Satellite Voices

Moscow / Русский

Kitaygorod

October 25

Mysticism and psychedelics of the Moscow-based band

• Text by Kemal Tarba

Founded in 2002, Kitaygorod is a Russian band inspired by a mystical psychedelia that combines old and new Russia. Their stomping acid blues is one part traditional, one part progressive, but all new. Ahead of their next show at China Town Cafe on November 2, we speak to the band's leader Kirill Shtoda about their inimitable take on modern music.



Satellite Voices: What is the story behind your name?
Kirill Shtoda: In the very beginning, when we had to think of a name, we didn’t consider its explanation, it just came to us. The name has acquired different meanings. It is the impression of Chinese culture (Kitay in Russian means China) and spirit of old Moscow, a mysterious city with us and our music.

SV: What do you have coming up that you're excited about?
Kirill Shtoda: The Kitaygorod discography of 2012, and especially of 2013.

SV: What does making music mean to you?
Kirill Shtoda: You're either with music or out of game. This is a very wonderful feeling, but it has many facets. You can talk about writing, performance, recording, arranging songs. Music is sort of a heavy light drug, sometimes you get incredibly tired of it, but there is no way to give it up. Through the years music has made a hole in your heart, and you have to constantly fill it.  

SV: Please name some musical inspirations and who do you see as musical forefathers to Russia’s music scene?
Kirill Shtoda: I wouldn’t say that we are looking for inspiration from our today’s colleagues. We learnt from a lot of stuff and we inspired by nearly everything - from ethnic music to jazz. And now the main criteria is whether is sounds good or not. Personally, I am not interested in what is trendy and modern. Our music has been described as something that could appear in 80s or 90s. This is not a special effort but I like this particular niche which is not exposed to fashion and trends. We try to make good music, write good lyrics, and during gigs we use 200% of our potential.

China Town Cafe on November 2 at 21.00 @

Лубянский пр., 25/12
Moscow