Evgeny Grinko

Sometimes music serendipitously travels to different corners of the world without warning. So has it been for Evgeny Grinko, a former noise rock musician whose first foray into the new classical sphere, “Valse,” produced a phenomenon that began organically in Turkey and has since spread throughout the world.

Humor, sadness and longing figure equally in Evgeny’s compositions, which take on cinematic elements that belie their sparse instrumentation. Colors float in and out of the music, from time to time combining to reveal a spontaneous rainbow of sound.

Born in Zukhovsky, Russia in 1985, music was a part of Evgeny’s life from an early age. He has distinct memories of noticing the music in various films and cartoons from the age of 4, including The Three Musketeers and other Russian films. At the age of 6, each morning as he was preparing for school there was Russian rockabilly and surf music on the television. Noticing his fascination with this music, Evgeny’s parents bought him a cassette with the same music.

Some years later, as Western pop music began being broadcast on Russian TV, Evgeny was glued to the screen watching performances by Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and Nirvana. These performances inspired something in him, and with his parents’ help he purchased his first guitar from a neighbour.

After 2 years with the guitar, Evgeny switched to drums and began playing in indie noise bands in his hometown and a short distance away in Moscow. A highlight from this period is a tour as part of a group including Damo Suzuki, formerly of the popular German Krautrock band Can.

Evgeny picked up the piano in 2007, training himself and sounding things out. Fast forward 3 years, and “Valse” simply flowed out of him. Says Grinko, “It was a hot summer evening. I was improvising on the piano and the first part of the melody showed itself to me. I knew it was something, so I took out my phone and took a video of my hands playing the melody. This was so different from the music I was playing at the time that I simply forgot about it. Six months later, I returned to the composition, finished it, and immediately uploaded it to Facebook.”

Evgeny quickly created the now iconic video for the composition. An upright piano in an anonymous field at sunset. A bundled-up, scruffy Evgeny puffing on a cigarette while his hands pound out the entrancing melody. The wistful accordion that enters at 2:21. The flock of birds intruding but then enhancing the sound for just a few seconds. A viral moment if ever there was one.

Winter Sunshine, recorded in Evgeny’s home in Zukhovsky, was released in 2011. “Other Child Room” and “It Smells Like Chamomile Tea” are minimalist, sparse compositions that from time to time approach dissonance. Themes are less stated than implied. Meanwhile, “Winter Sunshine,” “Blizzard” and “Sunset” are a trio of tracks meant to capture the joy in the short daytime winter hours.

Ice For Aureliano Buendia, Evgeny’s first full-length album, was released in April 2013. Recording had taken 2 years. The record is named for the character in Gabriel Garcia Màrquez’s magnum opus One Hundred Years of Solitude, whose strongest memory is of his father showing him ice. “Noir” starts off the album with a sense of longing before the opening notes of “Valse” bring hope. “Serenade” is a triumphant march away from somewhere, with wistful interludes of a place not to be seen again. A mainstay of Grinko’s music since the beginning, the accordion plays a major role on this album. “Rumba” features a mesmerizing drum beat, guitars and a rock bassline - a hat-tip to Evgeny’s past projects. The title track is almost ambient. This is clearly the work of an artist searching for his sound.

As Evgeny was working on Ice for Aureliano Buendia, the video for “Valse” was gaining traction, notably in Turkey. 2012 and 2013 saw more than 1 million views in Turkey alone. Based on this popularity, Evgeny came to Istanbul to put on his first concert there in November 2013. Says Erdem Capar, Evgeny’s longtime Turkish manager who put on that first show, “The venue was sold out. All based on that YouTube video. In that first concert, Evgeny played “Valse” 4 times, and instead of being disappointed, the crowd wanted even more! I was so surprised but the song quickly became a viral hit.”

Sail On The Roof, recorded in Moscow, was released in 2013. Strings and accordion return to the fore on this short 3-song arc. “Separation” is bereft of time and rhythm, with only the melody gripping the listener. “Valse Cm” and “Sail On The Roof,” meanwhile, invite the listener to find a dance partner.

Silent Like Water, named for a Russian proverb, was released in March 2015. Clocking in at under 12 minutes, the record nonetheless feels like a full coherent statement. “Spring Drops” is rain pat-pat-patting against a window as someone stares into the distance. “Field,” with its sorrowful strings and accordion flourishes followed by its hopeful piano finale, is the centerpiece of the record. “Graying, Pts. 1,2” strikes an urgent tone as it evokes the years of a life passing by.

In 2015 Turkish superstar Mabel Matiz put vocals to “Valse” on his album Gök Nerede. The song had a second life. “Valse” can also be heard in the Turkish TV series Cesur ve Güzel from 2017.

Tiny Mouse Tales was released in 2018. At the time, Evgeny was living in a house surrounded by forest. One night he noticed movement in his kitchen and saw a mouse. The mouse kept coming back but seemed to have different features each time! Eventually Evgeny understood that it was a family of mice, and the title of his new record was evident. On Tiny Mouse Tales Evgeny expands his palate to include the trumpet to great effect on tracks such as “Hunter In Love” and “Prologue.” The blog Spellbinding Music sums is up perfectly: “With short pieces such as “Prologue”, “Epilogue” or “Carousel”, the Tiny Mouse Tales EP sketches wonderful cinematic themes begging to be expanded and heard on the big screen.”

Outtakes, a collection of four unreleased tracks from previous sessions, was also released in 2018. “Jane Maryam” has become somewhat of a second theme song for Evgeny, a centerpiece of the solo piano section at each of his concerts.

Naive Album came in 2019. Album opener “Where Art Thou” announces the arrival of a masterpiece. More than ever, Evgeny’s compositional voice is fully formed. Each track feels like a journey in itself, and the album has several crescendos that make the listener feel as if there is an entire orchestra backing Evgeny. The album closer, “Unexpected Finale Somewhere in Lisbon,” perfectly encapsulates this masterpiece. Running through three separate, repeating themes, the track is at times mournful, intense, epic and humorous. Witness the picked / improvised violin notes on top of the relaxed accordion theme that makes up the second half of the track. Although the record was recorded in Lisbon, this track has the feeling of a stroll down the Seine in Paris, a silhouette dancing with heels clicking left and right.

The short EP Lullabies was released in 2020. These three tracks were conceived, created and released at the beginning of quarantine, with the mix of emotions that accompanied it. Evgeny had just had a series of concerts canceled and had to return home hastily. Sensing what was coming, he immediately bought an upright piano for his home and composed the three melodies heard on Lullabies. Erik here is of course a reference to Erik Satie, who has had an immense influence on Evgeny’s music. These tracks have become staples of the solo interlude of Evgeny’s live show.

Orange Marmalade arrived in October 2021. Recorded at the Funkhaus in Berlin, the title is a double entendre. It is a reference to Alice in Wonderland, which Evgeny was reading at the time, and to Evgeny’s fond childhood memories of metal bottles of marmalade in his hometown. Orange Marmalade continues where The Naive Album left off - with a composer in full control of his own voice and style. There are moments of sorrow, moments of joy, and moments of triumph; moments of pensive solitude and moments of orchestral expression.

Evgeny’s live show has evolved to include elements spanning his entire career. His full ensemble bookends the short solo piano interlude, with a number of surprises included in the setlist and in each performance.

Evgeny embraces the serendipity of it all, is grateful for what has come before, and looks forward to where the music might transport him next.