Okean Elzy is an iconic Ukrainian band that has been holding the musical Olympus for 25 years. They are called the best live band in the SND and Eastern Europe. They are known far abroad and perform all over the world. At the concerts of "O.E" there is always an incredible atmosphere of drive and expression. They brought their own style to the genre of alternative rock and indie pop. And the original vocals and the manner of performance of frontman Svyatoslav Vakarchuk have gathered an army of fans from two generations.
The formation of the team
The history of the band dates back to 1992 in Lviv. Four talented music students Andrey Golyak, Denis Glinin, Pavel Gudimov and Yuri Khustochka decided to play together. In between studies, they arranged rehearsals and wrote songs. The group was called the "Clan of Silence". Their first performances were on small stages in their hometown. A little later, they began to be invited to student festivals and apartment buildings.
In a few years they became quite famous in Lviv, but in 1994 there was a split in the team. Glinin, Gudimov and Khustochka left Golyak and began to develop the concept of their own project. Just at that time, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk came to them for a rehearsal. After listening to one of the songs, he suggested making edits to the chorus. The team accepted them and included the novice composer in the main cast. He soon became the lead singer of the band.
October 12, 1994 is considered the official date of birth of the Okean Elzy collective. The guys did not think about the name for a long time: the fascination with Jacques Cousteau's "Odyssey" brought them the first part — "Ocean". And the international name Elsa was very beautifully combined with it.
Since that day, the musicians have been actively engaged in creative activities, putting aside their personal lives for later.
The period of origin
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk did not join the team empty-handed. At that time, he already had many pieces of songs and poems. It remained to write music, which the participants did. Throughout the year, they worked hard to create the first concert program. And in the winter of 1995, in a ten-degree frost, they made their debut on stage in front of an audience of 7 thousand people. But despite the cold, Okean Elzy managed to ignite the audience.
After a successful debut, the band recorded a demo tape "Demo 94-95". It was not an album, but just a collection of all the creative material that they distributed to friends, sent to the radio and producers.
Young and promising musicians did not go unnoticed. They were invited to the TV program "Deka", they began to play a replay of their performance on TV, so they got their first fans. And then followed a series of all-Ukrainian festivals: "Chervona Ruta", "Sribna Pidkova", "Alternative 2", "Melody", "Perlini to the season". Then they began to be invited to foreign ones — to Germany, Poland and France. They also reached the famous "Tavrian Games".
The audience took the songs of "Okean Elsa" with a bang. In 1996, they sang on the same stage with the legendary Blue Eyes and Deep Purple. Soon they began to give solo concerts — first in their native Lviv, and then in other cities of Ukraine. Their first tour started at the same time.
Having gained experience and professionalism, the band members took a serious step — they moved to Kiev, signed a contract with a recording studio and began to create the first album. A new page in the biography of "O.E." has begun.
The era of the "Ocean"
The debut record "There, de Nema" turned the idea of Ukrainian music upside down. They caused a real furore. The video for this single was more than successful. Positive reviews from critics, admiration from the audience, access to the Russian "MTV" and even the French "MSM" was just the beginning.
In 1998, they collected all kinds of awards and prizes. "Opening of the Year", "Best Debut", "Breakthrough of the Year" were supported by the title of "Best Pop Group". And we can safely say that they hold this status to this day.
A year later, "O.E" performed at the Russian festival "Maksidrom". The audience surprised even the artists themselves — everyone sang in one voice "Tilki there, de nema ...". The creativity of Okean Elsa has settled forever in the hearts of Russians.
At the beginning of the new century, they released their second album "Yananebibuv". At the same time, they had their first line-up change: the talented musician Dmitry Shurov took the place of the keyboardist. In 2000, two of their compositions were played in the cult film "Brother-2".
After releasing the next album "Model" (critics call it the best in the band's discography), they went on a large-scale tour, giving a number of free concerts. At the same time, work on writing new compositions did not stop. Two years later, another equally successful record "Supersymetria" was released. And the musicians went on tour again. During the peak of their fame, they threw themselves into creativity. Concerts, moving and working on new songs were all they lived for.
In 2004, two members left the band at once: Shurov and Khustochka. Bassist Denis Dudko and keyboardist Milos Yelich took their place. A year later, guitarist Gudimov was replaced by Pyotr Chernyavsky.
100,000 copies of the album "Gloria" were sold in six hours. It was an undoubted record. "Gloria" went platinum twice.
The huge success, national love and recognition that accompanied "O.E." subsided a little in 2010. Then Svyatoslav Vakarchuk embarked on a solo career. But three years later they reunited and presented a new album "Earth". They returned to the stage to the delight of the fans who still loved The Ocean
In the last decade, the group's activity has decreased slightly. They continue to release new songs that immediately soar to the top of the charts. But they don't do it that often. At the same time, most of their songs do not lose their relevance and love of fans after many years. And what the ocean people will please us with in the near future, you will find out by following the updates in the catalog of artists on the website kontramarka.de .
Discography:
1998 — "There, de nema"
2000 — "Yananebibuv"
2001 — "Model"
2003 — "Supersymetria"
2005 — "Gloria"
2007 — "Mira"
2010 — "Dolce Vita"
2013 — "Earth"
2016 — "Without between"
