Party Tunes from the Wild East - The "Russendisko" Experience

Back in the early 2000's in Berlin there was no house party you could go to that wouldn't put on this CD, at least once, at least for a few songs. Since then four sequels to the album have been released as well as a movie, but in the recent years nothing, so it seems like the Russian Disco fad has blown over. More of a reason to remind everyone that before the first album there was a party, though even before that it all started out with a book...

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The Birth of the Russendisko

In the year 2000 Wladimir Kaminer, who had recently immigrated to Germany from Russia, published his first book. It was a collection of short stories relating in a humorous narrative the culture shock the author experienced in relocating to Berlin, which he shared with many of his fellow immigrants from Russia, and other former Soviet republics. The book was entitled Russendisko, which literally translates to "Russian Disco", even though its subject matter touches only partially on music. (I once posted about Kaminer's books in my Bibliophilia series, if you want to check it out.)

The Changing Meaning of the Word

The colloquial usage of the word Russendisko at that time in Germany was to describe a rather unsuccessful party. It alluded to such stereotypes as a bearded drunk playing an accordion - poorly, while the clientele smashed their vodka glasses to the wall. By the way "disko" in German means simply nightclub, so forget the spinning disco-ball and the colorful light squares on the dance floor!

Thanks to Kaminer, however, the meaning of the same word made a complete turnaround, as it became associated with the actual party he organized, together with musical members of Russian community in Berlin. Later they were extended with bands invited from all over the former Soviet Union, and occasionally they would even perform outside Berlin. The venue for these parties was the benign Kaffee Burger, but the event became an instant hit, not only among Russians.

Experiencing the Russendisko Craze

By the time I arrived in Berlin in 2002 Russendisko was THE event all German hipsters were talking about. Ironically, they used the same stereotypes that previously had been used to explain how bad Russendisko sucked. Except for now everyone was crazy about it: "Dude, you gotta check this out. They're rocking out on the accordion, and the crowd goes so crazy, they smash their glasses to the walls!" You gotta love the hipster mind!

Not much longer the first album came out, with the greatest smashers from the weekly event, and instantly became one of the most popular discs to put on, not just at parties. And I agreed! It was the ideal music for taking a shower in the morning, for jumping around in the cold waiting for the bus, or for getting ready to go out. Its fast and vibrant beats combine Russian folk music, which itself is similar to the equally popular Balkan music, with rock, hip-hop, reggae, ska, klezmer, and other types.

Just an Introductory Teaser

Obviously, this post can only provide a very small taste of the musical diversity of Russendisko, especially since all the videos I shared are from the first album. By checking out the other albums, and looking up the artist of your favorite tracks, it can be a great gateway into the world of Russendisko, which by now is even considered a whole new genre.