Car Drivers is a Ukrainian musical group that was formed in 2013. The origins of the group are Anton Slepakov and musician Valentin Panyuta.
Slepakov needs no introduction, as several generations have grown up on his tracks. In an interview, Slepakov said that fans should not be embarrassed by the gray hair on his temples. “No one looks at our gray scales. We are young energy.”
The musicians say that they will always remain an independent group. For music lovers and fans, this means only one thing - the guys will not follow the "trends" and tastes of the listeners. They "make" music that is designed for a narrow audience.
The history of the creation and composition of the team "Carriage drivers"
It should be noted that each of the team members had impressive experience on stage. For example, Anton Slepakov - was listed as a member of the group "And my friend is a truck." Valentin Panyuta was once a member of the Kharkov team "Lyuk". A year later, Stas Ivashchenko joined the team, who is known to his fans for his work in the DOK group.
The idea of creating a team belongs to Slepakov and Panyuta. Having met in one of the institutions of Kharkov, the guys agreed that they could work in the same group.
Valentine's music turned out to be what Anton lacked in the musical project that had exhausted itself by that time. The musicians wanted a big change in their lives, and in principle, they got it.
Presentation of the debut mini-album "Without trams"
In 2013, the presentation of the single “Group Up” took place, and after a while the guys pleased the fans with the release of a mini-disc. The collection was called "Without trams". By that time, Stas Ivashchenko had joined the team. Special attention deserves the fact that fans helped the musicians to collect money for recording a studio album.
The debut recorded with live drums was the musical work "Fall from the tandem". After a new member joined the line-up, the team's music became even more "tasty" and more powerful. The guys finally started to hold their first professional concerts. Until that time, they were limited only to studio work. Social networks helped to keep in touch, and share their ideas regarding the development of a common offspring.
Soon the musicians finally took root in the capital of Ukraine. It should be recognized that since this period of time, their work has simply “boiled”. The guys worked in a genre that was not familiar to them. They moved away from "garage" rock towards electronic, gloomy, but energetic IDM.
The indisputable fact that the musicians' compositions are not without meaning deserves special attention. This is not just a "dummy" that the listener will forget after turning off the player. Some of the band's lyrics are a lively response to the events in the east of Ukraine.
Creative way and music of the group
In 2015, the team's discography was replenished with a full-length LP. We are talking about the collection "Wasserwag". The fans gave a standing ovation to the texts – avant-garde, sharp, intimate. This was followed by a series of concerts, communication with fans and journalists, grandiose plans for the future, promises that the musicians would soon start recording a new studio album.
Three years later, they presented their second studio album. The record was called "Reference". It is impossible to ignore without mentioning that the electronic sound of the “Car Drivers” has become tougher, the lyrics have acquired a clearer socio-political color, and the leader of the band began to sing in Ukrainian.
The disc includes 10 songs about human weaknesses, phobias, everyday life of the creative class and addiction to the social network. In one of the interviews, Slepakov spoke about the "difficulties of translation" and the subtexts of the songs. The musicians skated a number of concerts in support of the album.
A year before the presentation of the collection, "Carriage Drivers" recorded the soundtrack for the remaster of the silent tape "Arrest Warrant". When asked by a journalist about whether the musicians still plan to record music for Ukrainian cinema, Slepakov answered the following:
“Our team is ready for such proposals. For example, the genre of the tape is not important to me at all. I know that many patriotic films are now being released in my homeland, which is logical and justified. Recently, I received an offer to voice the animated series ... ".
Team "Carriagers": interesting facts
- Anton Slepakov cannot be classified as a typical rocker. He does not abuse alcohol and tobacco products. His biggest addiction is sugar cravings.
- Each member of the group has part-time jobs outside of the Car Drivers. For example, Panyuta works as a brand manager at the Fedoriv agency.
- Slepakov leads the project "Combination of Circumstances".
The Car Drivers team: our days
In 2021, the premiere of the band's new studio album took place. It should be noted that “Vognepalne” is the first collection of the group, which is completely recorded in Ukrainian. The LP topped 10 tracks. Slepakov calls the project "a new page in the history of the group."
Initially, they worked on the disc in the classic way for many musicians: they gathered for rehearsals and improvised, and then quarantine began and the guys switched to remote work.
According to the leader of the group, another impetus for recording a new collection was the work on the television series "Sex, Insta and ZNO" and the project "Sounds of Chornobil", for which the guys wrote musical accompaniments.
