5'NIZZA
Encyclopedia
5'nizza was an acoustic
group formed in 2000 in Kharkiv
, Ukraine
that disbanded in 2007. It was made up of two friends: Sergey Babkin (Сергей Бабкин, guitar
), and Andrey “Sun” Zaporozhets (Андрей Запорожец, vocals).
The band's music has a combination of influences: reggae
, Latin
, rock and hip hop
, which is performed in a minimalistic folk
style limited to vocals, beatboxing
, and acoustic guitar
. Despite lack of support from large labels, the group attracted cult following
in much of Central
and Eastern Europe
, notably Ukraine, Russia
, Poland
and Germany
.
, was bootlegged and spread all over the C.I.S. countries in 2002. The demo was well received by fans as well as online critics. Some even say that, in 2002, Unplugged was the top seller in Russia
.
Their official debut album, Pyatnitsa, was produced in 2003 and consisted mostly of songs from Unplugged.
The second album O'5 (meaning Again in Russian) was released in 2005.
Both Babkin and Zaporozhets have released other musical projects in addition to their work together. Babkin (a solo artist since 2004) has recorded three solo albums: Ura, SN. G, Bis! and Motor; and Zaporozhets appeared as a backing vocalist
in Lюk (Luk), a lounge
group. Babkin is also an actor in the Kharkiv theater group Theater 19. Andrey Zaporozhets is currently completing his university degree in pediatrics
.
and visited Minsk
, Belarus
, as well. 5'nizza also visited Lithuania, the band was one of the main guests at the open-air festival Cote of Culture (Kultūros Tvartas) in 2004. http://www.kulturostvartas.lt/archives/2004/en/. The band recorded its third album in 2007, with guest appearances from Lюk and Маркшайдер Кунст (Markscheider Kunst
), among others. In September 2007, Babkin and Zaporozhets decided to disband. Their last two concerts took place on June 15 and 16, 2007 in Warsaw
and Kraków
, respectively.
The third album was instead released as Zaporozhets' new project SunSay. Following the groups disbandment, artists that originally were meant to be guests now became the core of a new group. This added to the overwhelming change in sound direction, with new ideas and instruments coming from, what seemed to be, everywhere. The few tracks with Babkin's presence (guitar and backing vocals) that reached final production also made the final cut.
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
group formed in 2000 in Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
that disbanded in 2007. It was made up of two friends: Sergey Babkin (Сергей Бабкин, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), and Andrey “Sun” Zaporozhets (Андрей Запорожец, vocals).
The band's music has a combination of influences: reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, Latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
, rock and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, which is performed in a minimalistic folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
style limited to vocals, beatboxing
Beatboxing
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
, and acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
. Despite lack of support from large labels, the group attracted cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
in much of Central
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, notably Ukraine, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Background
The duo started working together already in 1998. 5'nizza's demo album, UnpluggedUnplugged (5'nizza album)
Unplugged is a demo album by the Ukrainian band 5'nizza. It was released sometime in 2002, but the exact date is unknown because it was originally meant to be a demo but was immediately pirated by Russian bootleggers...
, was bootlegged and spread all over the C.I.S. countries in 2002. The demo was well received by fans as well as online critics. Some even say that, in 2002, Unplugged was the top seller in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Their official debut album, Pyatnitsa, was produced in 2003 and consisted mostly of songs from Unplugged.
The second album O'5 (meaning Again in Russian) was released in 2005.
Both Babkin and Zaporozhets have released other musical projects in addition to their work together. Babkin (a solo artist since 2004) has recorded three solo albums: Ura, SN. G, Bis! and Motor; and Zaporozhets appeared as a backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
in Lюk (Luk), a lounge
Lounge music
Lounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera — other than where they are listening to it...
group. Babkin is also an actor in the Kharkiv theater group Theater 19. Andrey Zaporozhets is currently completing his university degree in pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
.
Tour and disbanding
5'nizza toured RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and visited Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, as well. 5'nizza also visited Lithuania, the band was one of the main guests at the open-air festival Cote of Culture (Kultūros Tvartas) in 2004. http://www.kulturostvartas.lt/archives/2004/en/. The band recorded its third album in 2007, with guest appearances from Lюk and Маркшайдер Кунст (Markscheider Kunst
Markscheider Kunst
Markscheider Kunst is a ska band from St.Petersburg, Russia. It plays afro-rock, soukous, ska and reggae. Russian musical influences can be heard in their music as well. The band was founded in 1992 by geology students from St. Petersburg...
), among others. In September 2007, Babkin and Zaporozhets decided to disband. Their last two concerts took place on June 15 and 16, 2007 in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, respectively.
The third album was instead released as Zaporozhets' new project SunSay. Following the groups disbandment, artists that originally were meant to be guests now became the core of a new group. This added to the overwhelming change in sound direction, with new ideas and instruments coming from, what seemed to be, everywhere. The few tracks with Babkin's presence (guitar and backing vocals) that reached final production also made the final cut.