During his 30-year musical career, Alex Kelman has gained a fairly large musical baggage. He created many projects himself and took part in some as a guitarist: Punk TV, Hot Zex, TonySoprano, Dsh! Dsh! and other music bands in various years were noticeable and filled their own niche.
In 2014 Alex Kelman carried out his new musical project under his own name.
During 2014-2020 the artist played about 200 club and festival concerts in Europe, Asia and America, released several singles, EP’s and two full-length albums.
Initially, besides Alex, Marina Sobianina (Keyboards) and Anna Parfenova (Vocal) took part in the project. Alex Kelman Band first appeared on stage on August 16, 2014 at Gorky Park in Moscow, Russia. Soon, his colleagues from the previous TonySoprano project, Boris Shkarpov (Drums) and Vladimir Bogoyavlensky (Bass), joined the project for a short period, but at the beginning of 2015 the line-up returned to its original state and the band started a European tour for the first time.
At the end of 2015, Anna Parfenova left the band and Alex invited Ksenia Mikhalchuk to collaborate as a vocalist, with whom the project toured extensively in 2016 with their first released album. In mid-2016 Ksenia also left the band and Marina Sobianina became the main voice on stage for a while.
However, at the end of 2016, Alex Kelman moved to Slovakia and decided to transform his project into a solo, while constantly experimenting on stage and in the studio, participating in collaborations with various musicians and vocalists.
RELEASES 2014 - 2016:
Songs Of Fake and Distortion (EP, 2014)
Vintage (EP, 2015)
Time (Single, 2016)
Siberian Pop (LP, 2016)
In anticipation of the first album, the musician released
Songs Of Fake & Distortion" (EP, 2014)
His debut work contains two tracks, “Rain” and “Afterparty”, which were later included in the first album, which are still some of the artist's brightest works. Video clips were filmed for both tracks. A video was released for the song “Rain”, made from the materials of the concert in the Moscow club “Chinese Pilot Zhao Da”. Sergei Titov worked on the production of the video. The artist's second video clip for the song “Afterparty”, directed by Foren Engeru & Egor Filippov, was filmed in one of the Moscow studio pavilions. Also ahead of the release of his first album, Alex Kelman released “Vintage” (EP) - remakes of the “Sugar”, “Marina” and “Vintage” tracks of his previous band TonySoprano.
Alex Kelman's first album
Siberian Pop (2016)
Was recorded in Moscow in 2014-2015, a studio work of mix engineer and sound producer Alfredo Nieves from Cuba. The video for the title track from Alex Kelman's first album "Siberian Pop", directed and edited by clip-maker Egor Filippov, gained a large number of views on YouTube and got into rotation on several TV channels and is so far the artist's most unusual clip.
The first album "Siberian Pop" was released on the artist's own label IceCreamDisco and subsequently reissued on the Serbian label Ammonite Records.
"Finally some good dark modern electro dance punk. Alex Kelman kicks out a killer beat and then crashes and crushes it with pure pop perfection. This will get slap you on your face and make you forget who you are. Here is the new theme song to your day."
- Oliver Ackermann (A Place To Bury Strangers)
“After two years of preparatory work, Alex released an album with a slightly ironic title “Siberian Pop”. The name refers to the Siberian roots of the musician, in fact, Novosibirsk, which is the home port. The album itself, designed in an allusible vector of following the classics of the heavy synthpop structure, suddenly opens up in our players with a naive and understandable sound. As if Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe from Pet Shop Boys filmed their music videos not in London, but in a snowy Siberian port.”
- Russian Cybernetics
RELEASES 2017 - 2018:
Chinese Pilot (Single, 2017)
Plavna (Single, 2018)
Live At Teatr (Live Bootleg, 2018)
U17 (LP. 2018)
In October 2018, Alex Kelman's new album "U17" was released
The album carries the idea of saving normal human relations in the world of digital madness and globalization and is dedicated to the memory of the Estonian music journalist Artur Tsavkhidov, who left this world at a young age due to an incurable disease.
For the first time in his musical career, Alex sang in Russian on the track "Plavna". The track was released ahead of the album as a single with an instrumental version, for which Russian filmmaker Egor Sevastyanov shot the original video.
In addition to the artist himself, musicians and artists from Russia, Sweden, Italy took part in the work on the album. Some vocals (Plavna, Chinese Pilot) were recorded by Alexandra Glazunova, drums on the album were played by Michael Norstedt, the drummer of the Swedish band Bondage Fairies, the cover for the release was made by Italian artist Inna Flint. In addition to the video for the track Plavna, the album is also accompanied by video clips for the tracks Flight (directed by Vladimir Koranov) and Chinese Pilot (directed by Egor Fillippov).
Seven tracks on the album are supplemented by three remixes of the composition "Plavna". Austrian electronic musician Digitali - a master of transparent and clear experimental hip-hop, Kelman's own remix under the nickname Ketanol, and Alex's old friends - Italian punks Kill Your Boyfriend have released their versions of the composition.
The second album "U17" was released by the Austrian label Super Plus Records.
“The world is on the brink of disaster. The human mind is already actually a cog in the system. People stopped looking for the beautiful, and this is one of the most terrible problems of our time. People don't notice details. They, like hungry dogs, throw themselves at the cheesy labels offered to them. They almost stopped loving. There is still a little hope for you people!
There is an inner voice and opinion, search and contemplation, heroes, not provocateurs, true friendship and respect. The ability to understand and come to the rescue.
My new album is dedicated to our friend Artur Tsavkhidov, an Estonian music critic and just a pleasant person who passed away from among us last year. He struggled to the last with indifference and left the world at such a young age. He knew how to listen and help.”
- Alex Kelman
“Meditative electro and kraut rock for the trip is the best recommendation you can make to U17, on the record of Alex Kelman, ex-Punk TV and Hot Zex, who relies on cold contemplative melancholy. This is not about minor emotions that can be captured in the recording. On the contrary, everything here is very optimistic and accessible - especially in tracks with female vocals like Chinese Pilot, which create a captivating euphoric mood.
The U17 disc turned out to be strict and a little chilling. Apparently, this is the effect of comfortable freezing, which does not allow a creative person to grow old and lose the desired romanticism. So Kelman's tracks are hardly retrograde.“
- Alexander Kondukov, Sapsan Train Magazine
“I would describe his style with the term "minimal gaze". On the one hand, there is a DJ background in the 90s, and an easy departure into dance music. Although not the most disturbing, it is not the one you will take ecstasy to. But rather to be sad, remembering a series of recent breakups and resentments.”
- Dan Volohov, Ridus
Latest Releases
Alone (Single, 2020)
In early 2020, the artist's new release, the single “Alone”, was released on the Austrian label SuperPlus Records, supplemented by an acoustic version of the Swedish musician Magnus Josefsson. For the track “Alone”, Alex produced the video himself. Filmed and edited by Nathalia Van De K.
“This song is about a problem with lonely crazy people, who have no support and have no power to keep a balance in a normal live. Sometimes medicine system is trying to kill their minds and bodies. It's more simple, than to make them healthy and happy.”
- Alex Kelman
"Dreamy keys chords run beneath chirping insect-like humming sounds and unobtrusive drone alarm as heavy bass vibrations thump, mixing with swirling synths and calm crystalline guitar melodies to form a surrealist atmosphere laced with sensual fantasy and deep lurking danger. Contrasts, etched in deep shy tender male vocals embellished with ethereal female reflections, detachedly long for unknown caresses, down pulsing bass lines and dancing rhythmic backbeats skipping into heart palpitations.”
- WL/WH music blog
Vesna (feat. Sasha Fanat, Single + Remixes, 2020)
In 2020, together with Alexander Fedorov, Alex creates his own new label, Kyla Records, on which he releases a new single, Vesna. The original track was sung by the legendary Novosibirsk punk rocker Sasha Fanat (Alexander Vapilov), artist, poet and musician (one of the founders of the Nuclear Los group). The original version of the track was complemented by remixes of Italian psychedelic noise artists Kill Your Boyfriend, as well as electronic musicians from St. Petersburg Rudda Sounds. Alex produces and edits the video for Vesna track by himself, using cuts of old video materials.
"The dirty, overloaded sound of guitars and synthesizers borders on the clear, monotonous electro-rock beat of drum machines and punk singing about how the world is finally going crazy, people are destroying the planet and themselves, blindly and completely trusting the information around them."
- Alex Kelman about Vesna single
Musically it can be described as if the Civil Defense meets Death In Vegas (sample "Aisha", also, by the way, recorded with the cult punk - old Iggy) or Primal Scream (sample "Swastika Eyes")
- Nova Rock music blog
Dezinfekcia (EP, 2021)
"Overloaded drum machines and dirty lo-fi guitars, the voice recorded through the Skype microphone, combined with the opening act of Martin Luther King, describe the endless fatigue and madness on planet Earth. An ax hanging over their heads and the absence of intentional meetings, fears and worries. Moving synthesizers into the background, I tried to convey a special message in the new release."
- Alex Kelman
“Some things go together like pulled pork and slaw, some combos are a little less obvious. Now try mixing postrock and nihilistic synths, with lofi electro and bedroom based krautrock, and throw in some straight up anthemics ... We end up with a cocktail of sonics and sounds that creates something tough, lean and sumptuous.”
- Will Willkinson, Rats On The Run
Festivals
2015
Waves Bratislava Festival (Slovakia), Fusion (Germany), Bonanza Festival (Estonia), Bedem Festival (Montenegro)
2016
Atlas Weekend (Ukraine), Indirekt Festival (Serbia / Croatia), Chee Chaak Fest (Czech Republic), Hello Wood Festival (Hungary), Food Fest (Ukraine), Festivalek bez boja a valek (Czech Republic), Bedem Festival (Montenegro), Küchwaldrauschen Festival (Germany), Ravolution Fest (Germany), Stok Festival (Czech Republic)
2017
Indie Fest (Estonia), Whoneedslyrics Festival (Slovakia), Soundfield Festival (Germany), Festival Atmosfera (Slovakia), Super Plus Festival (Austria)
2018
Kunigunda Festival (Slovenia), Super Plus Festival (Austria), Sibir, Sibir Festival (Czech Republic)
2019
Pop-Kultur (Germany), TMW (Estonia), Psychodelic Umami Festival (Czech Republic), Super Plus Festival (Austria), Electric Orpheus Fest (Bulgaria)
2020
Buskin Fest (Czech Republic), Kulturak Fest (Slovakia)
2021
[fjúžn] Festival (Slovakia)
Joint Tours
2016 Ravetology, Fertilizer
2017 Rosenquarzexpress
2017 The Person
2017 Ceremony East Coast
2018 Bondage Fairies
2018 Ceremony East Coast
2018 Ruslan PX
2019 The Ocean Blue
2019 Dead
2019 Magnus Joseffson
2020 Visions In Clouds