Formed a couple of years ago by two aspiring guitarists, Vladimir Vengerovsky and Alexander Lygin, the band quickly gained a following. They were recent candidates to represent Russia at this week's Eurovision Song Contest, will play at the prestigious Yurmala music festival and can be heard this Sunday at the Soyuz Kompozitorov.
The pair cites Jamiroquai, Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire among their influences, and you can hear the echoes in their listener-friendly soul with funk and acid-jazz motives.
"We make music honestly, the way we enjoy it ourselves," said Lygin. "We try to create something new and interesting but at the same time attractive to a wide range of listeners."
With so many people in the group, discipline is important to ensure that they succeed. "We are a strict collective who live as a family," said Vengerovsky. "Hard work and a common idea is what has gained us such results."
The face of the band is 19-year-old vocalist Yulia Tereshenko who, despite her young age, possesses not only a charming voice but a fantastic stage presence. Check out their song "Summer Breeze" to hear her voice.
"Music for us is a way to express ourselves, all our ideas and thoughts of what the world should be like are in it," said Vengerovsky. "Experiments with sound is a whole new philosophy -- and that is our life."
Having performed in almost every prominent Moscow venue, and with airplay on Russian and UK radio stations, the band is now aiming to broaden its fan base and bring acid-jazz and soul to the masses.
This summer, they will play in a number of foreign festivals and will release their first album in the fall.
The Venger Collective perform on May 17 at Soyuz Kompozitorov. 8/10 Bryusov Pereulok, building 2. Metro Pushkinskaya, Okhotny Ryad. Tel. 629-6563. www.myspace.com/vengercollective.
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