- N.R.M.
-
N.R.M. at concert wRock for freedom, Wrocław
N.R.M. (Niezaležnaja Respublika Mroja) is a rock band from Minsk, Belarus, founded in 1994. They are considered to be the most popular rock band in the country. They perform in the Belarusian language, and are a rallying point for political opposition to the Belarusian government, despite a performance ban used during 2006-2009 against them.
Contents
Biography
The band grew out of a previous group, Mroja (which means "dream" or "vision"), and N.R.M. stands for "The Independent Republic of Dream" (Незалежная Рэспубліка Мроя in Belarusian). Their music tends toward melodic hard rock with witty and often indirectly political lyrics. The band's albums and publicity materials generally use the Łacinka alphabet, the Belarusian version of the Latin alphabet that was widely used alongside Cyrillic prior to the establishment of the Soviet Union.
Like several other bands that sing in Belarus, they have expressed their opposition to President Alexander Lukashenko, although they have never mentioned him by name in their lyrics. N.R.M.'s largest crowd was in Kiev in 2004, when they played in support of the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, with band members expressing their hope that something similar would happen in their own country.
During this years N.R.M., along with many other Belarusian bands, was unofficially banned from FM station broadcast in Belarus. There is no written blacklist, but FM station managers have said they received unofficial "recommendations" from the authorities.
Within the next three years the group continued active its concert activity. Numerous performances abroad took place in Poland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden. In their homeland, however, the group is included into the forbidden list, therefore they give concerts seldom and in underground conditions.
In 2007, the long-awaited sixth studio album "06" was released. It was recorded, according to Lavon Volski, under the influence of political events of spring 2006 in Belarus. The album "06" is compiled with songs of different styles. Violoncello, mandoline, keyboard were used, which are new instruments for the group. Besides for the first time songs were sang not only by Lavon Volski, but also by other participants of the group and even children's chorus.
After the meeting of Belarusian rock-musicians with the deputy head of the Presidential Administration on ideology Aleh Pralyaskouski in the end of 2007[1] the band was unbanned.
Albums
Year of release Original title Title Label 1995 ŁaŁaŁaŁa LaLaLaLa 1996 Odzirydzidzina Odzirydzidzina 1997 Made in N.R.M. Made in N.R.M. 1998 Pašpart hramadzianina N.R.M. The Passport of NRM Citizen 1999 Akustyčnyja kancerty kanca 20-ha stahodździa Acoustic Concerts at the End of the 20th Century West Records 2000 Samotnik Single West Records 2000 Try čarapachi Three Turtles West Records 2002 Dom kultury Palace of Culture West Records 2004 Spravazdača 1994-2004 Report 1994-2004 West Records 2007 06 06 Other projects
- Peśniarok (1997), tribute to Pesniary
- Narodny albom (People's Album) (1997)
- Serca Eǔropy in rock (Heart of Europe in Rock) (2001)
- Personal Depeche (2002), Belarusian tribute to Depeche Mode
- Generały ajčynnaha roku (Generals of Domestic Rock) (2004)
- NiezałežnyJa (IndependentMe) (2008)
Line-up
- Aleh Dziemidovič: percussion
- Juraś Laŭkoŭ: bass guitar
- Pit Paŭłaŭ: guitar
- Lavon Volski: guitar, vocals
Popular culture
The band appeared during one of their concerts at an opposition rally in 2006, which was featured in the documentary, A Lesson of Belarusian
References
Bibliography
- Viktar Dziatlikovič. Ich Mroja, ich NRM. Minsk: Sučasny litaratar, 2005.
External links
- N.R.M. official site (in Belarusian)
- Polish official site (in Polish and English)
- Rock-rebels saved by the dictator
- Belarus hardman drowns out the sounds of revolution (Article in The Times about NRM being banned from FM stations in Belarus)
- Official fan-club site
Categories:- Belarusian rock music groups
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
