Dialog (band)

Dialog
Dialog in 1985 From top left, clockwise: Deynega, Vasilchenko, Litvinenko (and friend), Breitburg, Radiyevsky
Background information
Origin	Nikolayev/Donetsk
Genres	Progressive rock, pop rock
Years active	1978–1991
Labels	Melodiya, Monolith Records
Associated acts	Radar

Dialog (Russian: Диалог) was a Soviet rock group formed in 1978 in Nikolayev by singer, composer, arranger, keyboardist and songwriter Kim Breitburg. The band played progressive/art rock with the elements of new wave, synthpop and reggae, often resorting to the works of professional poets, like Arseny Tarkovsky, Semyon Kirsanov, Yuri Levitansky and Justinas Marcinkevičius. Dialog's live appearances featured impressive light and laser show, unique for the Soviet pop and rock scene. The first Soviet rock band to tour Europe, they performed at the 1987 MIDEM festival, representing the Soviet recording industry. In 1991 Dialog disbanded. Briefly (in 1992-1993) Breitburg used the moniker Gruppa Dialog for a totally different band which he formed with brothers Konstantin and Valery Meladze.

The band's history goes back to 1969 when Kim Breitburg (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Viktor Bezugly (bass, vocal), Viktor Litvinenko (guitar) and Anatoly Deynega (drums) formed in Nikolayev the pop band Kodry (Кодры) which soon became one of the most popular in the city. It disbanded, as most of its members got drafted. Breitburg's next project Baikonur in 1975 signed with the Jezkazgan Philharmonics. A year later they returned home, now as Gaudeamus, with Breitburg and his new line-up starting to explore the possibilities of the quasi-classical musical format, with the 30-minute art rock suite Zemlya Lyudei, Land of Humans. The elements of musical theatre were now featured in the band's stage shows, as well as first experiments with visual arts. Next year the band moved to the Novosibirsk Philharmonics where it was renamed into Gulliver. In 1977 they returned to Nikolayev, the line-up now featuring guitarists Viktor Litvinenko and Mikhail Pirogov, Viktor Radiyevsky (bass, vocals), Sergey Vasilchenko (keyboards, vocals), Anna Salmina (violin, vocals), Sergey Babkov (drums), as well as the brass section.