Vanya Zhuk performs early BG at Babel (Tel Aviv)

Intertextuality and multiculturalism, nostalgia and sharp relevance—all this awaits at guitarist Ivan Zhuk’s show “I Bought Myself an ARP and a Drum Machine,” where the former Petersburger and cosmic gypsy intends to return to the roots: performing early songs by Boris Grebenshchikov, at least from The Blue Album and Triangle, with a loop station alongside the ever-present guitar and keyboards.

The word “loop” means a circle, and besides the rhythmic loops replacing the accompanying band, we can expect a loop in time—a bridge from St. Petersburg in the early 1980s to present-day Tel Aviv, among the shelves of a cult bookstore. The mysterious devices mentioned in the program’s title are what the leader of Aquarium threatened to acquire—first to a cheerful tune, then years later in a bitter blues—in order to withdraw forever into the studio of his own spirit. Today’s performer is much older than the author was when he mourned the absence of young punks who would wipe him and his colleagues off the face of the earth. He has already acquired everything: not only a modern equivalent of the equipment that was fashionable in the 1980s, but also the experience of emigration and adapting to a new cultural space. Come and hold on to the roots together.

Tuesday, October 13
Doors/opening: 7:30 p.m.

₪90 with advance reservation, paid at the door
₪100 on the day of the concert

It is best to reserve tickets in advance via WhatsApp: 058 770 5691

Address: 19 Allenby Street, Tel Aviv