EDITORIAL ARCHIVE
EAST OFTHE GROOVE
An editorial archive dedicated to records, artists, labels, stories and collectibles from Eastern Europe and beyond.
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SMOKIE
Ансамбль "Смоуки"(Smokie)
1982 · USSR · МЕЛОДИЯ (MELODIYA) · Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Repress
This Melodiya release is the Soviet edition of Smokie's Greatest Hits, repackaged for domestic audiences rather than issued as a direct equivalent of the Western pressing.
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Music History
Alla Pugacheva: The Voice of Soviet Pop
She was too big for Soviet pop, yet Soviet pop made her. Alla Pugacheva's career asks a question that goes far beyond biography: what happens when a system built on collective identity produces an irreducibly individual star?
Aug 16, 2026
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Formats & Media
Why Flexi Discs Thrived in the Soviet Union
Cheap, lightweight and surprisingly influential, Soviet flexi discs carried music, education and culture into millions of homes—becoming one of the most distinctive formats of the Cold War.
Aug 7, 2026
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Music History
Aprelevka: The Factory Behind Millions of Soviet Records
A small town 50 kilometers southwest of Moscow produced an estimated hundreds of millions of records — the classical symphonies, children's fairy tales, folk recordings, and licensed Western pop that filled Soviet living rooms for decades. Here's what every collector needs to know about the factory behind the USSR's soundtrack.
Jul 27, 2026
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