He’s just starting his journey in the musical space, but this person definitely has a lot of thoughts, ideas, and most importantly, talent. And although the music portal Eatmusic rarely introduces its readers to domestic hip-hop and r’n’b performers, Antokha MC came to our attention. We don’t know how this artist will develop, but in his work Antokha MS has already managed to show new facets of those genres that in Russia for some reason are reduced to either the American model of presentation (when everything is very rich, beautiful and at the same time empty, in essence) , or acquire a too rough and simple style (from the content of the material to its presentation). Tactfully avoiding personal questions, Antokha MS, in his own manner, told us about his plans for the near future, the influence of certain substances and formations on his work, and also left a great wish to everyone around him.

EM: Hello, Anton! You have a style and sound that is quite atypical for the Russian mass listener. How did your musical vision develop?

: Society is the main designer of forms, models, goals and types - from small to large. The answer to the question is social order, structure.

: TV – defeat from the “ointment”. Non-cadre persons are citizens outside the official labor registration, both domestic and overseas education.

This is how Antokha MS feels the stage. Live performance of the track “This is Jazz”:

EM: Is it difficult to sing in Russian in a soul and r’n’b manner (for which, by the way, you have great respect)? After all, many vocalists face certain difficulties in mastering the melody of Russian and English?

: It’s easier to move where there is clearly a tunnel - in such a case, the compass is a blue screen for everyone. To speak Russian in Russian, you also need to know how to sing.

EM: Which Western artists inspire you? There is a clear influence of old school hip-hop in your music.

: The school inspired me. Excellent grades, diaries and failures. “Old School Hip Hop” is one of the successors.

EM: Very soon, after the Moscow concert, you will go to Ukhta. An unexpected place to perform! How did you manage to organize a concert there?

: There are several components. First: the great desire of the assembled company of comrades to interest people - residents of the city of Ukhta - in their musical preference. Second: to acquire or transfer your piece of creative and cultural approval. The main guys are the signalmen - an asset of the city - those who are active and who want to implement ideas.

EM: Everyday question: what do you need to accomplish before the end of the year? Besides, to go to your concert.

: Have time to put things in order (in the house) in order to celebrate the New Year and, if so, perhaps support and revive anyone. And recharge yourself with what you have lived, glow with the present, and calmly lead the future.

EM: Wish something for Eatmusic readers and your listeners!

: My name is Anton Kuznetsov. I play the trumpet. I live in a 22-story apartment building. The apartment I live in has a window. The window consists of a wooden frame, a window sill (external and external), glass and fun. – connecting fittings. The window wears out, breaks, gets dirty, deteriorates. I wish you, no matter what happens, to be together in strength and in yourself.

Antokha MC is a famous Russian hip-hopper who has released such music albums as “Rodnya” and “With all my heart.” The real name of the performer is Anton Kuznetsov. He was born on March 14, 1990 in Moscow.

Brief biography

The boy was fond of music since childhood, so already at the age of 8 he played the trumpet masterfully. The boy's love for music came from his family, as he had six sisters and brothers, one of whom had skills in playing the trombone, and his older sister played the cello well.

Despite his love for music, the young man decided to get a serious profession, so after graduating from school he entered the medical and biological lyceum. But Anton could not give up his hobby completely, so he began studying trombone at a music school.

In addition, the young man constantly played football, basketball and volleyball, participating in all kinds of competitions. A little later, his hobby grew into an athletic form, and he began training with sports equipment.

Since 2011, the young man begins to actively engage in musical activities and releases his first album entitled “With all my heart.” In this album, the music and lyrics were recorded by Anton, and he also played along with himself on the trumpet. The recording of the album was carried out for the young man’s personal money, and Anton himself and his comrades were involved in its distribution. The issued circulation was 500 copies.

Anton’s music appealed to many listeners, so in 2014 he had his first solo concert, which was held at the Chinatown club.
Further, the young man’s musical career took off and in 2015 he released the song “Everything will pass”, and a year later, the musical tops were replenished with the work “Relatives”.

In parallel with his solo activities, the young man performed several compositions with such musicians as Pasosh and Ivan Dorn.

At the end of September 2017, the musician presented his new album entitled “Advice to Youth” to his fans.

Along with his active musical activity, Anton does not forget to develop. He constantly reads fiction, educational and methodological literature. Strives to improve his English to the highest possible level.

Personal life

Antokha MC is a rather unusual young man who lives entirely for music, so he prefers not to talk about his personal life. The guy says that his family has nothing to do with his work.

It is known for certain that Anton has a wife named Marianna. She has been together for five years. The girl has known the musician since the moment he began performing in small Arbat clubs.

Regarding Anton’s relationship with his parents, it deteriorated significantly after the young man left his second year at the medical lyceum to study music. In one of his interviews, Anton reported that his parents absolutely did not approve of his professional choice, and his mother last attended his concert about a year ago. The young man noted that his mother promised to attend her son’s last concert to see his progress, but never showed up.

Roma Bordunov

Antokha MC

Music, health and work

Anton Kuznetsov, who was included in the list of heroes of the Afisha generation, lives in an ordinary five-story building in the Ostankino area. From its windows you can see a park flooded with melted snow. The children's playground at the entrance is empty, surrounded by parked cars. We went to visit "Antokha MS", chatted about music and hung on the uneven bars.

On the landing there is a cultural recreation: three adult men are drinking beer, smoking and, it seems, are aiming for a long feast. Under the doorbell to Anton’s apartment hangs a picture of a crane resting by the water. Anton greets us and asks us to take our shoes with us into the room.

A musician’s tiny room can accommodate a ton of things: homemade bedside tables and shelves, irons and saucepans, towels and napkins, plates and spoons. All the necessary goods are at hand, as if in a Wasserman vest. On an open laptop are instructions for installing sewer pipes in an apartment. Apparently, there is a new, as Anton likes to say, “business”, “a new task”.

Anton pours tea into glasses and covers them with lids. Then, after removing them, he wraps the tea bags around the spoon and squeezes out the remainder. I watch his slow, steady movements and find something very meditative and tranquil about them. His speech is leisurely, and sometimes, when a question requires reflection, he lowers his head to the side and falls silent, leaving the room in silence. He accompanies his words with clear and even hand movements.

What do you usually do?

- I usually deal with the surrounding components: either homemade, or workers, or some district: go outside, do something. Or centers: leave the house, take the bus, and go there, to the center.

How long have you been performing?

In general, I want to say that I have been involved in activities for a long time and have been performing for a long time, with a fair amount of experience, so to speak. I've been interested in this whole thing for quite a long time.

Have you traveled to cities?

I traveled to different cities. It depends on what. I will say that I have not been to Penza, nor to Perm. I was in St. Petersburg, in Obninsk, in Minsk. Everywhere they accept in their own way, and everywhere they accept in their own way, let’s put it this way.

Which one do you remember more?

I will say that each concert is full of organizational issues in its own way. There-there, there-there, here, and here. It all depends on the members of the team, so to speak. I approach all this as a team member.

How many members are on the team?

- From us – this is me and the manager, the setter. And in cities - everything depends on their group. They are already offering there: let's organize a concert of your band. There may be two or three of them, then the concert goes more quickly and, so to speak, soundly.

Do you have a musical background?

“Let me add some cold water to dilute it,” Anton says syllable by syllable, as if not noticing the question, and immediately returns to the conversation, “I studied at a music school in the trumpet class.” In the future, I assumed that I would become a wind instrument musician and teach, play, develop, and support. That's it, this is my only education. Unfortunately, I did not connect my life with the university.

Anton takes out a treat for the guests from one of the shelves.

So, I prepared something unusual here, these are waffles, we have such a Soviet-style waffle iron. In general, Maryana Olegovna, my wife, does this work. She's good at waffles, but mine is pancake-like.

Anton’s waffles, indeed, looked more like fluted pancakes, which, of course, added to its charm. He prepared powdered sugar for tea and waffles.

Your room is a thrill, a real refuge. Just a dream.

- It’s not enough to dream, - states Anton.

Did you put it all together yourself?

I assembled everything myself.

A workshop is needed here.

Well, in general, I’ll say that a workshop is needed, but you can do without it, I’ll tell you honestly. The house I live in is often called a workshop. Like this.

At what point did you become famous?

Thanks to some labor manifestations. The release of some performance, some album, some recording. Thanks to this, it was no longer fame that came, but interest. The first composition I wrote, I posted it on a social network, and it attracted people's attention. And after that they liked it all, and it would be great to hear another composition written by Anton Kuznetsov. And I continued to do this. And I continue to this day.

Your latest album is more serious and lyrical compared to the previous ones. What happened inside you or outside?

What happened...

Anton turns his head away and is silent for a while.

A lot has happened. An album is like an album, I am responsible for it, I wrote it, I like it, I listened to it more than once, it just so happened that this time it ended up on the social network again.

You didn't put it there yourself?

No. This was done in an organized, dated, timely and targeted manner.

When was your first concert? Were you worried?

Well, in general I will say that the first concert took place quite recently, and the concert and performance activity was more with some connecting groups, which were also in the process of music and allowed me to also join them and carry out some kind of activity. The first concert was at the Chinatown club in 2014, I think on December 27th. At that time, I had some experience of performing on stage, performing some compositions, performing some movements, and had some kind of tempo and rhythm in my performance. If there was any excitement, it was certain, I’ll say so.

In your songs, as in your speech, there are a lot of words of such an official nature: “concert and performance activities”, “labor manifestations”, and in general you are a very collected person, everything is in its place. It seems that you would do well in the army.

In general, I will say that I wish every citizen of our country - and not ours - to be collected, and a military uniform, combat uniform, decent, and in general, like a lesson in physical education and geometry, bring their benefits and routine to life.

In Moscow, and in general in Russia, it is quite difficult to sing songs about how everything is fine. Where does a positive attitude come from where it is difficult to get?

In general, people say, this is worldly wisdom, every situation can be solved so that it is a plus, or a minus, or a plus and a minus. And we try to find notes in our environment that bring optimism and joy. Is it difficult? Listen, well, I’ll say that this, of course, is also work in its own way - pawning something, so I can’t call it an easy task, idleness, it should be the same attention.

And yet, you must admit, there is a difference between the first two albums, where everything is good, summer, sun, and buzz, and the last one, where the Motherland is red currants and lyrics.

Well, in general there is a difference, of course. But I will say that in this Motherland, in this currant, I also saw some kind of expedient component that I formed and created in musical form.

Let's talk about "The Box". What is it like to live in a yard where there is a box? What does your life consist of?

Life is made up of lifestyle. From what is included in the image. Namely: from home, family, activity, work, street, school, health, medicine. It is built from all this. The composition “Box” was built from some element of life. Is it difficult? It's very simple. Someday there comes a time when you realize that living at home is enough, and you want to go outside. And you go out into the street, and going to the clinic as a young person is not very healthy or relevant. And going to a sports box, where you can just sit and do something, is an option.

What does your day generally consist of? Concerts are not every day, what do you do?

In general, there are many tasks. The day consists of components: homework and work work.

Work job?

Public. That is, musical activity. It includes different components. I can include my characteristic educational activity as a social activity, that is, music. And home is family, health. Health can be brought into society.

How is that?

For example, if you fall ill, don’t go to work. Go to the clinic, eat a pill, do gymnastics. That's it, I pulled myself up, I'm on my way. Here, in general, this is the form.

Where did you finish school?

- There is a medical and biological lyceum on Paveletskaya, where I completed my school education.

Do you communicate with any of your school acquaintances?

- No. Well, with someone who lives nearby, but not like that. For me, communicating like this means promising something and doing something. So we’ll call and ask, is he alive and well? Well done? Class. And so we don’t mow the grass together, we don’t knead it together, so to speak. But there are a couple of my comrades who often support me.

Do you remember what kind of child you were at school?

- Yes, as a child, as a child, I was interested in various sections, did homework, went to class at a certain hour, bell, recess, walks, went to the trumpet. I went to pioneer camps, played football, went to the skating rink, and got into hooliganism from time to time.

What kind of music did you listen to before and now?

- First I listened to cassette music, then CDs, then the Internet. Now I don’t listen at all, only the radio. It's difficult for me to master all forms of music access, and the only way I master it is through a radio. I press the button and I get sound, that’s it. In general, I will say that I would like to start producing cassettes in Russia and set up a plant so that we have cassettes with any musical artists available, and so that these cassettes are sold anywhere, and so that you can change it at any time, share it, transfer it to each other , and enjoy life.

Is it because cassettes are easier and more interesting?

In general, I will say that I prefer the mechanical form of life. I believe that you don’t need to throw away your muscles, but you need to keep in shape. This means that pressing buttons is much more fun than pressing nothing.

Are you taking pictures?

- I will say that this is a portrait camera. I like to photograph very close. Produces nice frames with colors.

What are you filming?

- I try to photograph my surroundings or some moments from life. If you want, I can show you.

Anton opens his MacBook and looks for the desired folder.

Somewhere you said that you want to destroy all computers that have ruined relationships between people.

I don’t hold my head and scream that mom.. mom, I’m crazy, I’m crazy, I need her, I need her. The main thing is for people to feel good. Both will be useful, the main thing is to direct it correctly.

In general, I like to photograph the situation, characterize it and understand where to move next. This is us walking in the park.

Did you film this yourself?

We were at an open concert in the park, and there was a photo exhibition there that I decided to photograph. It inspires me, and it makes me very happy, very beautiful pictures, I wanted to keep them with me.

This is Moscow, the city center, Pushkinsky. But here, if you look closely, there are some developments. Here, for example, hung a basket for our pet.

Pet?

His name is Pashok. This is a mouse. There, in the basket, he meets and sees off everyone.

What are you growing here? - I point to the seedlings above my head.

I have tomatoes here. I planted it about two weeks ago, it has already sprouted, I advise everyone to implement this form. Very practical: you can not only grow tomatoes, but also parsley and herbs. The lamp is a new generation, specially purchased, which simply works from a socket and mains.

You have everything in your room here, you don’t have to leave.

In general, yes, I’m more of a supporter of having everything at hand: with a wave of the hand, with a magic wand, what you need appears.

Don't you feel cramped?

Closely? No, it doesn't happen. Well, when I purchased the bike, it really took up a lot of space, and I quickly sold it. In the meantime, everything is in place - not crowded.

A small platform is tied to the ceiling with ropes. It appears to have a keyboard on it.

What is this?

A very convenient thing, I can show you how it works. I began to realize that working while sitting at a computer is not very convenient. Better standing. And so I remove the board, there should also be ropes, and this is how you work, when it is suspended.

Don't you work anywhere?

Not employed.

Material values ​​- money, clothes, everything else, aren't you interested? What are your core values ​​in general?

Live. Try, learn. And all material values ​​are secondary values. As with all computers, you want it to convey common sense.

Do you think you can play music all your life?

In general, I think yes. To maintain health, you need to play music all your life.

Are music and health closely linked for you?

Of course.

What books do you have near your bed?

- In general, I prefer books of an instructive nature. Have you read Dirk, the Bronze Bird?

Never had a chance.

Cool book, instructive, read it.

You know, at some point it seemed to me that you were such a Soviet person, in the good sense of the word. Work, education, health, exercise, and in general your speech, which is quite atypical in our realities, you are not very similar to your peers. Where do you get such values ​​and guidelines?

Where. I will say that we often pass by shop windows, books, videos, life experiences, our own combinations, thoughts, and most importantly, what you do is the center of your attention. And from this your form, your worldview is structured.

What influences you?

I am influenced by the results, the process, the results.

What do you mean?

A two in the diary, a bump on the head.

The musician Antokha MC, widely known in narrow circles, whose videos receive up to a million views on YouTube, is going on his first large-scale tour throughout the country - from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok. And before the start of the tour, he agreed to meet in his studio and talk about changing life stages and high speeds.

Winding through the snow-covered streets, I finally emerge into the courtyard of a residential building between Dynamo and Timiryazevskaya, where I am greeted by a short young man in a jacket with a hood. We shake hands and go downstairs to the ground floor of the building, where all kinds of offices, photo studios and framing workshops are located. Behind one of the doors is the musician’s future studio, where he is currently actively renovating. From the threshold, Anton announces that I need to change clothes, they don’t wear shoes here, and points me to flip-flops. “I try to keep this place clean,” explains the MC. I obediently take off my boots, and meanwhile he hospitably puts the kettle on and takes out a pack of marshmallows, which he begins to slowly cut, carefully arranging the pieces on a plate. I look around and notice a drill, hammer drill, saw and other working tools hung on the painted walls with the same pedantry and scrupulousness. “There is a lot of work to be done here,” Anton comments, seeing my interest in the surrounding objects. “We looked for such a place for a long time and finally found it. Now it needs to be transformed. I love order."

It is clear that the musician is very much occupied with repair issues; for some time he takes on a concentrated look and is immersed in his thoughts. To defuse the situation, I start talking about myself: that interviews are one of my favorite genres and that I’m always happy to communicate with creative individuals, along the way I’m interested in how he himself feels about this process. “In my opinion, this is a test,” shares Anton. “Musicians, creative people, they are different, not everyone can find an approach and a connecting form of communication...”

I remember which artist I’ve been communicating with lately, and mention the name (the leader of the groups Sunsay and 5’NIZZA), knowing that he and Antokha had a joint work and this could serve as a “hook” for the conversation (that very “connecting form ", as Anton puts it). And it’s true: the musician immediately looks up from cutting the marshmallow, and a lively interest appears in his eyes: “Well, how is he doing? How's your health? What are your plans? A very musical young man. Andrey and I recorded several compositions. But, unfortunately, all of them could not be realized. He has a rather tight rhythm, and I’m always on the move - we’ll meet him in one city, then in another. There was no meaningful interaction during all this time. We met through concerts and festivals where we performed together.” Taking advantage of the long-awaited revival of my interlocutor, I try to shift the topic of conversation towards him and wonder what plans he, Antokha MS, has.

I hope that we will have some kind of common place where we can invite different interesting people. Conduct conversations with them and produce something productive - musical, visual, all kinds... I would be glad to invite Andrey here, to say: “Andryukha, come, we have a microphone, let’s sing and please people with our voices!” It's still in the project. But I hope everything works out.

Would you like to make a full-fledged music studio?

Rather, simply create a place in which it would be possible to implement some projects that could not be implemented before. There must be a microphone and a recording device here. To a greater extent, I was the initiator of the creation of such a room, and a lot of people supported it, everyone agreed that it was great. Many people come, help, support both with work and advice.

Who are these people?

Friends, friends, family and friends. The elder brother came and said: “Antokha, den.” Other people come and say: “Cool.” Little by little we will figure this out.

So there are a lot of people behind you?

I think you should strive to ensure that your work somehow comes into contact with your environment and gives you a positive charge. This is fundamental.

Is support from loved ones important?

In my opinion, the main thing is that you yourself are good and take care of yourself. No one will lead you by the hand.

Having plunged into silence for a while, Anton suddenly returns to the dialogue with a new topic, cheerfully declaring:

We celebrated the New Year, it’s already February...

And how did you celebrate?

Calmly. First, we sat and talked with Maryana (Anton’s wife – editor’s note), weighed all the pros and cons, and summed up the results of the year. Then with friends.

You don't drink alcohol, as far as I know?

I have come to the conclusion that a sober lifestyle is much more promising. More interesting. More colorful. Partying is somehow not my thing. I am committed to saying more sincere, precise words and wishes in the New Year rather than enjoying some less-than-best forms of pastime.

How do you evaluate the past year?

For many components. I was active in music, released new compositions and collaborations. I rested, went to the village... A lot of questions turned out to be a plus.

It seems to me that you have become especially popular this year. Do you have this feeling? In addition to numerous solo concerts, you took part in such large music festivals as “Afisha Picnic” and Bosco Fresh Fest.

Yes, this is a significant point. I am extremely glad that the organizers of Bosco and Picnic gave us the opportunity to perform. These were memorable events. I prepared a separate program for them. I believe that such events require an exact understanding of what needs to be done, it is important to introduce some interesting element. I had a striking detail: I recorded the announcer’s voice for my performance so that people who were nearby would understand that there had been a change in artist and they needed to be more attentive. This is the reception.

Do you feel your own fame? What has changed in your life?

(Thinking.) When a person grows, it’s like levels in a game: they are more and more difficult, there are more and more tasks, the speed is faster and faster... When you have 5 thousand friends instead of 500, you understand: “Oh, you need to have time.” call everyone and congratulate everyone!” This is, of course, figurative (smiles). But, in my opinion, increasing the level of my activity presents me with increasingly difficult tasks on which I have to make some decisions. (And indeed, while telling this, Anton looks very puzzled. It is felt that this is the topic that worries him greatly at the moment.)

What is the main difficulty?

Plan everything correctly: energy, time. Find the right approach to each question, think about everything.

You have a director who helps you with this?

In principle, there is outside help. But I’ll say this: hope for help, but don’t make a mistake yourself. You need to think with your own head. Which, in my opinion, is the key element.

So, at your level, the main problem is the correct distribution of time and effort?

I think this is the main difficulty and main task for every person. Because you can set yourself goals that may be untimely for a given stage or person. And they may lead to some losses. And these losses will still need to be somehow… accepted (smiles embarrassed).

You talked about life stages, which you compared to levels in the game. What levels were you at before? You went to music school, learned to play the trumpet, then you started composing music yourself and recording it at home on your computer, began posting it on the Internet, and now you’re touring. In your opinion, everything went smoothly? Or was there some kind of leap when you suddenly moved from one level to another?

Everything was natural, without jumps. I understood, of course, that something was happening, but I didn’t measure anything... In general, the most important thing is that throughout this entire time I received some kind of energy that made me happy and forced me to move forward. This is all thanks to our efforts and our own investments. You invest - you get. Planted a seed and here are the fruits.

You became famous thanks to YouTube; your videos have hundreds of thousands of views. How did you get people so hooked that they started actively reposting your videos?

YouTube has become an intermediary between my creativity and the audience. Thank him very much for this and many years to come. What caught your attention? I gave people something new and interesting. A lot of factors influence human disposition. In my case, it seems to me that the role played by the fact that I studied at a music school, learned jazz etudes, grew up in a musical environment - my brothers and sisters (Anton has six of them. - Ed.) listened to good music, somehow it was filtered. And the genes of my grandfathers and great-grandfathers, which were passed on to me. And, of course, thanks to work and hard work. So it's not all at once. It takes a lot of effort to get some kind of response.

I think that in your songs there is both self-irony and sincerity, some kind of simplicity, playfulness, honesty, and this is catchy. Your lyrics are very light, unlike the themes that most artists in your genre bring up. It also seems to me that visual ideas also played a role in your promotion. I really remember your image in the videos “Motherland”, “Wires”, “Time is Current”.

Yes, we came up with these images together with our friends. By the way, these were not the first clips. They were much later. When I created them, I already had a certain background.

Tell me then, how it all started?

– My first video... Oh, it was a long time ago, I may have missed something. The first video was for the song “Box”. There I used a simple form - I took photographs, cut out details from them and created movement using repetitions of frames. It seemed to me that this was an original technique; at that moment few people used it. Plus, the photographs were very well chosen; they went well with the composition. Then I released a video for the song “New Year’s”, this was in 2011. There I made a festive decoration, asked my relatives to take part in the filming, and a rather funny, cheerful video came out. These videos were made for a small circle of friends and did not receive any great coverage. But they gave me a response and understanding that I was doing good work and should continue in the same spirit. I posted the video on my social networks, and a large number of people wrote to me that they really liked it. These two videos were made purposefully, thoughtfully: day after day I sat down at the computer, made efforts, thought through what and how... Thanks to this, the result turned out to be worthy. So if you have time, be sure to watch it (laughs). Yes, these were trial versions, everything was filmed on some primitive camera, but there are some grains in the resulting result.

Are you such a goal-oriented person? Did you work every day, consistently, without any distractions?

There must be purposefulness, and, probably, it is present in me to one degree or another. In addition, I was passionate about the process itself. I had tasks and goals at that time: I was getting acquainted with the new computer program Sony Vegas.

What was your latest video, “This Summer,” inspired by? Is this your idea? It seems like you are dreaming about children.

No, no, this is the idea of ​​the director of the video, and this is his son. I'm still too young for children, I'm only 27 years old. In my opinion (I judge by my brothers and sisters), people mature to children no earlier than 30 years old.

So you still have three years ahead?

Yes, and during this time you can get a lot done. You can radically change your life in three years.

How did your wife react when you became a popular artist? Is she happy about your success?

Tell us how your day is going.

I am a proponent of getting up in the morning. The first half of the day is a very productive time. I sleep at night, rest, and get down to business in the morning. There are quite a lot of things to do, both big and small: room renovation, music, “homework” in other subjects. But I sleep normally, I eat well, I go to a sports club, I talk with friends, I try to pay attention to my loved ones.

You have a big tour around the country that will last until the summer. I looked at his schedule, the geography of your concerts is impressive. So many moves! Tell me, are you ready for this?

Yes, I'm in for an intense beat. I’m now trying to put myself within strict limits, I work in such a mode that touring will then seem like a vacation to me. I don't let myself go. Here it is again very important to correctly distribute your own strength and energy, to rest and eat properly. If you eat, for example, sweets before going to bed, then you won’t be able to fall asleep for a long time. We need to keep an eye on this. The most important thing is that thanks to this tour we will meet many people in different parts of the country, and this excites me.

What are your goals now?

(Thinks for a long time.) Oh, I probably should have prepared for the interview...

You know, you don't have to share. Many people don’t like to talk about their goals and plans, and that’s normal.

I will say this: now the main thing for me is not to leave the race. Speeds are growing rapidly, tasks are becoming more complex, you have to maintain the rhythm. And continue to delight people with your creativity. You can't stop, you can't disappear. And if you disappear, then for some good reason... Do you understand?

The next time we meet with Anton is a few weeks later to complete the photography. The musician is in excellent spirits, and the conversation flows very freely. ​He happily shares the news: he found a yellow sofa that someone was going to throw away, and attached legs to it (“Careful, don’t sit down, it might fall apart!”), bought a gas mower (“I think it’s so cool! I just need 28, and I already have such a thing. Many friends at my age don’t even have a hammer drill!”) and proudly shows off Nordic walking poles (“Usually older people walk with two, but I walk around the city with one, because I don’t have enough hands). busy. And I feel like a meteor compared to other pedestrians!”). “My new plan,” shares Antokha, “is to buy a machine for making keys here. I’ll give my friends a key to this room, so they can come whenever they want! I want it to be cozy here. I’m already gradually getting used to hotels with golden handles...” (smiles). Somehow the conversation naturally turns towards music.

The most interesting thing you can come up with now is producing,” says Anton. For example, ask Zemfira to produce Shnur’s album or Shnur – to produce Zemfira’s album. This kind of collaboration format would be very interesting.

Would you yourself be interested in collaborating with Zemfira?

It seems to me that she is such a flint. Will build anyone. My friend Mujus worked with her. He is, of course, very unique... Maybe, by the way, it will be possible to do something together with him. That would be great. In general, I am glad to any cooperation. I believe that an artist should be as open as possible: travel by public transport, everyone should know where he lives and be able to write him a letter.

Do they write to you?

Yes, and I always answer. They ask me to comment on my work, give advice, answer some questions - I’m always open to communication. People are interested not only in learning about music, but also in recognizing the person who wrote it. Therefore, an interview is a very useful thing.

Tell me, do you make your tracks entirely yourself?

Everything except mastering. iTunes has certain requirements for the quality of mastering, so we send the songs to an American producer.

No matter what we talk about, one way or another the conversation returns to the topic of repairs. Anton complains about the pipes, which heat up too much (“You can dry fish here! I’ll buy crucian carp and hang them everywhere”), and shows me a small painting that he bought at an exhibition in Sokolniki (it shows picturesque views of one of his favorite areas - Chistye Prudy​): “I haven’t had time to hang it yet, so it’s still standing here. It’s already spring, everything will bloom soon, let it please you with its landscape!”
I’m gradually getting used to the fact that each new phrase from Antokha contrasts more and more vividly with the previous one, and the dialogue is ready at any moment to turn in the most unexpected direction, revealing my interlocutor from more and more unpredictable sides. Still, he is right that in order to write an article about a person, one meeting is not enough. And two are not enough. “You have to paint a portrait, a portrait of a person!” - he says about the work of a journalist. I hope we'll see each other again.