Popular Mechanics

Insect Culture (1985) ...

Popular Mechanics (Поп - механика) was a large scale multimedia group project by Leningrad musician and composer Sergey Kuryokhin ...Insect Culture, an experimental big band/performance art piece was released by Liverpool record label Ark in 1985 ...

Pop Mechanics on BBC (1985) ...   Clip from Insect Culture ...

"In December 1985 BBC 2 showed 12 episodes of Comrades - an epic documentary about life in the Soviet Union. Glasnost was just being conceived, and when Director Richard Denton wanted to feature non-conformist musician Sergey Kuryokhin as the main character in one of the episodes, he run into serious problems with the Soviet authorities. He didn't give up but was forced to shoot in semi-underground. The resulting film titled All that Jazz turned out to be all the more intense, magic and fascinating. Inflamed by the energy of the "wild Russians" which only heated his own enthusiasm, Colin Fallows contacted the filmmakers and through them git in touch with Kuryokhin. He offered cooperation and Kuryokhin immediately agreed .

Fallow's and Fulwell's idea was in the attempt to revive the spirit of El Lisitsky, Rodchenko, Mayakovsky, Agitprop and Blue Blouse: to consummate in the 1980 what was so organically coherent in the 1920s - the union of the avantgarde and the mass appeal. For Sergey Kuryokhin and his Leningrad friends: Africa (Sergey Bugaev), Timur Novikow and many of their artist friends from the newly found Mayakovsky Friends Club, Collin's and Peter's ideas hit home. The mass appeal for them did not so much mean success at home which for ideological reasons was then impossible. They amied at recognition and success in the West" ... A history of Insect Culture ...

Final section of Insect Culture ...
 

Sergey Kuryokhin on Russian TV, 1987 ...

Pop Mechanika in Liverpool (1989) ...

"BLIND ARMY ANTS, following each others trail by smell and touch, are made to march in an endless circle by placing a laboratory dish in their midst. Once started in this way on a smooth surface, they will continue marching until they die." ...from label of vinyl album ...

Sergey Kuryokhin discography ...
The Ways of Freedom (Leo Records, LR 107 (Great Britain) LP)
Introduction in Pop Mechanics (Leo Records, LR 146 (Great Britain) LP)
Popular Zoological Elements (Leo Records, LR 148 (Great Britain) LP)
Pop-Mechanics N 17 (Leo Records, LR 158 (Great Britain) LP)
Полинезия. Введение в историю (Мелодия, С60-28241 (Россия) LP)
Polynesia; Introduction to history (RCA Victor (Japan) CD)
Some combinations of fingers and passion (Leo Records, LR 179 (Great Britain) CD)
Опера богатых (Курицца Рекордс, R 60 00695 (Россия) LP)
Опера богатых (Caravan Records, CAR 023 (Россия) CD)
Popular Mechanics, Insect culture (ARK, Dove 5 (Great Britain) LP)
Популярная Механика, Насекомая Культура (SoLyd Records, SLR 0108 (Россия) CD)
Popularnaja Mechanica , What so funny about (SF 57 (Germany) LP)
Popularnaja Mechanica with Westbam — Live At Leningrad (Low Spirit, LC 8711 (Germany) EP)
Comrades (BBC Enterprises Ltd., RESL 180 (Great Britain) SP)
Morning Exercises In The Nuthouse (Sounding of the planet, SP 7138 (USA) СА)
Sparrow Oratorium (SPI and Kurizza Records, SPI-101-2 (Norway) CD)
Pop-Mechanics — Live in France Iblivyj Opossum (Kurizza Records, KRCD 002 (Russia) CD)
Трагедия в стиле рок (студия Союз , SZCD 0670-97 (Россия) CD)
Просто Опера (Long Arms Records, CD LA 96030 (Россия) CD)
Divine Madness (Leo Records, CD LR 813-816 (Great Britain) 4 CD)
Два Капитана 2 (Поп-Механика, PMC 98001 (Россия) CD)
Господин Оформитель (Поп-Механика, PMC 98003 (Россия) CD)