Or the Ladybug group. Most of the performers of famous hits have long disappeared from the Olympus of show business, but there are still those who are still releasing new products to this day. One of them is singer and composer Sergei Lemokh.
Childhood and youth
Sergei Ogurtsov (the singer’s real name) was born on May 14, 1965 in the city of Serpukhov (Moscow region).
Father Mikhail Vasilyevich was a military man, and mother Lyubov Petrovna worked as a history teacher. Lemokh also has a brother, Alexey, who is ten years older than the singer.
The future youth idol was interested in music from the age of five (4 years in a jazz studio) and by the end of school he realized what he wanted to devote his life to. Lemokh’s creative biography began long before the Kar-Man team. The young man began to pave the way to show business back in 1981. When Sergei Lemokh studied at the Moscow Institute of Soviet Trade, he played keyboards in taverns in the evenings and worked as a DJ at the Kauchuk recreation center, and during the day he posed for the Knitting magazine, published by his mother.
At the same time, the ambitious young man attended a concert where the national pop star in Gorky Park for the first time performed the songs “Moonlight Dream” and “You’ll Never Be Mine” (text by David Samoilov). Sergei, inspired by Malikov’s work, decides to meet the popular performer at all costs.
Already in 1989, Dmitry in “New Year's Light” presented a new composition “Until Tomorrow” (words - Alexander Shaganov), but the artist does not work alone - he plays the drum kit, and Sergei Lemokh plays the keys. Later, together with Bogdan, he worked as a backup singer and backup dancer for Vladimir Maltsev, for whom Lemokh later wrote the song “Paris, Paris.”
Later, Maltsev became the producer of the Freestyle group and. Then he noticed promising guys and “took them under his wing,” he brought the guys together with the right people. The end of 1989 is considered the date of formation of the Carmen group.
Music
Initially, the guys positioned themselves as an “exotic pop duo”, and took the name of the fatal beauty – Carmen – as their name. In 1990, the group "Carmen" transformed into "Kar-man". As the performers themselves comment, they “met the wishes of the listeners, obscuring the reminder of the rival of today’s seductresses.”
The first album “Around the World” was dedicated to life in various cities and countries. Video clips were subsequently recorded for the hits “London, Goodbye”, “Paris, Paris”, “Chio-Chio-San”. After work on the project was completed, a discord occurred in the team: Sergei was tired of entering into eternal confrontation with Bogdan Titomir and fighting for leadership in the group. The man did not understand why his colleague was trying to “jump in over his head” and take all the glory for himself when he had nothing to do with the lyrics or arrangements. The next album, “Kar-Mania,” was recorded without Bogdan’s participation.
In 1991, the group reached the apogee of popularity: “Kar-man” won first places in various competitions, won the “Ovation” award, and the permanent leader of the group wrote a couple of songs and.
The third album “Kar-man” was a collection of the best songs, consisting of remixes of old compositions. In 1993, the group toured Russia. Sergei starred in several commercials, took part in the television game “Marathon-15”, and also wrote the soundtrack for the cartoon “Captain Pronin”.
The following year, the group released two discs at once: “Russian Massive Sound Aggression” and “Live...”. It is noteworthy that the songs occupied exclusively top positions in the music charts. After this, the group experienced a creative lull.
The next album was released only in 1996. It consisted of slow tracks and was called “Your Sexy Thing.” In the same year, the group went on tour to Germany and the USA, and also took part in international festivals.
In 1997, the group performed on the television show “Surprise from Pugacheva,” presenting a remix of her composition “Robinson” to the national pop scene. At the same time, Lemokh’s solo album “Polaris” was released. Next comes “King of the Disc.” And in 1999, the album “Back to the Future” contained remixes of the group’s first hits.
The project remains relevant to this day. “Car-Man” is remembered and loved by both ordinary people and show business stars. So, in 2016, on the stage of the project “Exactly”, the ex-soloist of the group “Yin-Yang” in the image of Sergei Lemokh performed the song “London, Goodbye”.
Personal life
Sergei does not like to talk about his personal life, but it is reliably known that Lemokh was married twice.
The artist met his first wife Natalya when he was a young, unknown singer. As often happens, the marriage did not stand the test of fame.
Due to a series of endless tours in the 90s, Sergei did not have time to “stop and take a break,” let alone establish a family structure. Natalya quickly realized that she and her husband had different priorities: she wanted children and a quiet life, but he dreamed of creating, constantly “being on the move” and being not only heard by everyone, but also visible. The young people divorced without scandals, division of property or claims. During the family idyll, the wife gave the artist two daughters - Lyudmila and Alisa.
Lemokh did not consider himself a model father. The singer did not attend school meetings, did not read moral lectures, and rarely spent weekends with the children. Despite this, Alisa maintains a warm relationship with Sergei and even goes to his concerts. But Lyudmila believes that her father devotes little time to her.
Both young ladies have a musical education. The eldest daughter tried herself as a DJ, but quickly burned out, now the girl is “searching for herself.”
Having become a father early, the singer also became a grandfather early. The artist has two granddaughters.
The singer’s second wife was his bandmate, Ekaterina Kanaeva. The woman managed to build strong, respectful relationships with the artist’s adult daughters, but she never interfered in their upbringing. The wise young lady did not want to take on the role of an “all-knowing parent” and be too intrusive.
Ekaterina and Sergei do not have common children, but, according to the singer, they are working on it.
Sergey Lemokh now
In September 2018, the artist’s daughter Lyudmila became the heroine of the “Let Them Talk” program. The girl fell into bad company, started drinking and now risks losing her rights to her child, Lemokh’s granddaughter. Lyudmila’s grandmother said that the artist’s ex-wife, Natalya, died of cancer back in 2014. According to the woman, Lemokh was never interested in the life of his eldest daughter, did not show love for her, just like his mother, and after the divorce did not take part in her life at all.
At the moment, the performer gives all of himself to music. The artist releases fresh singles, makes mixes of everyone’s favorite hits, and plans to finish work on a new album in the near future. Despite the fact that the performer is not on Instagram, his photos from concerts and vacations regularly appear online.
Never losing his agility, the man plans to further expand the target audience of fans of his work, so he is actively studying the Internet market. The artist wants to release projects that will be interesting to people. So, in 2017, on the official website of the group, the singer presented the “Double Jazzy” project.
Among other things, Lemokh continues to perform as part of the group “Kar-man” both in Russia and in Europe.
Discography
- 1990 - “Around the World”
- 1991 - “Pocket”
- 1994 - “Russian massive sound aggression”
- 1996 - “Your sexy thing”
- 1997 - “Polaris”
- 1998 - “King of the Disc”
- 2008 - “Nitro”
- 2014 - “Ultrasound”
The group "Kar-men" was one of the most popular Soviet and Russian musical groups in the early and mid-nineties. She became a cult dance of that time. The group was created in 1989 by Sergei Lemokh and Bogdan Titomir. But a year later the team broke up. Titomir went into solo work. However, the musical project did not cease to exist. The lead singer of the group “Carmen” and songwriter Lemokh continued
Start
Sergei was born on May 14, 1965 in the city of Serpukhov. The future stage idol studied at the Moscow Cooperative Institute and graduated in 1988 with a degree in merchandising. But he also has a musical education: 7 years of school and 4 years of jazz studio. The future lead singer of the Carmen group began his career in show business in 1981. He played and sang in restaurants and worked as a DJ. Somewhat later, he joined the musicians first with Dmitry Malikov, and then with Vladimir Maltsev, for whom he wrote the song “Paris, Paris”. Subsequently, it was with this composition that the history of the Kar-men group began.
Nineties
The first album of the project turned out to be unusual: the songs told about different countries and cities. The name of the disc was given accordingly - “Around the World”. The next album, “Car-Mania,” was released without the participation of Bogdan Titomir.
Since 1991, the project's popularity began to reach its apogee. The group “Kar-men” won first places in various competitions and won the “Ovation” award. In the same year, Sergei Lemokh wrote several songs that gained great popularity.
The third album “Kar-men” was a collection of the best songs, consisting of remixes of old themes and several new compositions. In 1993, the group actively toured Russia. The lead singer of "Carmen" starred in several commercials, took part in the television game "Marathon-15", and also made the soundtrack for the domestic cartoon "Captain Pronin".
The following year, the group released two discs at once: “Russian Massive Sound Aggression” and “Live...”. It is noteworthy that all the songs for them were written by Lemokh himself, and most of them occupied top positions in the music charts. After this, the group experienced a creative lull.
The next album was released only in 1996. It consisted mostly of slow songs and was called "Your Sexy Thing." In the same year, the group went on tour to Germany and the USA, and also took part in international festivals.
In 1997, the group performed on the television show “Surprise from Pugacheva,” presenting a remix of her composition “Robinson.” This period of time is also notable for the release of Lemokh’s solo album, “Polaris.”
Two thousandths
In 2001, the group celebrated its 10th anniversary by going on tour in Russia and Germany, which lasted a whole year.
The project continues to live, new songs are played and concerts are held in nightclubs. The lead singer of the group “Carmen” keeps up with the times, he releases fresh and fashionable material. Of course, he is not as popular as before, but audiences happily meet him at concerts that take place several times a month.
In 2014, several of the group’s hits became the soundtrack to the popular TV series “Fizruk”. Lemokh is currently participating in a new project. The young rock band “SidHouse” invited him to release a joint album.
Personal life
The lead singer of the Carmen group was married twice. The first marriage ended in divorce. The fame that came to the artist separated the spouses. But Lemokh and Natalya maintained friendly relations. They have two children: Alisa and Lyudmila. The musician is unable to pay enough attention to his daughters due to his busy work schedule. Sergei's second wife, Ekaterina, is a member of the Kar-men group.
Formed in October 1989. It was conceived as an “exotic pop duo” by Sergei Lemokh (real name Ogurtsov) born on May 14, 1965 and Bogdan Titomir (real name Oleg Titorenko), who at that time worked as backup dancers for the pop singer Vladimir Maltseva.
Sergei Lemokh graduated from the Moscow Institute of Soviet Trade in 1988. I decided to take my mother’s last name as more suitable for stage activities. The duet instantly became popular. The musicians worked in the style of a “film travel club,” as evidenced by the title of their first album, “Around the World,” which included songs such as London, Goodbye; Paris, Paris; Cio-Cio-San. The duo managed to record their second disc, “Kar-Mania,” after which Lemokh and Titomir broke up in April 1991. Bogdan began working solo, and Sergei, retaining the rights to the name, recruited musicians and a group of dancers. Now he is married. Has two children, all of them girls: Alisa and Lyudmila. But still, as when he was a Kar-man duo, he loves cool music, wild sex, cars and bodybuilding. And he has something to tell us...again about Germany.
Bogdan Titomir is a Russian pop singer who has created the image of a sex preacher. Bogdan Titomir is often called "the first Russian rapper."
As a child, Bogdan Titomir studied music (piano) and wanted to enter the conservatory, but his fate turned out differently.
At the very beginning of 1991, “Kar-Man” celebrated the anniversary of its existence, and in April 1991, the exotic pop duo “Kar-Man” broke up. Sergei Lemokh, retaining the rights to the name and recruiting musicians and a group of dancers, continued experiments in the “exotic pop” style, and Bogdan Titomir developed the foundation of popular music, introducing the “High Energy” movement. Already without Titomir, a second album called “Kar-Mania” was released, which is no worse than the first, even better. A video was shot for the title theme "Bad Russians". "Kar-Man" won first places at the competitions "Shlyager-90", "50x50" (1991), "Starry Rain" (1991). In the same 1991, she was awarded the national Ovation award in the pop group category. In 1991, Lemokh wrote music for several songs by N. Gulkina - “China”, “You just have to dream”, “Ivanhoe”, “Farewell forever”.
After the release of two albums, a collection of the best songs was released, which included one remix of “Cio-Cio-San” and three new “Ciao, bambino” (for which a video was shot), “Is it love” and “Dancing in laser smoke”. In 1993, "Kar-Man" toured Russia. In the same year, Lemokh took part in the filming of commercials for the cigarette "B.O.Y." and products from Hitec. He took part in the television game "Marathon 15 - Start", where, unfortunately, Lemokh did not win (his dancers could not answer the simplest question and he fired them all). The soundtrack for the cartoon "Captain Pronin" was recorded.
In 1994, two albums, “Russian Massive Sound Aggression” and “Live...”, were released at once. All the group's songs were written by Sergei Lemokh. Many of them took leading places in various charts: “Angel of love”, “Soyuz-Apollo”, “This is Car-Man”, “Hotel California” (dance remix of the Eagles song). Video clips for the songs “Ciao, Bambino”, “Bad Russians” and others were very popular. In 1994, Lemokh wrote music for N. Senchukova’s song “You are not Don Juan”. Also recorded together with Lika, Lada Dance, S. Vladimirskaya, V. Nechitailo, I. Siliverstov the song “Children of the Moon”.
In the period from 1994 to 1996, “Kar-Man” completely disappeared. Nothing is seen, nothing is heard. And yet, at the end of 1996, the long-awaited album “Your Sexy Thing” was released, which was simply full of slow songs. In 1996, the team celebrated its fifth anniversary (as a solo project of Sergei Lemokh), and the release of a new disc, “Your Sexy Thing,” was timed to coincide with it. The group toured Germany, the USA, participated in the festivals "Voice of Asia" (1996), "Slavic Bazaar", "Tavrian Games" (1997).
Best of the day
In 1997, "Kar-Man" participated in the project "Surprise from Pugacheva", recording a remix of the song "Robinson" in the disco style. In the same year, Sergei Lemokh’s solo project “Polaris” was released.
After a short lull, the album “King of Disc” was released in 1998, all of the music in which is completely in the (classical) “disco” style. Due to A. Lachinov's illness, the release of the video for the song "Dance Disco" from the album "King of Disc", which appeared only around the beginning of 1999, was delayed.
A year and a half later, in December 1999, an album of remixes of old hits (from 1991 to 1994) was released. It’s a pity that remixes have not been written for such songs as (at least not 10, but 16 songs were included in the album), “Sultry Istanbul”, “Bad Russians”, “Caribbean girl”, “Sound Aggressor”, “Grand Inquisitor”, etc. .d.
Since June 13, 2001, a demonstration of the anniversary program of the legendary group “Kar-Man”, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of their creative journey, took place in Germany. The tour lasted until July 8.
About 5 years ago, at every disco, the audience energetically moved to the fiery rhythm of the Kar-Men group and enthusiastically sang along: “This is San Francisco, a city in the disco style:” The wild popularity of the group was explained by the fact that it was one of the few Russian groups started playing new, trendy dance music. Then, in the early 90s, the group filled stadiums, and suddenly, at the peak of its popularity, “Car-Man” disappeared. Also “suddenly” in early February of this year, Sergei Lemokh, the leader of the group, announced his return to “big” show business with a grand tour of Russia “Car-Men” - 10 years." The tour started with a big concert in Moscow. To the same The ebullient energy of the soloist and the powerful drive of disco were supplemented with new arrangement technologies. The concert clearly showed that it was too early for the “grandfather of disco” to retire.
Alphabet correspondent Elizaveta Rukina met with the lead singer, songwriter and main inspirer of the revived Kar-Men Sergei Lemokh.
- I was always interested in where the group got its name from...
Once upon a time in the rock laboratory there was a team called "Car-Man". I knew these guys well, we played in concerts together. When the era of basement rock ended, the team went their separate ways. But I really liked the name, and I took it for my commercial project: it means “man-machine”. Simple and very suitable for the type of music I work with.
- A large program of concerts throughout Russia and a large tour abroad have been announced. "Kar-Man" is coming to the "big stage" again?
I think yes. We present a new program dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the group. Where else to celebrate an anniversary if not at home? Well, besides, I am now working with the production company Music Hammer. We have prepared and released the first album of the "Legends of Russian Disco" series. This is a kind of summary of the passing century; the album includes the most famous disco hits. In addition, many interesting surprises are being prepared, so fans will not be bored.
- Is there any fundamentally new idea in the album that is being prepared for release?
Of course I have. In general, it is now very difficult to do something new, since in the mainstream of dance music it is almost impossible to surprise the listener. But I practice mixing styles. Pure style is the prerogative of DJs. They put everything in its place.
- What styles do you prefer in dance music?
For example, "ethno". I like to work with traditional Chinese or Japanese music. I like the sound of oriental motifs at a hard dance tempo. And, of course, I love working with disco. The latest wave in the West is “80s style”. In my new album, I mixed everything up very cleverly, for example, live rhythm sections will be used. I just returned from Germany, I was at the last Mayday festival. Disco is very popular with them. There is a group called "Spike", super popular in Germany, the channel "Viva" plays their videos almost constantly. Nobody here knows about them.
- Many of your fans haven’t heard anything about you for a long time. What was the reason for such a long vacation for the group?
We didn't really stop working. In particular, we performed constantly at the Slava club for three years in a row. There was no widespread publicity on television or in "prestigious" clubs, but this does not mean that we stopped our activities completely. In addition, we released an album every year. The latest albums are “King of Disco” (1998) and a collection of remixes “Back to the Future” (1999). So nothing stopped. I had offers to work in Germany and Canada, although nothing has come of it yet, but the offers remain valid. During this same time, Alexey Lachinov and I made a computer video, which took second place in a computer graphics competition. Now this clip on the Internet is called the fastest and most sophisticated.
Kar-Man
biographydate added: 29.07.2008
This wonderful group was founded by Sergei Lemokh and Bogdan Titomir, who met while working in the dance group of the artist Vladimir Maltsev, popular in the late eighties of the last century. Since both dreamed of creating their own project, it was decided to collaborate with each other.
Thus, in the fall of 1989, their duet “Kar-Man” appeared. The friends decided to work in the genre of popular music, quite heavily flavored with exotic elements. In particular, their first studio album was called “Around the World” and was stylized as a kind of musical journey around the world. The disc includes such hits as “London, Goodbye”, “Paris, Paris” and “Chio-Chio-San”.
The group very quickly became very popular and famous. They even started recording a second album, which it was decided to call “Car-Mania”. But it was at this peak of fame that one of the duet members, Bogdan Titomir, left the team to start a solo career. And Sergei Lemokh remains alone.
Nevertheless, Sergei does not despair. The already recorded (and no less powerful than the group’s first work) album “Kar-Mania” is being released. Since all rights to use the name of the group remain with him, Lemokh recruits new talented musicians and dancers. And he begins to perform with them, remaining the team leader.
One of the best compositions of the second album is the track "Bad Russians". Moreover, a good video was even shot for it, which only increases the popularity of the group. In 1991, the team even became the owner of the very prestigious Ovation Award, and won a number of reputable competitions, such as Shlyager-90, 50x50 and Starry Rain. At the same time, Lemokh tried himself as a songwriter independent from the group. The first experience of cooperation was working with N. Gulkina, for whom he wrote a number of successful tracks: “China”, “You just have to dream”, “Ivanhoe”, “Farewell forever”...
Until 1993, the group did not write new records, but the team released a collection of the best songs. Among which are three new compositions - “Ciao, bambino”, “Is it love” and “Dancing in laser smoke”. Moreover, “Ciao, bambino” turns out to be a real hit, and soon an equally talented and bright video is shot for it. The group is at the very peak of its popularity, and at this time “Kar-man” tours a lot throughout Russia.
In addition to performing on stage, Sergei Lemokh began to devote a lot of energy to non-pop projects. In particular, he participated in the game "Marathon 15 - Start", recorded part of the soundtrack for the animated film "Captain Pronin" and even starred in advertising for such well-known companies as "Hitec" and "B.O.Y."
In 1994, the group delighted its fans with new recordings. And not just one album, but two at once. This is how the records “Russian Massive Sound Aggression” and “Live...” hit the shelves. Such compositions as “Angel of love”, “Soyuz-Apollo”, and “This is Car-Man” quickly occupy leading positions in the leading charts in Russia. The song “Hotel California” is also very unusual and talented. The famous work of the Eagles team, presented as a dance remix, is received very warmly by the public...
After the release of the above albums, the Kar-Man team goes on a kind of vacation for a while. True, Lemokh still collaborates with a number of Russian pop stars, in particular with N. Senchukova, Lika, Lada Dance, S. Vladimirskaya, V. Nechitailo, and I. Siliverstov. But after, until 1996, it becomes difficult to get any information about the team. No concerts, no recordings...
True, by 1996 the team was finally emerging from hibernation. And he even presents fans with a new record called “Your Sexy Thing.” A distinctive feature of the album is a large number of slow compositions, which are very different from the group’s early work. The group also resumes live performances, visiting such festivals as “Voice of Asia”, “Slavic Bazaar”, and “Tavrian Games”.
After successful tours in Germany and the USA, the group returns to Russia. Where he gets the chance to take part in a very interesting event “Surprise from Pugacheva”. As part of this project, the team is rewriting Alla Borisovna’s famous song called “Robinson”. In particular, he creates a stunning remix of it in the “disco” style.
In 1997, Sergei Lemokh thought about a solo project, thereby founding the Polaris group. True, work continues on the “Kar-man” repertoire - already in 1999 a new record, “King of Disc,” was released. And soon another album appears, although it was coolly received by the fans, since it consists entirely of remixes of already known songs of the team.
After another period of calm, a kind of revival of the team took place only after 2001. In connection with the tenth anniversary of the Kar-Men group, its members decided to create an anniversary concert program from old and new hits. The first premiere of this festive project took place during a tour of Germany. But then Sergei Lemokh brought the program to Russia, where a very large-scale tour took place throughout the country under the banner of “Kar-Man - 10 Years”. Thus marking the musicians’ temporary return to “big” show business...
