Samoe Bolshoe Prostoe Chislo

Formed in Saint Petersburg in the mid-2000s around Kirill Ivanov with the electronic duo Yelochnye Igrushki, Samoe Bolshoe Prostoe Chislo, often abbreviated SBPCh, has since evolved from its beginnings between electronic, indie rock, ambient, abstract hip-hop and experimental pop. The project first drew attention with a Russian spoken word laid over textures close to IDM, before gradually expanding its palette with more songs, guitars, organic rhythms and shared vocals. After a first self-titled album released in 2007 and then S.B.P.C.H. Orchestra in 2008, the group refined a more collective format on Flëshka in 2011, Lesnoy orakul in 2012 and Ya dumayu, dlya etogo ne pridumali slovo in 2014. Over the years, Samoe Bolshoe Prostoe Chislo has seen several musicians come and go, while remaining driven by Kirill Ivanov's writing and by an approach that blends text intimacy, oblique melodies and shifting production. The arrival of Zhenya Borzykh in the lineup ushered in a new, more pop phase, audible on My ne spali, my snilis in 2018 followed by Naverno, tochno in 2019, before the albums Vsyo ravno in 2020, Nichego bolshe net in 2022 and Zhivotnye pyut iz luzh in 2024. Between group concerts, more open stage formats and occasional collaborations with artists from the Russian indie scene, Samoe Bolshoe Prostoe Chislo has built a singular path, at the crossroad of song, electronic experimentation, and spoken-word storytelling.