Biography
Amid the artistic awakening sparked by perestroika, Televizor distinguished themselves from fellow bands by probing the limits of the Soviet regime's newly permissive approach to artistic expression. From 1984 onward, the ensemble maintained a steady presence at the Leningrad Rock Club, circumventing censorship through tracks such as "Tvoy Papa Fashist" (Your Dad's a Fascist) and "Byiyti iz-pod Kontrolya" (Escape from Control). Even with their questionable ideological content, they reached peak popularity in 1987 as one of the Soviet Union's leading rock acts, sharing stages with prominent Soviet supergroups including Aquarium, Kino, and Alisa. Their innovation lay in crafting a distinctive electronic funk style that transformed Russian rock permanently.
Mikhail Borzykin assembled Televizor in March 1984, recruiting musicians from existing Leningrad outfits such as Ikar (Icarus) and Ozero (Lake). The original roster featured Borzykin (keyboard, vocals), Aleksandr Belyaev (guitar), Igor Petrov (guitar), Igor Kopylov (bass guitar), Vyacheslav Arhipov (drums), and sound producer Sergei Osipov. This lineup swiftly attained prominence, earning multiple festival awards for a minimalistic new wave aesthetic that retained the lyrical and romantic qualities central to Russian songwriting. Reflecting the expanded personal freedoms of the era, Televizor's lyrics explored intricate, layered themes, while lead singer Borzykin drew repeated comparisons to rock luminary Viktor Tsoi.
At famed producer Andrei Tropillo's studio in 1985, Televizor completed their debut album Shestvie Ryb (Procession of Fish). A scandal erupted in June 1986 when the band performed two uncleared songs—"Byiyti iz-pod Kontrolya" and "My Idyom" (We're Going)—that delivered direct critiques of Soviet oppression, including the lines "To escape from control/To escape and sing about what we see/Not what we're allowed to/We have the right to protest!" The episode shattered the remaining authority of official censors, demonstrating that artists could now perform freely and accept any fallout. Although banned in select cities, the group largely escaped serious repercussions and cultivated a defiant anarchic persona they worked hard to maintain.
Just as tensions from that episode subsided, most members departed for other pursuits. Replacements drummer Aleksei Ratsen and keyboardist Igor Babanov joined and quickly prepared a new set of pointed social and political songs. These yielded 1987's Otechestvo Illuzi (Homeland of Illusion), the band's most acclaimed and commercially successful release. Its stark arrangements and sparse instrumentation highlighted Borzykin's confrontational vocals and provocative lyrics; when asked about the album's austerity, the bandleader replied, "I am passing along information."
Televizor toured extensively across the Soviet Union and Europe in 1988. Domestic critics condemned the group's politicized stance and melodic looseness amid an establishment long shaped by bland state-approved pop, yet European audiences hailed these same qualities as testimony to Soviet cultural repression. That year the band recorded Otchuzhdenie (Alienation), which remained unreleased for years due to a fractured producer relationship. The setback prompted them to establish their own studio, where they collaborated with noted Leningrad artists including Boris Grebinshikov, Nautilus Pompilius, and Kolibri. Veteran Aleksandr Belyaev exited in 1989 to join Nautilus Pompilius and was succeeded by hard rocker Maksim Kuznetzov. The ensuing years involved touring and advocacy for causes such as ecological awareness in music. The 1991 album Mechta Camoubuytzy (The Suicide Victim's Dream) appeared, yet internal tensions dissolved the group that same year.
The following year Televizor reformed, producing three further albums: 1992's Dym-Tuman (Smoke and Fog), 1994's Zhivoy (Alive), and 1995's Dvoe (Two). Like other revived rock outfits, the band endured repeated personnel shifts in the '90s, with Borzykin as the sole constant. Their seventh album, 7B, functioned essentially as a solo project. Guitarist Sergei Sibikiy and drummer Sergei Rusanov became recurring contributors in later years. In the new millennium the group issued two additional albums, 2002's Put' k Uspehu (Road to Success) and 2004's MegaMizantrop (MegaMisanthrope).
Mikhail Borzykin assembled Televizor in March 1984, recruiting musicians from existing Leningrad outfits such as Ikar (Icarus) and Ozero (Lake). The original roster featured Borzykin (keyboard, vocals), Aleksandr Belyaev (guitar), Igor Petrov (guitar), Igor Kopylov (bass guitar), Vyacheslav Arhipov (drums), and sound producer Sergei Osipov. This lineup swiftly attained prominence, earning multiple festival awards for a minimalistic new wave aesthetic that retained the lyrical and romantic qualities central to Russian songwriting. Reflecting the expanded personal freedoms of the era, Televizor's lyrics explored intricate, layered themes, while lead singer Borzykin drew repeated comparisons to rock luminary Viktor Tsoi.
At famed producer Andrei Tropillo's studio in 1985, Televizor completed their debut album Shestvie Ryb (Procession of Fish). A scandal erupted in June 1986 when the band performed two uncleared songs—"Byiyti iz-pod Kontrolya" and "My Idyom" (We're Going)—that delivered direct critiques of Soviet oppression, including the lines "To escape from control/To escape and sing about what we see/Not what we're allowed to/We have the right to protest!" The episode shattered the remaining authority of official censors, demonstrating that artists could now perform freely and accept any fallout. Although banned in select cities, the group largely escaped serious repercussions and cultivated a defiant anarchic persona they worked hard to maintain.
Just as tensions from that episode subsided, most members departed for other pursuits. Replacements drummer Aleksei Ratsen and keyboardist Igor Babanov joined and quickly prepared a new set of pointed social and political songs. These yielded 1987's Otechestvo Illuzi (Homeland of Illusion), the band's most acclaimed and commercially successful release. Its stark arrangements and sparse instrumentation highlighted Borzykin's confrontational vocals and provocative lyrics; when asked about the album's austerity, the bandleader replied, "I am passing along information."
Televizor toured extensively across the Soviet Union and Europe in 1988. Domestic critics condemned the group's politicized stance and melodic looseness amid an establishment long shaped by bland state-approved pop, yet European audiences hailed these same qualities as testimony to Soviet cultural repression. That year the band recorded Otchuzhdenie (Alienation), which remained unreleased for years due to a fractured producer relationship. The setback prompted them to establish their own studio, where they collaborated with noted Leningrad artists including Boris Grebinshikov, Nautilus Pompilius, and Kolibri. Veteran Aleksandr Belyaev exited in 1989 to join Nautilus Pompilius and was succeeded by hard rocker Maksim Kuznetzov. The ensuing years involved touring and advocacy for causes such as ecological awareness in music. The 1991 album Mechta Camoubuytzy (The Suicide Victim's Dream) appeared, yet internal tensions dissolved the group that same year.
The following year Televizor reformed, producing three further albums: 1992's Dym-Tuman (Smoke and Fog), 1994's Zhivoy (Alive), and 1995's Dvoe (Two). Like other revived rock outfits, the band endured repeated personnel shifts in the '90s, with Borzykin as the sole constant. Their seventh album, 7B, functioned essentially as a solo project. Guitarist Sergei Sibikiy and drummer Sergei Rusanov became recurring contributors in later years. In the new millennium the group issued two additional albums, 2002's Put' k Uspehu (Road to Success) and 2004's MegaMizantrop (MegaMisanthrope).
Albums
