АУКЦЫОН  Auktsyon

The group Auktsyon, existing in one way or another since 1978, is considered to be one of the most unique movements in Soviet and Russian rock of its era. Since it christened itself "Auktsyon" in 1983, it has managed to pursue a unique genre of music combining elements of ska, reggae, new-jazz, ethnic music, and the avant-garde. When talking about their shows, one cannot settle with the term concert, but rather performance- an integral part of their show included the dance antics of Oleg Garkusha. Perhaps it is their focus on the theme of an alienated person struggling in an ultra-urban society that distinguishes them from the more demagoguic Soviet rock icons of the day, and thus making them one of the first representations of Russian rock in Europe.

The group was formed in Leningrad, but it was not until 1986 that they became the band with the style and the members that we know today. It was then that a more or less permanent ensemble of musicians was formed: Leonid Fedorov (guitar, vocals), Oleg Garkusha (dance, vocals), Viktor Bondarik (bass), Dmitri Ozerskii (clavichord, vocals), Nikolai Rubanov (saxophone, flutes), Nikolai Fedorovich (saxophone), and Igor Cheridnik (percussion). The leading lyricist as well as guitarist has always seemed to be Leonid Fedorov, who uses poems written by members of the group as the texts for his songs, combining awkward colloquial phrases sometimes rooted in Soviet and Post- Soviet pop culture, lyrical poetry, and peculiar melodic structures that make intentionally cumbersome lyrics effective.

By the end of the Eighties the group was touring countries such as France, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Czechoslovakia. In 1988, they recorded one of their first albums, "Come Back To Sorrento," which was never officially released. Afterwards, despite changes in structure and member additions, several albums came out, including "Tak Ya Stal Predatelem" (That's How I Became a Traitor)- Volya Productions (France, 1989), and "V Bagdade Vse Spokoino" (All Is Calm in Baghdad)- Melodiya (Russia, 1990). Members of the group also became notorious for their participation in several motion pictures.

Since 1990, they released several hit albums including "Duplo" and "Bodun" in 1990 and 1991, then "Ptitsa" (Bird) from Diadiushka Records (Russia, 1994), collaborating on two projects, "Chainik Vina" (Kettle of Wine) in 1992 and "Zhilets Vershin" (Highlander) in 1995 with the renown French artist, poet and bard, Alexei Khvostenko, using the poetry of the language reformer Velimir Khlebnikov. Most recently, in September of 1999, they released their first album in the United State, made with the participation of Leonid Soibel'man, entitled "Nebo Popolam" (The Sky in Half).