Artist Biography by Dave Lynch...allmusic.com

"Chamber postmodern orchestra" Pikapika Teart were formed in spring of 2004 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, in the heart of that country's vast expanse of Siberia. The bandmembers are professed fans of '70s/early-'80s avant-prog artists of the Rock in Opposition persuasion, as well as more recent groups that have revitalized the RIO aesthetic, and are also enthusiastic about modern Russian classical composers; their favorite musicians therefore include Voläpuk, Henry Cow, Fred Frith, and Aranis, and also Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Schnittke. And of course, one mustn't forget one of the granddaddies of progressive rock that has persisted in one form or another from the late '60s into the 21st century: King Crimson.

As far as orchestras go -- even "chamber orchestras" -- Pikapika Teart are a bit small in size, featuring guitarists Roman Nikitin and Pavel Bushuev, bassist Maxim Bulatov, drummer/percussionist Evgeniy Kryazhev, clarinetist Sergey Amelkov, pianist Marina Bulatova, and vocalist Marusya Kozheurova. They also list Alexey Petuhov, responsible for "clipping service" and "media contacts," as a bandmember, although his contributions, while no doubt important to the group, would seem to be inaudible to those listening to Pikapika Teart in performance or on record. However, violinist Nastya Shapovalova and violist Olga Ziborova have made substantial contributions to the sound of Pikapika Teart, despite their apparent status as guest musicians.

Moonberry
The complex yet engaging music of Pikapika Teart might not have been heard outside of Siberia (although that would encompass a sizable chunk of the Earth's surface) were it not for the efforts of Marcello Marinone, head of the Italian AltrOck label and someone always on the lookout for RIO-style artists wherever they may reside around the globe, from the wilds of Siberia to Belarus (Rational Diet), Belgium (Aranis), Brazil (Finnegans Wake, with members also from Belgium), and even Oakland, CA (miRthkon) -- not to mention Italy of course (and AltrOck mainstay Yugen). Marinone discovered Pikapika Teart on MySpace, and contacted them in 2006, laying the groundwork for the band to record its first AltrOck album, Moonberry, which appeared on the label in late 2010.

The liner notes to Moonberry indicate that finding a suitable recording studio "in the vast Russian province" was a challenge for the band, although given the more-than-reasonable sound quality of the album, one might wonder if locating a good studio was really that difficult. After all, Krasnoyarsk is not exactly a small, isolated hamlet with a rutted dirt road and residents who travel by reindeer-pulled sleighs -- it is in fact a major city with roughly a million inhabitants, and has historically been a significant center of commerce and culture on the Trans-Siberian Railway, noted for its museums, monuments, and architecture and the beauty of its nearby natural surroundings. In other words, it should perhaps be no surprise that Krasnoyarsk would produce a band like Pikapika Teart and a recording like Moonberry, adventurous while also rooted in history and tradition.