«Мумий Тролль»/Антон Денисов/ИТАР-ТАСС
Qalam strives to explore the interpenetration of different cultures. To this end, we have decided to launch a series of playlists in which music mediates between different geographical and ideological spaces. Our first playlist is called ‘West to East: One Hundred Best Songs’. It will be updated several times a week, and its curation will focus on how Western pop culture has reflected the realities of the East, whether they are musical, geographical, religious, or political. (The terms ‘West’ and ‘East’ should be taken as broadly and arbitrarily as possible.)
If Viktor Tsoi is considered a legend of Russian rock with Eastern influences, Ilya Lagutenko takes that connection and cranks it up to eleven. He’s not just dabbling in Eastern vibes—he's living and breathing them. With roots in the Far East, a degree in Chinese studies, and years of working in China, Lagutenko has real Eastern cred. His songbook reads like a journey along the Silk Road, from the wistful ‘Sayonara’ to the high-octane ‘Banzai’.
‘In Thoughts of a Girl’ is a gem from Mumiy Troll's early era and predates their breakout 1997 album Morskaya and the subsequent Mumiymania tsunami. This deep cut resurfaced during the band's electrifying concert run in the late '90s, when Lagutenko was setting stages ablaze with unparalleled intensity. While it might not top the charts of their greatest hits, this track is pure, unadulterated Mumiy Troll magic. It's got all the elements that made fans fall hard: a killer guitar riff that hooks you from the first note, feverish lyrics burning with intensity, and Lagutenko's characteristic ability to feel genuine ecstasy over trivial matters.
In this song, junkees, Shanghai, the martial artist Wang Xu, meihua plum blossoms, the aroma of honeysuckles, and the word shagua (meaning idiocy) all merge into a single, relentless Chinese theater of shadows.
Interestingly, it is in this song that Lagutenko first used a musical technique he would later repeat in his hit ‘Medveditsa’, a semi-delirious recitation in an obscure language (in this case Chinese) between verses.