Unfortunately, in the Russian alternative scene there are incomparably less truly truly high-quality, noteworthy music groups than abroad. It is what it is. However, from time to time there are still interesting bands that instantly win the love of fans. One of them will be discussed in this article.
The Moscow team with a concise logo and the short name âSlotâ has a long history. The Slot group, which appeared twelve years ago, is just that rare case of a qualitative and already then standing out from the general mass of the Russian alternative. What makes a band so unique and soul-absorbing? Let's try to figure it out.
History
It all started with the fact that the creator of the group, Igor Lobanov, nicknamed âCacheâ, previously a vocalist and guitarist in the Death metal group, met Denis Khromykh (bassist, first member of the Slot band) in 2002. Using casting, they found the vocalist and put together the first line-up. The bandâs first demo was made with Theona Dolnikova on vocals, known for the musicals Notre Dame De Paris and Metro, which has a strong voice. Theon is also an actress who has starred in several TV shows. In the end, it was the combination of her acting and music career that prevented Dolnikova from staying with the Slot group: their schedules too often did not match. In 2003, the vocalist ceded her place to Ulyana Elina. Until 2006, the rock group Slot existed in such a composition, then the third, the current vocalist, Daria Stavrovich with the nickname Nookie, joined the team.
At the time of this writing, the team has almost 5 and a half million plays on last.fm. The group repeatedly gave interviews to Russian and foreign media, some songs fell into rotation on Dutch and American radio stations. The albums of the group are not only in Russian, they are successfully sold in Japan, the USA and Canada, not to mention Russia. Well, a lot of people know the songs of the Slot group, not even knowing who is playing them. But more on that later.
Per aspera ad astra
The first popularity was brought to the collective by the creation of the soundtrack to âBoomerâ, the Russian blockbuster: two tracks were used for it - âJust to Pin Upâ and âCloneâ. And this, as you might guess, is far from their only achievement.
The group literally filled the list of nominees for the "Chart Dozen" (Fifth Annual National Rock and Roll Achievement Award), being presented in nine nominations.
In 2005, the RAMP Prize took place, where Ulyana Elina gave the group the victory in the nomination âBest Vocalâ. In 2006, the song "Two Wars" was recognized as the hit of the year on RAMP, and in 2008 the track "They killed Kenny" won in the same nomination. The composition "Alone" brought the group a victory in the online contest held on the portal realmusic.ru.
The soundtrack of the movie âFight with Shadow-2â contains the composition âDead Starsâ. The group participated in the creation of the soundtrack for the series "Angels and Demons" (2013). A couple of tracks were used in the movie Boomer, as mentioned earlier.
âLove is just a metastasis in the pelvic areaâ
Unexpected and well-aimed, sometimes harsh, but so truthful - all this is about the texts of the Slot group. In 2006-2007, when the musical world was swept by a wave of compositions of the new fashionable âemoâ style and texts about suicide, unhappy love and hopelessness, the Slot group compares favorably.
The texts they have, thanks to the recitative of Cash (Igor Lobanov), are very informative and smart, and thanks to the bright female vocals - penetrating the soul. The alternation of the female voice with the male makes each song look like a dialogue, and sometimes a confrontation.
Team members reflect and talk (and sometimes shout) about various eternal life phenomena: these are hell and heaven, angels and demons, truth and falsehood, war and peace, love and hate, freedom and dependence. In one of the many interviews, the lead singer of the Slot band Nuki says that they try to sing less about love, because this good is enough in the musical expanse. With varying success, but they do it quite well. Serious philosophy sometimes gives way to light, funny tracks, designed for the mass listener, for example, "They killed Kenny." Everyone knows who Kenny from South Park is, because the song was an overwhelming success.
Albums
The discography of the Slot group contains six albums, including both compositions of his own composition and covers (for Aria and Naive, for example). Of the six, the most successful were the albums Two Wars, released in 2006, Trinity, released in 2007, 4ever (2009) and F5 (2011). We cannot but mention that the product that the team creates is not only tracks and albums. The groupâs songs featured 15 video clips, one of which (for the song âMirrorsâ) was named the most expensive video in the history of alternative music. Each clip is individual, has its own chip. If the video for âMirrorsâ tells a detective story with a touch of retro, mysticism and vintage aesthetics that can satisfy the most sophisticated taste of a movie fan, then the video about Kenny is more foolish, simple and energetic, with shots from the teamâs live performance. The official site of the Slot group contains the entire selection of team videos.
On the stage
Another point worth noting is the behavior of the group at concerts. It is absolutely impossible for them to passively, leaning against the wall, to stand and suck beer from the can. It is always an explosion, a storm, extravaganza, drive and fire. This is a real, lively, hot alternative. Although the participants sometimes forget the lyrics, swap the verses, improvise, their energy flows over the edge each time and makes them forget about everything except the music. They themselves forget, tear their clothes, fearlessly jump into the crowd, fall and rise, sign autographs. By the way, an important factor for achieving the popularity of the group (in addition to cool quality music, of course) is their willingness to communicate with their fans and openness to contact with the audience. All this is quite typical for the Slot group. Each participant is registered in social networks, because they understand that it is very nice - sometimes to reach the stars.
What can they boast of
The history of the group is extremely rich in performances. And itâs not only concerts in small clubs and bars, itâs performances at major festivals (âAirâ, âInvasionâ, Starfucktory, âKubanâ, âIslandâ, âDobrofestâ, âNeighboring Worldâ), regular tours to different cities . In 2008, the group performed on Red Square in Moscow. In 2010, the Slot was not heated by anyone, but by Fred Durst himself (Limp Bizkit) at the Olympic. Our heroes were fortunate enough to share the scene with Jonathan Davis, the leader of Korn. Jonathan compared Slot to the explosive mixture of Evanescence and Linkin Park, his impression of their performance and recall were the most positive. What else can a Russian rock musician dream of?
Nuki, what planet are you from?
We have already mentioned the name of the lead singer of the Slot group of the last line-up. Daria Stavrovich joined the team in 2006. Extraordinary vocal data, memorable, slightly alien appearance, creative style, vivid emotional performances - all this allowed her to quickly gain the love of the public.
Now the vocalist is in the hospital after the recent attack on her by an inadequate fan who stabbed the girl in the throat during an autograph session. At the moment, a video is being collected from fans in her support and funds for treatment. Nukaâs tragic incident seemed to be predicting in one of her songs: "Itâs not the one who knows how to live on the Five who survives, but the one who just can't die." I would like to believe that what happened will have a positive outcome and will not prevent Daria from further delighting fans with her work. Although, some doctors give disappointing predictions and say: there is a possibility that Daria will not be able to sing anymore.
Instead of a conclusion
The Slot group will certainly appeal to lovers of alternative music, both Russian and foreign. The lyrics of their songs are close and understandable to our compatriots. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with the work of this interesting rock band and replenish your music box.