Independent Music in Russia

This book explores Russian independent music – nezavisimaia muzyka – in a time of profound transformations in Russian society, looking especially at the mutual influence between music and the socio-political context in which it was created. Contrary to what is commonly believed, the book argues that nezavisimaia muzyka, as a widespread form of non-state-sponsored culture, was not necessarily oppositional to the Russian state; instead, it was rooted in identity quests that could overlap with some aspects of the official narrative as they could mock, disrupt and refashion others.

The book demonstrates that Russian independent music is considerably more than the creation, appreciation and dissemination of sounds. For the practitioners, to get involved in the scene is to participate in the construction of cultural legitimacy, imagined communities and national identity, involving values that can be cosmopolitan, “Western”, conservative, supposedly “Russian” and often a mixture of all these. In addition, the book examines Russian independent music’s interaction with Western and global trends and assesses its successes and failures in conquering a niche in foreign markets.

This book will be of interest to scholars of Russian culture, media and politics, as well as to scholars of popular music, sociology, national identity and Russia-West relations.