Evgeny Grinko

Evgeny Grinko, a Russian composer and multi-instrumentalist, fuses minimalist arrangements with profound emotional resonance through his neo-classical approach. Previously active in indie noise circles, he once shared stages with Can’s Damo Suzuki, yet achieved widespread attention in the early 2010s via the piano piece “Valse,” later featured on his 2013 debut album Ice for Aureliano Buendia. That release introduced a recurring chamber sound built from rock instruments, piano, accordion, strings, and selective woodwinds, a palette he sustained across the reflective 2018 album Tiny Mouse Tales, the 2021 set Orange Marmalade, and the 2025 release Winter Moonlight, establishing him as a sought-after live performer.

Born in Zhukovsky, Russia, Grinko developed an early fascination with film and cartoon scores that later expanded to rockabilly and surf rock. Exposure to Nirvana and the Chemical Brothers through Russian television further shaped his tastes, prompting his parents to acquire his first guitar from a neighbor. Two years afterward he took up drums, and during his teenage years he performed with local noise ensembles, including a touring group that featured Can’s Damo Suzuki. In 2007 he incorporated piano, then composed the improvisation “Valse” in mid-2010, finishing and posting it online six months later. A video of him performing the piece in a field at sunset propelled its viral spread, leading to its inclusion on the 2011 Winter Sunshine EP. The track gained particular traction in Turkey, where his debut concert in 2013 sold out completely.

His first full-length effort, Ice for Aureliano Buendia—titled after the Gabriel García Márquez character—appeared in April 2013 and contained “Valse” alongside chamber works scored for guitar, bass, drums, accordion, strings, woodwinds, and brass. The EP Silent Like Water followed in early 2015. That same year Turkish singer-songwriter Mabel Matiz recorded a vocal version of “Valse” for his album Gök Nerede. Prompted by a family of mice that had entered his woodland residence, the more introspective Tiny Mouse Tales surfaced in July 2018. He tracked the subsequent Naïve Album, scored for piano, strings, and accordion, in Lisbon, Portugal, while the July 2020 Lullabies EP was issued during the initial COVID-19 lockdowns that halted touring; its “Lullaby for Erik” paid homage to composer Erik Satie, a key influence. Captured at Berlin’s Funkhaus, the 2021 album Orange Marmalade reinforced Grinko’s signature blend of sorrow and joy, natural imagery, and both orchestral and restrained textures.

His initial extended venture into film scoring arrived with the 2023 documentary Woman in the Mirror, which examined the demands of ballet training. Grinko joined the Nettwerk roster in late 2024, and the label issued his subsequent album Winter Moonlight in early 2025.