DDT (or ДДТ in Cyrillic) is a Russian rock band. It was founded in 1980 by its lead singer and only remaining original member, Yuri Shevchuk (), in Ufa (Bashkir ASSR, Russia, USSR).

History

Ufa period (1980–1985)

The band was formed in 1980 in Ufa, Bashkir ASSR and originally consisted of five members:

  • Yuri Shevchukvocals, guitar
  • Vladimir Sigachyovkeyboard
  • Rustem Asanbayevguitar
  • Gennady Rodinbass guitar
  • Rustam Karimovpercussion

In 1982, the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper sponsored a competition for young musicians called (). DDT submitted three compositions"" (Aliens), "" (Black Sun), and "" ('Don't Shoot!'). During the long-running competition, the group published their first album (on tape), (Pig on a Rainbow). The album contained elements of rock and roll, blues and country music. At the time, popular music in the Soviet Union was split between "official" performers who were admitted to the musicians' union, and underground artists. Such underground artists were often highly trained musicians who also had other jobs. A complex underground network evolved in the 1980s, and "unofficial" music became widely distributed (though artist compensation was very limited) by magnitizdat, in a similar way to the underground channels that had existed for non-state sanctioned literature (samizdat).

DDT's submission to reached the final round of the competition and the group was invited to perform in concert at Moscow's Orlyonok complex, together with the other finalist, (Rock-September) from Cherepovets. DDT and three members of Rock-September, Vyacheslav Kobrin, Yevgeny Belozyorov and Andrey Maslennikov, soon produced a collaborative album (on tape), (Monologue in Saigon), later renamed (Compromise). After recording the album, Sigachyov and Shevchuk returned to Ufa.

Sigachyov distanced himself from the group, while Shevchuk recruited new members including Rodin, drummer Sergey Rudoy, guitarist Rustam Rezvanov and keyboard player Vladislav Senchillo.

In May 1983, DDT performed at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, as part of a three-day, sanctioned festival, (Rock for Peace). Their performance, however, was edited out of the official television program covering the event.

The band produced the album (Periphery) in April 1984. After recording the album, some members of the group landed on a KGB watch list and were subjected to government persecution. The band's music was banned, forcing them to go underground.

Although they never considered themselves political activists, Shevchuk always felt it was his duty as a citizen and songwriter to address both the strengths and weaknesses of the government, a difficult stance to take due to KGB persecution. DDT continued to work as a non-conformist group, producing albums and giving concerts throughout the country. This was challenging, as they received little if any money for the records they produced during this period, and very little for their concerts. Like other dissident artists, they survived through a combination of cleverness, perseverance, and help from their fans.

Shevchuk spent some time in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg), performing with the group Urfin Juis. In November 1985, DDT covertly recorded the album (Time) in Moscow with additional musicians, but the recording process was very difficult.

1986–1997

In 1986, Shevchuk moved to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) with his wife, son and mother. The move helped him to establish himself at the forefront of the Russian rock scene as the city was the center of a musical resurgence. In 1987, he recreated DDT. Its new members included:

  • Vadim Kurilevbass
  • Andrei "Skinny" Vasilievguitar
  • Igor Dotsenkodrums
  • Nikita "Zoltsman" Zaitsevviolin, guitar
  • Mikhail "Uncle Misha" Chernovsaxophone
  • Andrey Muratovkeyboards

On January 23, 1987, the new lineup debuted on the stage of the Leningrad Rock Club. In June 1987, DDT performed at the Leningrad Rock Festival in front of a crowd of 3,000 crammed into a venue with a capacity of 1,000.

In the summer of 1988, DDT toured across Russia and recorded a new album, (I was given this role), which contained some songs from their old albums re-recorded in a professional studio. In 1988, the band also made their first visit to the US; their concert in Los Angeles was covered by MTV.

During the summer of 1994, DDT took part in the White Nights of Saint Petersburg rock festival in Berlin. That autumn, the group was awarded the Ovatsiya ('Ovation') award for Best Rock Group of the Year. Yuri Shevchuk was also named Best Rock Musician of the Year.

In January 1995, during First Chechen War, Shevchuk went on a peace mission to Chechnya,

On March 3, 2008, DDT performed at the Dissenters' March in St. Petersburg to protest the controversial election of Dmitry Medvedev as President of Russia. Subsequently, in May 2010 Shevchuk received considerable media attention following a pointed dialogue with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in which he openly confronted him (on state television) with questions regarding such controversial topics as democracy, freedom of speech, assembly, and freedom of the press in Russia.

On September 24 and 26, 2008, DDT presented an anti-war program called Ne streliaj! (Don't Shoot!). These concerts (featuring bands from Georgia, South Ossetia and Ukraine) were dedicated to the casualties of wars, particularly victims of the war in South Ossetia. The concert in Saint Petersburg was shown on TV by Channel 5 without commercial breaks.

In the summer of 2009, DDT participated in the "Rok nad Volgoy" festival ("Rock above the Volga") in Samara and in the international music festival "Sotvorenie mira" (Creation of the World) in Kazan. On September 2, 2009, the band performed on VVC Square to protest the demolition of historical buildings in Moscow.

thumb|right|DDT during an autograph session in [[Moscow, 2011]]

By the time DDT began to record its next studio album, Shevchuk was the only member left from its original Petersburg line-up. He brought together a brand-new team:

  • Konstantin "The Cat" Shumailov - keyboards;
  • Alex Fedichev - lead guitar;
  • Artyom Mamay - drums, vibraphone;
  • Roman Nevelev - bass;
  • Anton Vishnyakov - trombone, tambourine, shaker;
  • Alena Romanova - backing vocals

In 2011, DDT released the concept album Inache (Otherwise). According to Shevchuk, the album's central theme is freedom in all its forms and the lyrical hero is a Prince Hamlet of the 21st century which has no doubt regarding the question "To be, or not to be?". He clearly knows: "To be!", but the question remains - "In which way?"

thumb|DDT in Israel during the Inache 2012 tour

The band embarked on a large, successful tour which lasted from 2011 to 2014. On April 5, 2012, DDT released a film titled Nebo pod serdtsem (The sky under the heart) a compilation of behind-the-scenes and concert footage from the band's performance at the "Olympic Stadium". This was the first multiple-camera concert films made in Russia. Later that year, the band took part in the rock festival The Best City UA in Dnipropetrovsk. In 2013, the band toured in Germany, performing at Tempodrom in Berlin and at Grugahalle in Essen. A concert in Essen was later released on CD+DVD in 2014.

DDT always was and still is one of the most popular rock groups in Russia, and their concerts typically attract tens of thousands of fans. Shevchuk put together the first incarnation of the band in the summer of 1980, and although its members have changed over the years, he continues to voice the concerns and frustrations of the Russian people in his music today just as he did in the band's infancy. The more than 20 albums in DDT's discography not only chronicle the history of a rock group, but also provide poignant narratives that examine many aspects of life in the Soviet Union and Russia during the past 35 years.

Members

Current members

  • Yuriy Shevchuk – vocals, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, guitar, poems, main musical themes (1980–present)
  • Konstantin Shumailov – keyboards, samplers, programming, backing vocals (1996–present)
  • Alexey Fedichev – lead guitar, mandolin, ukulele, backing vocals (2003–present)
  • Pavel Dodonov – guitar (2020–present)
  • Artem Mamay – drums, vibraphone, bass guitar, keyboards (2010–present)
  • Roman Nevelev – bass guitar (2011–present)
  • Anton Vishnyakov – trombone, backing vocals, tambourine, shaker (2010–present)
  • Alyona Romanova – backing vocals, voice, vocals, kaluka (2010–present)

Former members

  • Rinat Shamsutdinov – drums (1979–1980)
  • Rustem Asanbayev – guitar (1979–1983)
  • Gennady Rodin – bass guitar (1979–1984)
  • Vladimir Sigachev – keyboards (1979–1987)
  • Rustem Karimov – drums (1981–1983)
  • Niyaz Abdyushev – bass (1984–1986)
  • Sergei Rudoy – drums (1984–1986)
  • Sergey Letov – saxophone (1985–1987)
  • Sergey Ryzhenko – guitar, violin, keyboards, recorder (1985, 1994–1995)
  • Andrey Vasiliev – guitar (1986–1998)
  • Vadim Kurylev – guitar, bass guitar, recorder, harmonica, balalaika, accordion, organ (1986–2002)
  • Igor Dotsenko – drums (1986–2010)
  • Nikita Zaitsev – guitar, violin (1987–2000)
  • Andrey Muratov – keyboards, organ (1987–1993)
  • Igor Tikhomirov – bass guitar, sitar (1995–1998)
  • Mikhail Chernov – saxophone, flute, bass clarinet, svirel, kurai (1988–2010)
  • Pavel Borisov – bass guitar, double bass (1998–2011)
  • Ivan Vasiliev – trumpet (1999–2014)

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Transliterated title !! Original title !! Translation !! Year of release

|-

| Svinya na raduge || Свинья на радуге || Pig on a rainbow || 1982

|-

| Kompromiss || Компромисс || Compromise || 1983

|-

| Periferiya || Периферия || Periphery || 1984

|-

| Vremya || || Time || 1985

|-

| Ya poluchil etu rol || Я получил эту роль || I'd got this role || 1988

|-

| Ottepel || Оттепель || Thaw || 1990

|-

| Plastun || Пластун || The Crawling One (Derived from "ползти по пластунски" which describes a specific style of crawling movement) || 1991

|-

| Aktrisa Vesna || Актриса Весна || Spring the Actress || 1992

|-

| Eto vsyo... || Это всё... || That's All... || 1994

|-

| Lyubov || Любовь || Love || 1996

|-

| Rozhdyonny v SSSR || Рождённый в СССР || Born in the USSR || 1997

|-

| Mir nomer nol || Мир номер ноль || World Number Zero || 1999

|-

| Metel avgusta || Метель августа || Snowstorm of August || 2000

|-

| Yedinochestvo I || Единочество I ||Loneliness/Singleness I || 2002

|-

| Yedinochestvo II. Zhivoy. || Единочество II. Живой. || Loneliness/Singleness II. Alive. || 2003

|-

| Propavshy bez vesti || Пропавший без вести || Vanished Without a Trace (Also: Missing in action) || 2005

|-

| Prekrasnaya lyubov || Прекрасная любовь || Wonderful Love || 2007

|-

| Inache || Иначе || Otherwise || 2011

|-

| Prozrachnii || Прозрачный || Transparent || 2014

|-

| Galya Hody || Галя ходи || Galya Move on || 2018

|-

| Tvorchestvo v pustote || Творчество в пустоте || Creativity in the Emptiness || 2021

|-

|Tvorchestvo v pustote - 2

|Творчество в пустоте - 2

|Creativity in the Emptiness - 2

|2022

|}

Live albums

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Transliterated title !! Original title !! Translation !! Year of release

|-

| Chyorny pyos Peterburg || Чёрный пёс Петербург || Black Mongrel Petersburg || 1993

|-

| Gorod bez okon. Vkhod. || Город без окон. Вход. || City Without Windows. Entrance. || 2004

|-

| Gorod bez okon. Vykhod. || Город без окон. Выход. || City Without Windows. Exit. || 2004

|-

| Live in Essen 2013|| Live in Essen 2013 || Live in Essen 2013|| 2014

|-

| Prozrachnii. Koncert v Minske || Прозрачный. Концерт в Минске || Transparent. Live in Minsk || 2017

|}

Compilations

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Transliterated title !! Original title !! Translation !! Year of release

|-

| Prosvistela || Просвистела || (It) whistled by || 1999

|-

| Pesni || Песни || Songs || 2003

|-

| Ne strelyay! || Не стреляй! || Don't Shoot! || 2008

|-

| Istoriya zvuka || История звука || History of sound || 2017

|-

|}

Singles

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Transliterated title !! Original title !! Translation !! Year of release

|-

| Eto vsyo || Это всё || That's All (or: This is all) || 1995

|-

| Mir nomer nol || Мир номер ноль || World Number Zero || 1998

|-

| Stary god || Старый год || Last Year

(lit. Old Year)

| 2007

|-

| 2020 || 2020 || 2020 || 2020

|-

| V posteli || В постели || In bed || 2021

|-

|Novosti

|Новости

|News

|2023

|-

|Dolgo...

|Долго...

|Long...

|2024

|}

References

Sources

  • 290 pages.
  • DDT at Russmus
  • Oct 2008 News article in NG Antrakt discussing Shevchuk's activism
  • May 2007 Interview with Shevchuk in Religare publication
  • March 2004 Article on DDT in BBC News