What does the city sound like? We listen to songs about Riga / Article / LSM.lv

Songs about cities sound much louder and beyond all speeches and commercials. The world’s metropolises have been sung – New York, Moscow, London, Tokyo, Paris – but Riga, with its people, places and common atmosphere, has inspired both local and foreign musicians.

The current song “Maza Rīga” by rapper Fiņķa and “PRAGAII” gave me a strong impulse to see how many different songs about and around Riga can be found on the music streaming site “Spotify”? The result was a selection of “Songs about Riga” for more than five hours. Interestingly, the name of the capital is used in the names of four groups: “Rīgas Modes”, “Ryga”, “Riga Reggae” and even in the name of the Swedish indiepop group “Riga Tiger”.

The soundtrack of Riga is documentary poetic. It seems that the songwriters have such an ambiguous relationship with Riga – in the songs you can feel both love and a sense of belonging, as well as a sharp sense of reality and irony. By briefly outlining the diversity of the sample, it can be divided into three major themes.

The feeling of home

In my childhood memories, Riga brought up and romantic sounds in the songs of Mārtiņš Brauns’ suite “Alberts” performed by the group “Sīpoli”. There will be people who got to know Riga in the voice of Uldis Stabulnieks or Ojārs Grīnbergs, perhaps in the grip of “Nocturne”.

Thinking of a later time, “Astro’n’out” comes to mind first. Their 2005 song “The Part of Riga” sincerely tells about the Forstate district of Moscow, which is surrounded by various speeches, revealing it as a pleasant home and bringing public attention to the group. The left bank of the Daugava also embodies the feeling of home and belonging in the punk song “PND” “Pārdaugava”. In 2001, the reality of Zolitūde was reflected in the song “Rajons” by Ozols and RDK, over time this song has remained popular, still accurately describing the life of different and so similar districts of Riga. Very enthusiastic singers of Riga are the group “Favorable type”, their discography includes such songs as “10. Tram ”,“ Mazās Kalnu Street Samurai ”,“ Āgenskalns Pines ”,“ Rīgas Sporta pils ”and“ I will not give those Riga to anyone ”.

There are songs that sing Riga in a specific period.

For example, Ainars Virga’s “Riga – London” (Latvian version: “If you love”), which reflects the time when people went abroad in search of a better life. Rapper Gustavo’s “Ak tu dieniņ ‘” mentions a time when Riga had become famous as a tourist weekend entertainment place, similar to the “A-Europe” song “Girls in Riga”. The group “Rīgas Modes” in the song “She is a party” marks the way to a popular nightclub. The group “Time Dog” takes the listener to the currently known entertainment places on a night romantic trip in the song “Remember Riga on a Summer Night”.

Excursion to the streets of Riga

Inspired by the streets of Riga. Written by Jānis Lūsēns and performed by Igo, the painful “Alises Street” drew attention to social inequality, to children from disadvantaged families living in the Alises Street shelter. In the rhythm of reggae, carefree and accompanied by the group “Hospital Street” you can get to know the 2005 Hospital Street in the vicinity of Brasa. The group “Židrūns” offers to go with “Ričuku” along Ģimnastikas Street to Vienibas gatve 95, but the group “Blue Jean Serenade” reveals the color of “Avotu Street”. “Origo Boys” have dedicated a sunny electronic music composition to “Old Riga”.

Foreign musicians have also sung about Riga – several groups from St. Petersburg and also the Cardiff jazz-fusion group “Slowly Rolling Camera” have a composition called “Riga”.

Hip hop culture

Riga was and will be a source of inspiration for the representatives of the hip-hop scene.

They look at Riga with real, critical and yet understanding eyes.

For example, in the album “Part 1 of the City Legends” by rapper Kurt and DJ Krii in 2006, Riga is drawn to detail with all its beauty and ugliness.

In its turn, the association “Kontraflovs” reveals the features of Riga’s residential districts without hope for the future in the album “Rajona Memuāri”. In the context of Riga, the hip-hop association “Kreisais Krasts” can be singled out, which originally united the rapper living in Pārdaugava. One of the associations – Ivan Baigais – has recorded the landscape of Riga in his album “Zolitude Panties 2009-2012”. The current composition of the rapper ancha “Riga” is an ironic revelation about the permissiveness of the capital.

Rapper Arturs Skutelis has also told a lot about Riga, for example, he reveals a fragment from Teika with the group “Tversumi” in the composition “Morning Damn Succeeded / Lose Teika”, but rapporteurs Reiki and Elf admire “Ziepniekkalns” in love.

The playlist could continue for several pages. Because, in the end, by searching well, you can find up to 100 songs and compositions about Riga, and behind each of these compositions has its own story, which each listener can listen to themselves, or switch one song on. Of course, I hope that the future will bring new songs about Riga, which will be like little testimonies of time to marvel at, smile and sing with in years to come!

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