AIGEL: A Progressive Voice in Music
AIGEL, formed in 2016 by Tatar singer-songwriter Aigel Gaisina from Kazan (Tatarstan) and music producer Ilya Baramila from Saint Petersburg, has established itself as a significant figure in the contemporary music scene. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the duo adopted a strong anti-war position, which led to their ban from Russia and eventual relocation – Aigel now lives in Berlin, while Ilya is based in Montenegro. They produce and perform music in Russian, Tatar, and English, creating a unique blend of linguistic and musical influences that define their sound.
Rise to Prominence
AIGEL gained widespread recognition with their debut album, ‘1190’ (2017), which explores themes of judgment and the Russian prison system. The album attracted significant attention, culminating in a performance on Russia’s leading late-night show, ‘Evening Urgent’ on Channel One. Their track ‘Tatarin’ became a viral hit, amassing over 118 million views on YouTube and receiving accolades at the Berlin Music Awards.
Prophetic Music Video
The band continued to make a significant impact with their 2020 music video for ‘You’re Born’, released shortly after Vladimir Putin’s presidential terms were reset. The video, featuring an aged authority figure rejuvenating through a religious ice-bathing ritual, was perceived as prophetic and earned international acclaim, including a Silver Lion at the Cannes Lions festival and over 15 awards at global festivals, including the Berlin Music Awards.
Chart-Topping Hit ‘Piyala’
In autumn 2023, AIGEL’s Tatar-language track ‘Piyala’ topped the global Shazam charts and reached #1 on Apple Music and Spotify Top 100 charts across several countries including Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The song also made it to #11 on the Billboard TikTok Top 100, with its music video accumulating 40 million views within just four months.
Upcoming Album: ‘Killer Qiz’
The highly anticipated album ‘Killer Qiz’ narrates the tale of a DJ who takes down a high-ranking official on the dance floor with her music before escaping the country with her boyfriend. This satirical narrative reflects contemporary Russian society, showcasing characters such as ‘couch troops’, ‘Rospotrebnadzor employees’, and ‘war correspondents’ scrambling to flee, only to be left behind as the protagonists make their escape – “the pilot playing hardcore at the controls”.
Thematic Depth and Musical Fusion
Despite its playful audacity, ‘Killer Qiz’ carries deep lyrical themes of death, rebirth, human nature, and faith in God. Musically, it is a rich fusion of styles, incorporating influences from K-pop to hardbass, while maintaining AIGEL’s distinct non-mainstream electronic sound.
Innovative Soundscapes
One of the album’s tracks features no vocals from Aigel Gaisina. Instead, it presents a melancholic, monotonous beat where a young child gradually forgets Tatar in real-time, switching to German. At the album’s end, Aigel recites in German, contemplating the essence of a true home – questioning whether it is where one is born or where one is laid to rest. Additionally, the release includes a light, danceable English track with minimal lyrics about the notion that “life is a comedy”, originally intended as a soundtrack for a short film about a picnic at the Yellow Mill by clown Vyacheslav Polunin.
Creative Journey and Cultural Reflections
Aigel shares insights on the album, stating: “Since February 2022, we’ve had a long creative pause – nothing was written, and all the words seemed to lose their meaning. For three years, we slowly finished pre-war demos and pieced ourselves back together”. The experience of emigration intensified their search for new words, with Aigel in Berlin – a place characterized by its hardness, style, and gloom – and Ilya in the tranquil countryside of Montenegro. This contrast subtly influenced their music.
Language and Identity
After overcoming a prolonged creative block, Tatar emerged as Aigel’s first language, which she finds intriguing, as a similar occurrence happened during a previous creative crisis, resulting in a Tatar album in 2020. Just a day before their album release, they produced a nearly documentary track titled “Assimilation”, depicting children’s journey from resisting relocation to adapting and replacing their Tatar words with German. The track includes sounds from the Berlin subway, and only after its completion did Aigel recognize that the announcer’s words, “the train heading towards Ruhleben”, meaning “peaceful life”, perfectly aligned with the track’s theme.
Aigel’s Observations on Assimilation
Aigel reflects on her experiences with assimilation, observing Russian-speaking children in Germany adopting German as their primary language, akin to Tatar children in Russia assimilating into Russian culture. With her “mixed identity” shaped by cultural blending, Aigel feels empowered to create freely in any language. The album also features their first German-language track, which Aigel describes as thrilling, comparing it to playing with new clay – full of creative potential and excitement.
Collaborative Creation
Much of the album was crafted at Ilya’s studio in Montenegro, while other parts were created remotely, focusing on vocal textures that resemble synth sounds but are actually derived from the human voice.
Ilya’s Artistic Philosophy
Ilya adds insights about the album, referencing Baauer’s 2020 commentary on his “Planet’s Mad” album, inspired by ‘90s dance music icons like Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk, and The Chemical Brothers. Ilya explains, “They used simple tools and didn’t focus on genres, but rather created their own atmosphere”. As someone 17 years older than Baauer, Ilya shares a similar mindset. For this album, they aimed to explore a wider array of genres – from K-Pop to hard bass – while intentionally omitting hip-hop elements.
Upcoming Concert Tour
To celebrate the release of ‘Killer Qiz’, AIGEL will embark on a concert tour. For tour dates and ticket information, visit their official website: aigel.band.
🔥 Helsinki | APOLLO | 20.03.2025
🔥 Tallinn | PRIVÉ CLUB | 21.03.2025
🔥 Riga | TOWER | 22.03.2025
🔥 Vilnius | MELLO | 23.03.2025
🔥 Warsaw | ODESSA CLUB | 25.03.2025
🔥 Paris | LES ETOILES | 26.03.2025
🔥 Zurich | KANZLEI CLUB | 28.03.2025
🔥 Prague | FUTURUM MUSIC BAR | 09.04.2025
🔥 Berlin | BI NUU | 11.04.2025
🔥 Belgrade | DOM OMLADINE | 13.04.2025
🔥 Vienna | SZENE | 14.04.2025
🔥 Köln | YUCA | 16.04.2025
🔥 London | EARTH HALL | 22.04.2025
🔥 Amsterdam | P60 | 23.04.2025
🔥 Barcelona | SALA BIKINI | 24.04.2025
🔥 Valencia | MADISSON | 25.04.2025
🔥 Lisbon | LISBOA AO VIVO | 27.04.2025
