Mashina Vremeni (Russian: Машина времени, lit.'Time Machine') is a Russian rock band founded in 1969. Mashina Vremeni was a pioneer of Soviet rock music and remains one of the oldest still-active rock bands in Russia. The band's music incorporates elements of classic rock, blues, and bard's song. Mashina Vremeni's best known members are Andrey Makarevich (founder, principal singer-songwriter, public face of the band), Alexander Kutikov (bass player and producer/sound engineer), and Evgeny Margulis (guitarist/songwriter).
History
Andrey MakarevichAlexander KutikovEvgeny MargulisMashina Vremeni meet Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in 2008. L-R: Medvedev, Yefremov, Margulis, MakarevichMashina Vremeni performing at the band's 40th anniversary concert
Andrey Makarevich's musical career can be traced to a school band called The Kids, which was made up of two male guitarists and two female vocalists. The group sang mostly English-language folk songs and performed primarily at talent shows put on in Moscow schools. According to Makarevich, the momentous event in his musical career came when the Soviet group VIA Atlanty (Russian: ВИА «Атланты») visited his school and allowed him to play a couple of songs on their equipment during a break in the performance. On the heels of this experience, Makarevich in 1969 joined with other musically talented students from his school and another school to form Mashiny Vremeni (Russian: Машины времени, lit.'Time Machines' – in plural form imitating The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc.). The most significant founding members included Sergey Kawagoe and Andrey Makarevich. The band's repertoire consisted of eleven songs in English, now lost.
Mashina Vremeni started playing during the first years of the Brezhnev era, but could not get official bookings as a professional band. In 1979 Makarevich signed the band up with Rosconcert, becoming more or less legitimate in the State music system (although they couldn't play in Moscow).
Timeline
1971 – Alexander Kutikov becomes the bass player, introducing more of buoyant rock-n-roll into the band's material
1972 – Line-up losses in the band as several members are drafted into service (which to this day is compulsory in Russia)
1973 – Tensions between Sergey Kawagoe and Alexander Kutikov; the latter leaves the band for a hard rock outfit Visokosnoe Leto (Leap Year Summer)
1974 – Sergey Kawagoe leaves, Alexander Kutikov returns. However, Kawagoe also returns after about six months. The band performs with the following line-up: Andrey Makarevich, Alexander Kutikov, Sergey Kawagoe, and Alexey Romanov (future leader of another prominent Russian band Voskreseniye ("Resurrection" or "Sunday"))
1975 – Romanov and Kutikov suddenly depart. Evgeny Margulis joins on guitar
1978 – First studio record of Mashina Vremeni. Alexander Kutikov, though playing in Visokosnoe Leto, helps his friends as a producer and sound engineer.
1979 – Band in crisis. Sergey Kawagoe and Evgeny Margulis leave the band and start Voskresenie. At this time, Andrey Makarevich writes one of the band's most enduring and popular songs: "Poka gorit svecha" ("As long as the candle burns"), as a statement of his not giving up. After some time of frustration, Alexander Kutikov saves the situation by leaving the Visokosnoe Leto band and bringing Valeriy Efremov (also from Visokosnoe Leto) as drummer and Pyotr Podgorodetsky on the keyboards.
1981 – The song "Povorot" (Russian: Поворот, lit.'The Turning Point') stays on the top of charts for 18 months. The band composes the soundtrack to the popular movie Dusha, starring Sofia Rotaru watched by more than 57 million cinema-goers in the Soviet Union.[unreliable source?]
1982 – Repressions begin in earnest with a denouncing article "'Blue Bird' ragout" ("Blue Bird" was a popular song of the band) which describes the band's output as depressive and ideologically unsound. A nationwide wave of protest against the denunciation sends thousands of fan letters to newspaper editors. Pyotr Podgorodetsky leaves; Alexandr Zaitsev replaces him.
1986 – A compilation V dobriy chas ("Good Luck") becomes the first official group's LP.
1987 – Reki i Mosty ("Rivers and Bridges") album recorded. It is considered Mashina Vremeni's first official album (all the previous ones were recorded illegally, for underground distribution). First appearances on the television. The band performs at Live Aid 2 festival in Japan.
1988 – First international tours – USA, Canada, Greece, Spain and Bulgaria.
1989 – V kruge sveta ("In the circle of light") album is released.
1990 – Alexandr Zaitsev leaves and Evgeny Margulis and Pyotr Podgorodetsky join the band once again.
1991 – Medlennaya khoroshaya muzyka ("Slow good music") album is released.
1993 – Alexander Kutikov's company "Sintez Records" releases retro albums Best songs 1979–1985 and That was so long ago (a first 1978 recording). Album Vneshtatniy komandir Zemli ("Part-time commander of the Earth") is released.
1995 – Compilation of old unpublished songs is released. This compilation is known as Kovo ty hotiel udivit? ("Whom did you expect to surprise?"), after one of Alexander Kutikov's most acclaimed songs.
1996 – Kartonniye krylia lubvi ("Cardboard wings of love") album is released.
1997 – Otryvayas ("Breaking away") album is released.
1999 – The 30th anniversary of the band. A huge world tour finishes with a massive concert, usually considered to be one of the band's best ever, takes place in the main stadium of "sport-complex Olympiyskiy" im Moscow. Chasy i znaki ("Clocks and signs") album is released. Petr Podgorodetskiy is fired due to tensions. Andrey Derzhavin, formerly a solo artist, takes his place on the keyboards.
2001 – Mesto gde svet ("The place where there's light") album is released.
2004 – 35th anniversary of the band. A concert featuring 35 selected songs is played at the Red Square. Mashinalno ("Mechanically") album is released.
2005 – Live album Kremlin rocks is released.
2006 – Sintez Records releases a compilation called Mashina vremeni – chast' 1 ("Time Machine – Part 1"). The band records a new album (which is called in English Time machine) at famous Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios.
2007 – The group releases the Time machine album.
2009 - A 40-years anniversary is celebrated with an album Mashiny ne parkovat (Parking Forbidden) and a tribute album Mashinopis (The Typescript)
2010 – The band continues to celebrate its 40th anniversary with a seven-stop North American tour
2012 – Evgenii Margulis leaves the band. An experienced session guitarist Igor' Khomich joins as a guest musician.
2014 - Andrey Makarevich, group's leader, becomes the first Russian rock musician who expresses support to Ukraine in the beginning of Russian military intervention in Crimea. He is bullied in official media, and all Mashina's gigs in Russia outside Moscow are forbidden until 2017.
2016 - an album Vy (You) comes in with a cover made of fans's selfies (which was a Kutikov's idea)
2017 - Andrey Derzhavin leaves the band to return to solo career, and a guest keyboardist Alexander Lyovochkin steps in.
2019 - Percussionist Sergey Ostroumov suddenly dies a few days before 50-years show in Otkrytie Arena Stadium in Moscow, Kirill Ipatov takes the place
2020 - during the COVID-19 pandemia time, an album V metre (In The Meter) is written, recorded and released
2022 - when Russia invaded Ukraine, all the group's shows were once again prohibited, and musicians were forced to leave Russia.
2023 - the group resumes playing live all over the world, excluding Russia and Belarus.
2024-2025 - an EP Poi so mnoi! (Sing With Me!) is written in Israel and Latvia, then recorded in Israel and published worldwide. Trumpeter Alexander Ditkovsky leaves. The group keeps touring.
Musical style
Mashina Vremeni's sound is eclectic and incorporates multiple different genres. Contributions to song composition have been made by almost every band member, and often reflect each member's particular stylistic preferences. Makarevich is a fan of The Beatles, and many of his songs reflect the Beatles' influence. He is also influenced by blues music and Soviet singer-songwriters, the so-called "bards". Kutikov is a quintessential rocker, he composes guitar-oriented hard rock. Margulis is one of the Russia's best known bluesmen, and his songs are usually blues rock ballads.[citation needed]
The majority of the band's lyrics are written by Makarevich.[citation needed]
Albums
Year
Russian
Translit
English
Notes
1978
Это было так давно
Eto bylo tak davno
It was so long ago
Self-released tape album. Released by an official label only in 1992
Sergey Ostroumov — percussions (regular on studio and live performances, 2004–2019) †
Alexandr Ditkovsky — trumpet, tambourine, backing vocals (regular on studio and live performances, 2004-2025)
Timeline
Involvement in public debate
During the Russo-Ukrainian War frontman Andrey Makarevich denounced Russian military intervention in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Other people associated with the band kept a low profile in the matter through 2014, but in 2015 it became known that at least Kutikov was against Russian policy in Ukraine, while Derzhavin and director/manager Vladimir Sapunov sided with President Vladimir Putin's policies.[citation needed]
↑Leslie Woodhead How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin 2013 – 1408840421 "But Time Machine were still totally unofficial, with no possibility of becoming a professional group. “Soviet officials understood that something was happening,” Andrei said, “but they didn't know what to do about it.” "
↑Woodhead 2013 "... proceeds from their cassettes, Makarevich signed up with the state promotion agency, Rosconcert. After a decade of surviving on the edge, Time Machine became legitimate. It meant they could rely on national publicity and a steady income."
