Soviet "Bone Music"

Soviet "Bone Music"

While rifling through a stall at a flea market in Leningrad- now St Petersburg- composer and music producer Stephen Coates came across something unusual. It looked like a vinyl record, but when he held it up to the light, he noticed he could see the pattern of human bones on it. It was a bootlegged record made from an old x-ray. He dubbed his find "Bone Music" and set out to find out more about this ghostly flexi-disc, and the many others he soon found like it.


Known as "music on the ribs" in Russian due to the TB x-rays commonly used, these homemade vinyls were sold in back alleys and out of cars when music was ruthlessly controlled by the State in the Soviet Union. Not only was Western music- Rock'n'Roll, Jazz, Blues - banned but so were traditional Russian folk songs. Stephen travelled around Russia for years collecting Bone Music vinyl and interviewing the bootleggers and the buyers to find out just how dangerous and important it was to keep the music playing in the USSR.


You can find out more about Stephen's work and Bone Music here: www.x-rayaudio.com

Music heard in this episode is courtesy of Nikolai Rechetnik.


Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.


If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe to History Hit today!


Download the History Hit app from the Google Play store.

Download the History Hit app from the Apple Store.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(1491)

How Did the American Revolution Start?

How Did the American Revolution Start?

On 19th April, 1775, just over 250 years ago, the opening salvos of the American Revolutionary War were fired at the battles of Lexington and Concord. Elite British Redcoats went head-to-head with the...

20 Apr 20251h 18min

The Battle of Berlin with Sir Antony Beevor

The Battle of Berlin with Sir Antony Beevor

Warning: this episode includes discussion of subjects like suicide and sexual assault that some listeners may find disturbing.80 years ago, the Soviets launched their final assault on the German capit...

17 Apr 202536min

The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen

The Liberation of Bergen-Belsen

Warning: This episode contains detailed discussion of the Holocaust and genocide, which some listeners may find upsetting.80 years ago, British troops liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. T...

15 Apr 202527min

The Sinking of the Titanic

The Sinking of the Titanic

How could the unsinkable ship… sink? In this dramatic moment-by-moment account, Dan tells the dramatic tale of the Titanic from the moment of impact with the iceberg to the first steps of survivors in...

13 Apr 20251h 22min

The Red Army Surrounds Berlin

The Red Army Surrounds Berlin

By April 1945, Soviet forces stood at the gates of Berlin. From the summer of 1944, Hitler's armies had suffered a series of cataclysmic defeats that had left them shattered and desperately trying to ...

10 Apr 202532min

The Great Tariff Battle

The Great Tariff Battle

Have trade tariffs ever worked? Dan explores a cautionary tale from the turn of the 20th century when Britain's Conservatives' flirtation with tariffs led to huge political upheaval and a truly disast...

8 Apr 202533min

Saint Petersburg: Putin's Hometown

Saint Petersburg: Putin's Hometown

Founded by Peter the Great, the city of Saint Petersburg was built to rival the majesty of any capital in Europe. Its splendour made it a hub of Russian culture, and its geography made it a focal poin...

6 Apr 202549min

The Samurai

The Samurai

This is the story of the legendary Samurai - how did they go from provincial bodyguards to revered warriors? Why did they transform from ancestral soldiers to office workers? And will we ever see them...

3 Apr 202532min

Populært innen Historie

rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
henrettelsespodden
historier-som-endret-norge
rss-benadet
rss-historiske-romanser
med-egne-oyne
sektledere
rss-katastrofe
rss-nadelose-nordmenn-gestapo
aftenposten-historie
historier-som-endret-verden
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
historiepodden
historiepodden-ww2
rss-frontkjemperne
rss-historiepodden-ww2
rss-gamle-greier
liberal-halvtime
rss-alt-var-bedre-for
undersattene