Mikhail Kozyrev in Munich 13 April 2025

Mikhail Kozyrev is a man who played one of the key roles in the formation and development of the rock scene in the post-Soviet space. Music journalist, TV presenter, media manager, producer - these are not all the roles that made him one of the most influential people in the music environment. Kozyrev was behind the creation of the cult radio stations Maximum and Ultra, Nashe Radio, Maxidrom, Nashestviye and Chartova Dyuzhina festivals. Thanks to him, the soundtrack to the movie "Brat-2" appeared, which became an important phenomenon for a whole generation of young people who lived through the nineties. Since 2010, Mikhail has been hosting programs and producing music on the Dozhd TV channel.

It was largely at his suggestion that BI-2, Zemfira, Splin, Night Snipers, Agatha Christie, Tequila Jazz, Zdob Si Zdub, Zveri, King and Shute, Ocean Elzy, Brainstorm and dozens of other artists who found themselves on opposite sides of ideological barricades after February 24, 2022 appeared and became big stars.

In his author's program "Unwashed Rock'n'Roll" Mikhail Kozyrev is looking for an answer to the main question. How did it happen that for some people the rock'n'roll spirit of freedom was replaced by subservient support for the authorities and the war they unleashed?

Mikhail, more than anyone else, knows the industry from the inside and reflects with the audience on how we came to the point where rock music became an accompaniment to dictatorship. How the authorities have been "feeding" rock musicians for years, trying to influence the audience through them, and some of them bent to the changing world, while others did not give in and were forced to leave the country.