every time I am on stage! Live simple, live peaceful. The new generations consume music in a different way. When was the last time you took time to put on a record and listen to it from beginning until the end? And on a good sound-system? Nowadays the music comes through the terrible sounding speakers of a phone or tablet - my ears hurt when I have to hear it this way. 

Is the new album along the same lines as this track?
 

Not everything. This time we will surprise you with some new musical adventures we went in the songwriting period. Engel Mayr (our guitarist) and me, wrote completely different songs. During the writing sessions we took the freedom to do whatever we liked and whatever came to us! You will hear a ballad inspired by a 12-String guitar that I found under the sofa at a friend of mine. You will hear a radio song related to a country feeling, it came up after we did a typical choir in refrain, than you will shake to a punk song, kind of Tom Waits-inspired atmosphere! An adventure in 12 directions!

Is there any apprehensions with releasing an album in the modern climate of streaming services?

 

These days it is difficult make a living from the records you are selling but on the other hand you can’t really change the progress. We try to make our CDs and Vinyls very special to give people an added value and a piece of art. So everybody who wants to have a piece of Russkaja can buy the album, everyone who just wants to listen to our music can stream...

So, the album is out in just over a month, what are the plans after that? Plans to come to the UK before or after the European tour dates?

 

Also here I am in good hands! Our booking team is working full steam ahead and I will be happy to come to UK anytime it will be possible! After that all we will start with the collecting ideas for the next album, right after the recordings we had layouts for some new songs, it is a kind of addiction to compose! We also have a project where we make the cinematic score to a old soviet movie Battleship Potemkin. We will work together with an orchestra from upper Austria - a lot ideas to realize!

The first Russkaja album was released in 2008, have the influences changed at all since then?

 

Yes and no. The basics are the same: rocking rhythm sections, danceable brass and strings, but at the same time the influences change daily, or during a writing session. I am open for good influences, does not matter where they come from. 

Finally, is there anything else you'd like the Mind Noise Network readers to know?

 

Yes dear people! I wish everybody to live in peace, to care for old people and respect the young generation's needs. Go out to nature, hug a tree! It will make you feel better, even if you may be don't realise it in the moment. A walk in nature raises immunity system! 

Thanks very much, best of luck for the album and the future. Dan.

 

Thank You! Wish you all the best!