Biography
In the late ’80s and early ’90s, the capital’s alternative scene was nothing like it is today. Back then, psychedelia ruled! Of all the bands in this genre, two stood out: Alien Pat.Holman, who played acid-fueled psychedelic guitar music, and N209, who focused on electronic music.
Much more is known about A.P.H. than about the others, partly thanks to the band’s collaboration with Дельфин as part of the “Дубовый Гаайъ” project. The band was formed in Moscow, presumably in 1989. The band’s members included: its creative force, Hans Holman; Kester; Mikhail Voinov; Ivan Chernikov; Max Fofan; and others. The band’s first tour took place in Riga in the winter of 1991. From 1989 to 1992, they recorded several albums: *Life Is More Than Just Addiction* and *Liquid Ether Theatre 4*. Afterward, Hans—who was breakdancing on Arbat Street at the time—met Dolphin and brought him into the group; Dolphin added lyrics of astonishing depth to the band’s almost bare-bones music; during 1990–1991, the project was called “Dubovyi Gaai” and released two albums. The musicians were predicted to become wildly popular, but Dolphin left to join the project “Мальчишник” to earn money, continuing to work with DG on the side, but eventually left the project for good to pursue a solo career. The reasons for the end of their collaboration are unclear; we won’t speculate.
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In 1994, Hans met Butsik, who joined the band as a guitarist and added an ambient sound to the more grunge-oriented sound of early A.P.H. The band became very popular in Moscow’s burgeoning club scene (there are even video recordings of a concert at the Bunker club on August 8, 1994), and a pronounced noise-oriented direction emerged in their music. After a tour in St. Petersburg, legend has it that the musicians lost a case containing important equipment; this prompted them to seek out new electronic instruments, though their guitar-driven aesthetic remained intact.
In 1995, Roman Lebedev (former guitarist for “Коррозия Металла”), who added a rock ’n’ roll edge, and Valery Vasyukov—THE:HET, who had previously played in the electronic band Esclavos Del Futuro—joined the group. This also influenced their sound but did not change the essence of the band.
1996 marked a turning point in Alien Pat. Holman’s career: they met the electro-psychedelic band N209 at a squat in Bulgakov, a connection that led to joint performances. The musicians managed to blend guitar-driven and electronic psychedelia, though the emphasis was clearly on electronics. Meanwhile, A.P.H. gradually faded away; Hans and Kester apparently left for the U.S. Although their creative work later resumed. Hans later played in the band 2Avocados, but that’s another story.
And in 1997, the remaining members of A.P.H., together with Nikolai and Andrei from N209, formed “Ministry of Psycho.”
Later, sometime around 2000, Hans continued his musical explorations, releasing albums such as “Labyrinths of Grie” (2001), “Mystica” (2001), “Best DJ In The World” (2002), and “Letters To Katya” (2003).
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.