Neuromonakh Feofan (Russian: Нейромонáх Феофáн, romanized: Neyromonah Feofan, lit. 'Neuromonk Theophanes') is a musical project from St. Petersburg, Russia, combining drum 'n' bass and Russian folk music.
Neuromonakh Feofan Нейромонах Феофан | |
|---|---|
 Neuromonakh Feofan performing at ANABUK Festival, 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | St Petersburg, Russia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2009—present |
| Website | http://neurofeofan.ru |
Neuromonakh Feofan's performances are styled after traditional Russian festivals. The group members perform in bast shoes, kosovorotkas and sarafans.[1] One member performs dressed as a bear.[2] The group's lyrics incorporate Church Slavonic and obsolete Russian words, and they play balalaika over the drum 'n' bass beats.
Members
editThe project's main members are songwriter and performer Neuromonakh Feofan, DJ Nikodim, and the Bear. The group members remain anonymous, and Neuromonakh Feofan appears on stage with his face covered by an Eastern Orthodox-style hood.[3]
In a 2018 interview, Neuromonakh Feofan revealed that his real name is Oleg Stepanov.[4]
History
editIn an interview with Afisha magazine, Nikodim stated that he professionally studied music before meeting Feofan. Neuromonakh Feofan had started recording songs in 2009. Feofan and Nikodim came up with the idea to start a new musical project during their forest walks.[5]
The group's debut album, Drum in the Soul, Bright Rus' in the Heart (Russian: «В душе драм, в сердце светлая Русь»), was released in early 2015. The group toured cities in Russia and Belarus to promote the album. The album was warmly received by listeners and critics and entered the top 10 of Russian iTunes.[6][7]
Neuromonakh Feofan has performed at Russian music festivals such as Kubana,[5] Nashestvie (Russian: Нашествие),[8] Dikaya Myata (Russian: Дикая Мята, lit. 'Wild Mint'),[9] and VK Fest.[10]
Neuromonakh Feofan was listed as the Russian Independent Performer of the Year on the Yandex Music's 2015 year-end list, based on the streaming service's listening statistics.[11]
Critical reception
editMusical critics have noted the novelty of the fusion of Russian folk motifs with electronic dance music in Neuromonakh's music, comparing the project with some legendary Russian performers like MC Vspyshkin[12][13] and Ivan Kupala.[14][15]
In an interview, Sergey Shnurov said that Neuromonakh Feofan is “a combination of the incompatible, they are Orthodox atheists, they are believing communists”.[16][1] Shnurov also approved Neuromonakh Feofan's activities in social networks.[13][12]
According to The Calvert Journal, Neuromonakh Feofan were part of a 2010s trend in Russian music of combining western electronic sounds with Russian Orthodox and folk musical traditions.[2]
Studio albums
edit- 2015 — Drum in the Soul, Bright Rus' in the Heart (Russian: «В душе драм, в сердце светлая Русь»)
- 2016 — Great Forces of Goodness (Russian: «Велики силы добра»)
- 2017 — To Dance. To Sing (Russian: «Плясать. Петь.»)
- 2022 – Old Russian Rave (Russian: «Древнерусский рейв»)
EPs
edit- 2018 — Russian: «Тропа», romanized: Tropa
- 2018 — Russian: «Замиренье», romanized: Zamiren'e)
- 2018 — Russian: «Сияние», romanized: Sijanie
- 2018 — Russian: «Тьма во мне», romanized: T'ma vo mne
- 2019 — Russian: «Ивушка», romanized: Ivushka
Singles
editVideos
edit| Year | Title | Director | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "To Trample Down" on YouTube | BazavaProduction[18] | Single |
| 2016 | "The Hut is Walking with Staggering" on YouTube | Vitaliy Kapitonov | Single |
References
edit- ^ a b Markov, Arsenii (2018-08-14). "How a mysterious monk fused Russian folk with drum'n'bass". Russia Beyond. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ a b Raspopina, Sasha (2017-08-29). "Blessed beats: are religious and folklore influences really moving Russian music forward?". The Calvert Journal. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ "Нейромонах Феофан". Neuromonakh Feofan (in Russian).
- ^ ""Пошло все в …, сяду на коня"". Fontanka.ru (in Russian). 10 March 2018.
- ^ a b Golman, Nailya (2015-11-26). "Афиша Воздух: Нейромонах Феофан: Творите мифы". Afisha Daily (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-06-30.
- ^ Mazhaev, Aleksey (2015-03-07). "Нейромонах Феофан - "В душе драм, в сердце светлая Русь" ****" (in Russian). InterMedia. Archived from the original on 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- ^ "Дичь! Нейромонах Феофан с альбомом "В душе драм, в сердце светлая Русь"". The Flow (in Russian). 2015-01-21. Archived from the original on 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- ^ "НАШЕСТВИЕ 2018: Нейромонах Феофан". Nashe Radio (in Russian). 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
- ^ "Neuromonk Feofan | Wild Mint Festival 2019". Wild Mint. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- ^ Sukhodoeva, Anna (2017-07-14). "VK Fest 2017 в Санкт-Петербурге: программа мероприятий". Komsomolskaya Pravda (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-06-30.
- ^ ""Яндекс.Музыка" подвёл статистику года". InterMedia (in Russian). 2015-12-21. Archived from the original on 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ^ a b Олег Демидов (2015-08-30). "Лапти разбить о пол. Олег Демидов о группе «Нейромонах Феофан» и их дебютном альбоме" (in Russian). Свободная пресса. Archived from the original on 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- ^ a b Наиля Гольман (2015-11-26). "Как стать героем поколения. Нейромонах Феофан: Творите мифы" (in Russian). Афиша-Воздух. Archived from the original on 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- ^ Дмитрий Сосновский (2015-04-14). ""Нейромонах Феофан": удалой клюквенный drum'n'bass" (in Russian). Российская газета. Archived from the original on 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- ^ "НЕЙРОМОНАХ ФЕОФАН: Потешний славянский драм шагает по стране" (in Russian). Mediazor. 2015-05-18. Archived from the original on 2016-02-26. Retrieved 2016-02-26.
- ^ Benyumov, Konstantin; Zhegulev, Ilya; Shnurov, Sergey (2015-08-11). ""Обаяние — вот, что нужно русской культуре": Интервью музыканта Сергея Шнурова". Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2016-02-13. Retrieved 2016-02-27.
- ^ "Нейромонах Феофан". Neurofeofan.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2017-09-12.
- ^ Бэкстейдж со съёмок клипа "Нейромонах Феофан - Притоптать" on YouTube