Soviet

Although Soviet drew greater inspiration from new romantic and Brit-pop, the group ranked among the electro-pop acts that emerged during the late '90s. The project surfaced publicly in 1999, yet vocalist and songwriter Keith Ruggiero had already been capturing material on a four-track recorder at Syracuse University from the mid-'90s onward. Once keyboardist/programmer Chris Otchy came aboard, the pair began touring across the United States. Synthesizer players Amanda Lynn and Greg Kochan, together with guitarist Kenan Gunduz, later completed the lineup as the collective relocated its base to New York City. Early in 2001 the ensemble issued its first full-length, We Are Eyes We Are Builders, through California's Plastiqmusiq label; the album was subsequently reissued on Ruggiero's own Head Records. Beyond a series of performances alongside Stereo Total and Add N to (X) during fall 2002, Soviet also appeared live with neo-electro acts including Peaches, Fischerspooner, and A.R.E Weapons.