Biography
Founded in 2001 within St. Petersburg, the hip-hop collective 2H Company united MCs Mikhail Fenichev and Mikhail Ilin with electronic musicians Alexander Zaytzev and Ilya Baramiya, both formerly of Christmas Baubles (EU). Fenichev’s rapid linguistic inventions generate wry, absurd, and surreal tales rendered in elevated literary Russian, set against the jerky yet whimsical electronic rhythms crafted by Zaytzev and Baramiya. The ensemble draws strong local followings in St. Petersburg and Moscow while regularly appearing across other regions of Russia and Ukraine.
Mikhail Fenichev and Mikhail Ilin spent their formative years in a suburban district outside St. Petersburg during the late U.S.S.R. period. Exposure to early Russian MTV prompted them to piece together rhymes filtered through restricted media channels, leading them to launch their initial endeavor, Provincia. When that project concluded in 2001, 2H Company emerged in its place. At the same moment, Zaytzev and Baramiya, seeking vocalists for new material, encountered the duo’s recordings; Fenichev joined the electronic pair and brought Ilin aboard as supporting MC.
Their inaugural recording, “Prov,” served as a nod to the earlier Provincia effort and appeared on the St. Petersburg label Cheburec’s compilation of Russian electronic music. It marked the earliest instance of Russian-language rhymes placed over experimental electronics rather than conventional hip-hop production. As Zaytzev and Baramiya refined their approach during the period preceding the full-length debut, this contrast grew increasingly stark.
The ensemble’s substantive trajectory opened in 2004 with Cheburek’s release of the debut album Psychosurgeons. The record attracted notice from MTV Russia and additional outlets, expanding the audience. Reviewers highlighted the album’s thematic arc, which shifted away from standard hip-hop terrain toward unexplored territory that occasionally substituted sampling for drum-machine patterns. In 2005 the group joined the Snegeri roster, prompting a reissue of the debut; by then 2H Company had already commenced live activity at festivals throughout Russia and Europe.
Early in 2007 Ilin departed to explore separate undertakings yet maintained amicable relations with the remaining members. The remaining trio balanced preparations for a March album release with an additional commission to compose the original score for a ballet staged at St. Petersburg’s Marinski Theater.
That album, The Art of AK-47 Maintenance, struck observers as more streamlined and economical. Attention centered on Fenichev’s vocal delivery, which referenced literary figures including Fyodor Dostoevsky, Vladimir Sorokin, and Phillip K. Dick. Indie-rock elements surfaced throughout, while the work reflected Zaytzev and Baramiya’s full assimilation of digital production methods.
Mikhail Fenichev and Mikhail Ilin spent their formative years in a suburban district outside St. Petersburg during the late U.S.S.R. period. Exposure to early Russian MTV prompted them to piece together rhymes filtered through restricted media channels, leading them to launch their initial endeavor, Provincia. When that project concluded in 2001, 2H Company emerged in its place. At the same moment, Zaytzev and Baramiya, seeking vocalists for new material, encountered the duo’s recordings; Fenichev joined the electronic pair and brought Ilin aboard as supporting MC.
Their inaugural recording, “Prov,” served as a nod to the earlier Provincia effort and appeared on the St. Petersburg label Cheburec’s compilation of Russian electronic music. It marked the earliest instance of Russian-language rhymes placed over experimental electronics rather than conventional hip-hop production. As Zaytzev and Baramiya refined their approach during the period preceding the full-length debut, this contrast grew increasingly stark.
The ensemble’s substantive trajectory opened in 2004 with Cheburek’s release of the debut album Psychosurgeons. The record attracted notice from MTV Russia and additional outlets, expanding the audience. Reviewers highlighted the album’s thematic arc, which shifted away from standard hip-hop terrain toward unexplored territory that occasionally substituted sampling for drum-machine patterns. In 2005 the group joined the Snegeri roster, prompting a reissue of the debut; by then 2H Company had already commenced live activity at festivals throughout Russia and Europe.
Early in 2007 Ilin departed to explore separate undertakings yet maintained amicable relations with the remaining members. The remaining trio balanced preparations for a March album release with an additional commission to compose the original score for a ballet staged at St. Petersburg’s Marinski Theater.
That album, The Art of AK-47 Maintenance, struck observers as more streamlined and economical. Attention centered on Fenichev’s vocal delivery, which referenced literary figures including Fyodor Dostoevsky, Vladimir Sorokin, and Phillip K. Dick. Indie-rock elements surfaced throughout, while the work reflected Zaytzev and Baramiya’s full assimilation of digital production methods.
Albums
Singles
