Nostalgia of Sound: The Social and Cultural Phenomenon of the “Soviet Wave” Music Community

Abstract

Nostalgia for the late Soviet past takes various forms and is intertwined in complex ways with global trends to look to the past for inspiration in creating new examples of mass culture. New generations of those who were born and raised after the collapse of the Soviet system are being introduced to nostalgic reminiscences. The article analyzes the socio-cultural phenomenon of electronic music Soviet Wave, which combines the stylistics of the late Soviet popular culture and contemporary electronic music. This phenomenon can be understood as post-nostalgia for the late Soviet, since it involves members of the younger generation who know about the Soviet from the stories of their parents and the media. In addition, the “Soviet Wave” is also analyzed as part of the general trend of retromania described by S. Reynolds. Reynolds, where there is an endless reference to the musical styles of the past in the creation of new works. The main concept of the phenomenon of the Soviet Wave is the idea of “ersatz-nostalgia” by A. Appadurai, which suggests the contemporary experience of the past without a corresponding life experience and collective historical memory, but based on the popular patterns of mass culture, in the representations of which the past has already undergone profound transformation. Nostalgia for the late Soviet past takes various forms and is intertwined in complex ways with global trends to look to the past for inspiration in creating new examples of mass culture. The article presents a brief history of the formation and evolution of the musical culture of “Soviet Wave” in the Russian subcultural scene, shows the connection of the aesthetics of this trend with the nostalgic mood of the late Soviet period, reveals the elements of ersatz and techno nostalgia (T. Pinch, D. Reyneke), examines the relationship of this phenomenon with the broader trends in contemporary mass culture in the international context. “The Soviet Wave” is also considered as an element of cultural citizenship formation and transformational museumfication of the Soviet. The article is based on the results of the author’s empirical research, which included interviews with musicians working in the “Soviet Wave” genre.