Сансара

Сансара (Sansara) is a Russian rock band originally from Yekaterinburg, founded in 1997 by art-school graduates Саша Гагарин (Sasha Gagarin) and Сергей Королёв (Sergey Korolyov). Emerging from DIY apartment rehearsals and avant-garde exhibitions, their early work redefined the bayan (Russian accordion) through experimentalist Руслан Манин (Ruslan Manin). The band’s name — referencing the Buddhist cycle of rebirth — became prophetic as they evolved through genres: raw indie-rock on 2001’s Всёвозможно, Radiohead-inspired melancholy on 2003’s Дыхания нет, and spoken-word poetry collaborations like 2008’s Пожары with Yekaterinburg writer Сергей Данилов (Sergey Danilov). A defining force in Ural counterculture, Сансара organized the genre-blurring festival Втроём легче (2000–2007) while contributing to tributes for Кино, Гражданская Оборона, and Мумий Тролль. Their 2009 tram-concert for 69 — performed on Yekaterinburg’s Route 69 — epitomized their flair for conceptual spectacle. Later projects blurred music and theater, like 2015’s monologue Пионер, created with Mgzavrebi’s Гиги Дедаламазишвили (Gigi Dedalamazishvili), and 2016’s backstage-themed Гримёрка featuring then-mayor Евгений Ройзман (Evgeny Roizman). The 2019 LGBT+ anthem Мы станем лучше — paired with a Cannes Lions-winning video — marked their social advocacy era, while 2021’s Станция «Отдых» reflected pandemic-era introspection. After relocating to the Balkans in 2022, the duo of Гагарин and Евгений Пьянков (Evgeny Pyankov) continues touring globally, preserving their legacy as Yekaterinburg’s most sonically restless export. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.