Alternosfera
Encyclopedia
Alternosfera is an alternative rock
band from Chişinău
, The Republic of Moldova
.
The history of post-Soviet
rock in the Republic of Moldova is a concise one. Since 1991, only a few bands (e.g. Zdob şi Zdub
), managed to occupy solid positions on the show-business arena of the Republic of Moldova and abroad.
Alternosfera first rehearsed with their full lineup on December 13, 1998. Their first concert took place on November 23, 1999 in Chişinău. In 2001, the band did their first demo recordings in Chişinău, followed by more demo recordings in 2002 in Bucharest
, Romania
.
Both the lineup and musical direction have changed over time, as the band reached maturity and developed their own approach to alternative rock, with the keyboards "carrying" the entire tune. Their lyrics are most often about love, but also have social and political connotations. Alternosfera's sound is unique on the Moldovan market at the moment, their influences varying from 80's motifs to the Seattle alternative rock of the '90s. Some people claim that the guitar sound in their songs is similar to Nirvana's.
Marcel Bostan's voice is rich in modulation, having a well-developed and thoroughly practised lyric line and also the ability to go very "high". Their specific melodiousness is also partly due to most songs having the classic piano "lead".
Alternosfera have performed on most of Chişinău's stages, taking part in the most important rock festivals in Moldova and were always well received by the public. Recently (2005) they performed in the Tuborg festival in Bucharest.
Like most Moldovans, the band members speak Romanian
as their native language, except Vlad Hohlov, who is a native Russian
speaker.
Born September 21, 1982. Founder, main songwriter and leader of Alternosfera.
Born October 19, 1983. Played accordion and tuba in school, where he was also a member of a rock band. Also played in the school band (tuba). Attended St. Neaga musical college for two years.
Track Listing
The first single released from the album was 'Femeia Nordica' and the second one was 'Ploile nu vin'. The new album's sound is somewhat different from the music Alternosfera were writing earlier. First, because the new songs sound more mild, and, second, because all of them (unlike on Oraşul 511) are in Romanian.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band from Chişinău
Chisinau
Chișinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc...
, The Republic of Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
.
The history of post-Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
rock in the Republic of Moldova is a concise one. Since 1991, only a few bands (e.g. Zdob şi Zdub
Zdob si Zdub
Zdob şi Zdub is a Moldovan band, based in Chişinău, whose work for the last several years has combined elements of hip-hop , hardcore punk and comical lyrics with traditional Romanian folk music. The name is onomatopoeic for the sound of a drum beat...
), managed to occupy solid positions on the show-business arena of the Republic of Moldova and abroad.
Alternosfera first rehearsed with their full lineup on December 13, 1998. Their first concert took place on November 23, 1999 in Chişinău. In 2001, the band did their first demo recordings in Chişinău, followed by more demo recordings in 2002 in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
Both the lineup and musical direction have changed over time, as the band reached maturity and developed their own approach to alternative rock, with the keyboards "carrying" the entire tune. Their lyrics are most often about love, but also have social and political connotations. Alternosfera's sound is unique on the Moldovan market at the moment, their influences varying from 80's motifs to the Seattle alternative rock of the '90s. Some people claim that the guitar sound in their songs is similar to Nirvana's.
Marcel Bostan's voice is rich in modulation, having a well-developed and thoroughly practised lyric line and also the ability to go very "high". Their specific melodiousness is also partly due to most songs having the classic piano "lead".
Alternosfera have performed on most of Chişinău's stages, taking part in the most important rock festivals in Moldova and were always well received by the public. Recently (2005) they performed in the Tuborg festival in Bucharest.
Like most Moldovans, the band members speak Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
as their native language, except Vlad Hohlov, who is a native Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
speaker.
Current members
- Marcel Bostan - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboard.
Born September 21, 1982. Founder, main songwriter and leader of Alternosfera.
- Marin Nicoară - Guitar, Keyboard.
Born October 19, 1983. Played accordion and tuba in school, where he was also a member of a rock band. Also played in the school band (tuba). Attended St. Neaga musical college for two years.
- Sergiu Aladin - Guitar, Keyboard.
- Eugen Berdea - Drums.
- Victor "Vikosh" Coşparmac - Bass.
Former members
- Andrei Ciobanu - Bass
- Dumitru Costin - Bass
- Olga Vîrlan - Cello
- Vlad Hohlov - Drums
- Max Koporski - Drums
- Mîrza Vitalie - Violin
- Vitalie Chian - Keyboard
1. Oraşul 511 (released 28 May 2005)
Info- Record label: ART-SFERA
- Mixing & record : September-December 2004, ADM-studio, Chişinău, Moldova
- Sound engineer: Andrei Lifenco
- Mastering: Feb. 2005, Studio МГСУ, Moscow, Russia.
- Sound engineer: Serj Bolishakov
- Music & text : Marcel Bostan
- Arrangement: Alternosfera
- Producer: Artur Muntean
Track Listing
- Drumuri de Noroi
- Oriental Monk
- Shadow
- Ikar
- 1500
- Spune-mi
- Picaj
- Astă Vară
- Wamintirile (version 5.11)
- Зима
- Vreau să-mi Dai
- 511
- Alternocrazy (Bonus Track)
2. Visatori cu Plumb în Ochi (released 16 June 2007)
Track Listing- Drum de Fier
- Ne Uneşte, Ne Desparte
- Femeia Nordică
- Poştaş
- Ploile Nu Vin
- Închisoarea Albă
- Cocori
- Visători cu Plumb în Ochi
- Avion
- Nu E Nimeni Vinovat
- Columb
The first single released from the album was 'Femeia Nordica' and the second one was 'Ploile nu vin'. The new album's sound is somewhat different from the music Alternosfera were writing earlier. First, because the new songs sound more mild, and, second, because all of them (unlike on Oraşul 511) are in Romanian.
3. Flori din Groapa Marianelor EP (released September 2008)
Track Listing- Mariane Flori
- Flori de Mai
- Mariane Flori (JenyaSOLID Remix)
- Mariane Flori (Remix NMKY)