Yerevan Nights (Soviet Armenian City Pop 1986-1992)

Discotchari

DSC004

2LP Black

$37

SHIPS BY 2026-10-30

2x12” 140g Double-LP Gatefold with obi sleeve, album notes and digital download card
Remastered by Osiris Studio from archival reel-to-reel tapes used for radio and TV broadcasts
16 tracks of city pop-esque nostalgia from behind the Iron Curtain, 12 of which have never been physically released
Fully licensed from the Armenian Radio Archive, a division of Public Radio of Armenia, with additional clearance from all composers and their estates

Description

The sixteen songs on this compilation were recorded while generational shifts occurred on opposite sides of the Asian continent: the rising actions of both Japan's bubble economy and the Soviet Union's slow-burn downfall are historically pinpointed in 1985 and reached a paradigmatic climax by 1990. Consider the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, where the sociopolitical dichotomy is even more stark. Unpacking this chronology sufficiently would require volumes; the purpose of this compilation is rather to pose a question worth solving: how did these societies produce the same audible result from opposite socioeconomic spheres – why do these compiled Soviet Armenian recordings sound so similar to Japanese city pop of the same era?

A disclaimer is owed: these reel-to-reel tapes were curated from an archive numbering tens of thousands; they stand as outliers that deviate from the majority of Soviet Armenian music on record. They’ve been selected because together they cultivate a specific atmosphere, which is a paradox of city pop itself: a canon assembled in hindsight by DJs and internet algorithms from a far messier catalog, making the comparison less intentional and more intuitive. The idea of city pop was not necessarily built as a genre with boundaries, and its curation has rather been greatly led by people’s individual perceptions of the nostalgia they all share.

Yerevan Nights honors the simple pleasures that saturate the senses to make such a relatively small city feel so big in perception, and illustrates Soviet Armenian life outside of daily service to the greater good – moments caught in the twilight hours that follow the calming sunset behind the mountains, crescendo up and down Yerevan’s bustling city streets, and peak at the glorious dawn that paints the sky with pink and lavender brushstrokes. This compilation captures the pace of Yerevan throughout all times of the day and is tailored for the occasions dedicated to friends and family that constitute an individual’s shrjapat (“social circle”). The rhythms and melodies of these songs go perfectly with a cocktail of sidewalk strolls alongside honking car horns, toasting glasses raised over boisterous laughter, and meeting familiar faces in the most unexpected places, all wrapped up in a tranquil haze of cigarette smoke that lingers until the morning light breaks and garnished with a sprinkle of sentimental heartache. The ultimate conclusion makes itself clear: the sunset behind the mountains is just as beautiful as the sunrise above the ocean's horizon.

1 Tatevik Hovhannisyan - Oor En Ayn Lapteruh? (“Where Is The Lamp?”) [1988]
2 Georgi Minasyan - Karnaval (“Carnival”) [1988]
3 Gayané Tunyan - Bari Luys / Yerevan (“Good Morning Yerevan”) [1988]
4 Mikayel Zakaryan - Zartonk (“Awakening”) [1988]
5 Nadezhda Sargsyan - Moshahav (“Blackbird”) [1988]
6 Ashot Ghazaryan / Margarita Avanesyan - Yerevanyan Meghedi (“Yerevan Melody”) [1989]
7 Zara Tonikyan - Yes Chem Karogh Ayspes (“I Can’t Go On Like This”) [1989]
8 Elvina Makaryan - Kez Hamar (“For You”) [1986]
9 Nariné Harutyunyan - Garnana Khostoum (“Promise Of Spring”) [1988]
10 Samvel Danielyan - Yerazank (“Dream”) [1991]
11 Garry Ayvazyan - Mysteria (“Mystery”) [1989]
12 Anzhelika Topalyan - Ashough Em Ko Sev Acherid (“I’m A Bard For Your Black Eyes”) [1989]
13 Raisa Mkrtchyan - Anound Vakhov Em Talis (“I Utter Your Name With Awe”) [1989]
14 Artashes Avetyan - Voske Ashoun (“Golden Autumn”) [1988]
15 Anzhelika Topalyan - Lusabatsn Aydpes Kga (“And So The Dawn Will Come”) [1988]
16 Aspram Khizandyan - Chem Hishi (“I Won’t Remember”) [1992]

Yerevan Nights (Soviet Armenian City Pop 1986-1992)

Preview Tracklist

1 Tatevik Hovhannisyan - Oor En Ayn Lapteruh? (“Where Is The Lamp?”) [1988]

2 Georgi Minasyan - Karnaval (“Carnival”) [1988]

3 Gayané Tunyan - Bari Luys / Yerevan (“Good Morning Yerevan”) [1988]

4 Mikayel Zakaryan - Zartonk (“Awakening”) [1988]

5 Nadezhda Sargsyan - Moshahav (“Blackbird”) [1988]

6 Ashot Ghazaryan / Margarita Avanesyan - Yerevanyan Meghedi (“Yerevan Melody”) [1989]

7 Zara Tonikyan - Yes Chem Karogh Ayspes (“I Can’t Go On Like This”) [1989]

8 Elvina Makaryan - Kez Hamar (“For You”) [1986]

9 Nariné Harutyunyan - Garnana Khostoum (“Promise Of Spring”) [1988]

10 Samvel Danielyan - Yerazank (“Dream”) [1991]

11 Garry Ayvazyan - Mysteria (“Mystery”) [1989]

12 Anzhelika Topalyan - Ashough Em Ko Sev Acherid (“I’m A Bard For Your Black Eyes”) [1989]

13 Raisa Mkrtchyan - Anound Vakhov Em Talis (“I Utter Your Name With Awe”) [1989]

14 Artashes Avetyan - Voske Ashoun (“Golden Autumn”) [1988]

15 Anzhelika Topalyan - Lusabatsn Aydpes Kga (“And So The Dawn Will Come”) [1988]

16 Aspram Khizandyan - Chem Hishi (“I Won’t Remember”) [1992]