Radyjokropka (Радыёкропкі at "Two Serge" Web site) (New Web address in 2000; Web site re-design is much more difficult to navigate; still a very interesting collection of Belarusian popular music.)
Important Note: The information is presented here to show the wonderful talent and diversity of music from Belarus. Please respect all copyrights as noted at the Web sites. As noted above, you can now buy Belarusian music from the Internet (see above), among other sources.
Buying the albums (that is CDs and cassettes) supports the music industry in Belarus. And of course, you do not get full reproduction of the audio quality from RealAudio, WMA, MP3, or other Internet music formats.
The following Web sites have music produced by Belarusian musicians, and/or sung in the Belarusian language. Of course, not all groups from Belarus sing in Belarusian. (This is a very broad definition of the term "Belarusian.")
Belarusian Techno and Electronic Music at www.mp3.com
Radyjokropka (Радыёкропкі at "Two Serge" Web site) (New Web address in 2000; Web site re-design is much more difficult to navigate; still a very interesting collection of Belarusian popular music.)
In Cyrillic Belarusian, Windows 1251 encoding
About 16 different groups are linked from this collection, including the host's DJ-style sampling, etc.
Note: Although the Web site has the most content and links for downloadable music in MP3 format, the Internet connection is very poor (at their end, I would guess), and it is best accessed when it is night in the Belarusian and Russian time zones.
Although the Web site appears to be a university student's site, not updated since November, 1997, it does have a lot of very interesting information on it. Includes some Real Audio samples.
Belarusian Folk Music (at Virtual Guide)
In English
A short section of the best Web site about Belarusian culture. Several audio clips, a few pictures, and short description.
See info about the jazz group Apple Tea elsewhere on this Web site.
(Links to other Web sites, including one brief RealAudio sample.)
Camelot (at twoserge.kryvia.net)
In Belarusian (Cyrillic)
I find a plug-in on the home page VERY annoying, since it makes accessing this Web site slow, plus it ties up your computer. BUT complete songs from one of their albums in MP3 format (approximately 45 minutes worth)!
In English
Small Web site, with some samples in RealAudio format ("Ha!" and "Crescent," the latter a traditional Belarusian song, performed by Pesnyary, an official Belarusian band, and covered by Valik for the Pesnyarok CD by various artists).
In English
Small Web site, with some samples in RealAudio format and a few complete pieces in MP3.
Lyapis Trubetzkoi has two Web sites
BUT -- apparently someone hacked the site (according to a note on the BMS Web site); at any rate, the best source for music by Lyapis is currently not available. June, 1999
Narodny Albom (at twoserge.kryvia.net)
Also at Narodny Albom (at home.by)
Neuro Dubell has three Web sites
Downloadable music as RealAudio & MP3 samples only (8 selections), but lots of information about the group.
Downloadable music as MP3 samples only (3 selections), but some information about the group.
In Belarusian (Cyrillic), with brief information in Russian (Cyrillic) and English.
Pesnyary: Belovezhskaya Puscha
In Russian (Cyrillic) and English
In Russian (Cyrillic) and English
In Belarusian (Cyrillic), Russian (Cyrillic), and English (not completely; for example, lyrics not available in English).
Complete songs from a variety of their albums in MP3 format (approximately 45 minutes worth)!
"..In 1988 from the first belarusian rock band BONDA withdrew Slava Koran' and Siarzhuk Krawchanka, what served as a beginning for its farther break down, later Valiery Cynicki withdrew also. In 1989 together with Felix Aksioncaw, Kiryla Shevando and Andrew Patrej musicians created new rock band called ULIS with following constitution. . . ."
In Russian (Cyrillic), and English. Even though the group name is UR'IA, the title of the Web site is "Franc's Creative Laboratory." There are several downloadable music pieces (MP3 format) at the Web site.
"UR'IA's history: In the beginning of 1999, in the town of Minsk (capital of Belarusia), Franc (the Palace, the Kriwi) and Ury Zadiran (the Liavony) met each other. By this moment there was already an idea to make up a new musical project which could combine all the requirements for the modern sound. The crossroad of the modern and ancient cultures is the musical conception of this project."
Concert management:
E-mail (UR'IA): uria_group@mail.ru
Internet support: chris_ih@mail.ru
Samples from Belaruskiya Marshi i Pesni (Беларускія маршы і песьні)
Excerpts from the following two songs (choir music in .WAV format); in Windows-1251 font encoding: "О, Беларусь, мая шыпшына" i "Мы выйдзем шчыльнымі".
At www.kraj.org, a commercial Internet resource for Belarusian books and music. These musical excerpts are in support of both a book and an audio cassette available for purchase there.
Samples of several groups at Sho Mono Poly (www.shomonopoly.com)
In Russian (Cyrillic)
Samples from the electronic music group, Autism
The Web site, www.data.minsk.by, is one of the most unreliable about Belarus I have ever accessed--and I know the Web master personally. There are great graphics and some good examples of Web design on this site--and some annoying errors as well.
I have not seen any complete songs but there are MP3 samples of the group Autism on this site--if you (1) can actually access this Web site, and (2) can deal with the very s-l-o-w connection speed.