City name is the programme

Gruppa Karl-Marx-Stadt

They have been making music together for almost four years: Alexey Potiy, Julian Dietzsch, Thomas Blasko and Stephan Weiser. Under the band name Gruppa Karl-Marx-Stadt, the four musicians from Siberia, the Ore Mountains and Chemnitz have been carrying the former and current city names across the republic.
On the last Friday in January, 27 January, they will present their second album entitled "Russkoje Disko" in their native climes at Weltecho. In the run-up, we spoke to singer and songwriter Alexey Potiy about the music, Russian lyrics and Chemnitz.

When did you come to Chemnitz?
Alexey Potiy : When I was 15 years old, my parents came with me from Russia to Chemnitz. That was 14 years ago now.

Despite the different places of origin, Gruppa Karl-Marx-Stadt was founded in 2013. How did that come about?
We come from different cities, but ultimately we all live in Chemnitz now. The fact that the four of us were already making music, working on different musical projects and playing in different bands meant that we got to know each other at some point. Julian and Stephan, our two friends from the Erzgebirge, already knew each other at school and played in bands together. The music scene in Chemnitz isn't that big and you automatically bump into each other. I then got to know Julian and Thomas.

How did you come up with the name?
In the beginning we covered the songs of the Russian band Leningrad - the first songs were by them. The city name Leningrad, today's St Petersburg, no longer exists, just like Karl-Marx-Stadt. That's an interesting parallel.

Are you asked about the band name at concerts?
Some people do ask us where we come from. I have the feeling that some people don't know that Chemnitz used to be called Karl-Marx-Stadt. But otherwise, concertgoers don't ask us our name.

After their debut album "Budem Weselitsja", the boys are releasing their second album at the end of January. "Russkoje Disko", which means "Russian disco". They are now on the road from Hamburg to Stuttgart and play around 50 concerts a year. But Alexey doesn't want to talk about success - not yet. "We are currently satisfied with how things are going. But it would be an exaggeration to talk about being known outside of Chemnitz. That's not the case yet," says the 29-year-old.

What influences can be found in your music?
Definitely Balkan and ska and now also rock and pop. We actually call it Russian disco.

Do you play exclusively in Russian?
It's a mixture. We play more in Russian, but there are also German lyrics in the songs.

And the people of Chemnitz can identify with the Russian singing?
Russian-speaking concert-goers come to us from time to time. But the majority of people in front of the stage don't speak Russian.

Do you have to translate the songs for your band members?
(laughs) We are often asked that, what the songs are about. The translations are on the new record in the booklet.

What are your songs mainly about?
Everyday things, often meant ironically. Starting with partying, drinking, unemployment, casino. There's even a song about divorce. We also have a song with a political flavour.

Is there a concert highlight that you still rave about today?
That was not so long ago - a smaller concert in Leipzig - at "Noch Besser Leben". The club is comparable to the Aaltra, only a little bigger, but it also has a living room flair. It was packed and people went wild. We didn't expect that.

Do you already have plans for 2017?
We're playing a tour with "Django 3000". They sing in Bavarian dialect and are pretty well known there. They already fill halls with 500 or more people. We're looking forward to that.

With your band name, you are a kind of Chemnitz ambassador. Do you feel like a Chemnitzer?
I would say yes. I like Chemnitz and I don't understand when people badmouth Chemnitz like that. It's a matter of taste, but I like the city the way it is. It's not that big, but it's not a village either. You have space, you can pay for a rehearsal room.

Are songs about the city?
For example, there's a song on the new album that's coming out now called The Union of Karl-Marx-Stadt-States. It's about partying and Karl-Marx-Stadt.

What do you do when you're not making music?
I work here and there. But my favourite thing to do is make music.

Why is Chemnitz interesting for musicians?
Chemnitz is good for bands because the upkeep of a band is affordable. The location of Chemnitz in Germany is good. It's to the east, but also quite central. You can easily get to Bavaria, Berlin or Cologne. You have relatively short distances.

You have your record release party for your second album, entitled "Russkoje Disko", on 27 January. What can the audience expect?
There will be a lot of partying, good music will be played and people should have fun.
We have a little surprise planned. But of course we can't reveal that just yet.

What is Gruppa Karl-Marx-Stadt's favourite club in Chemnitz?
My personal favourite is Exil. We also had the record release party for our first album there and played there a few times. I like it there.

What else do you want to achieve? What goals do you have for the future?
To be a superstar (laughs). Actually, I want to be able to make a living from it. That's my goal.