VA - Groove Of ESSR III: Soul, jazz-funk & easy listening from Estonia (2025)

Groove of ESSR III marks the next chapter in highlighting the musical heritage trapped behind the Iron Curtain during the Soviet occupation. The tracklist spans recordings from 1971–1983 by Estonian artists, most of whom were born under a foreign regime after the war. Nevertheless, they had relatives in the West and antennas tuned in to Finnish radio signals. In a closed up world, they had the courage to explore the groove without borders. Many performers and songwriters became the most sought-after artists throughout all of Soviet Russia, not because they blindly followed the communist party"s canon. On the contrary, the sheer brilliance of their compositions, exceptional artistry, and stage acts that felt like the West attracted audiences even if they couldn"t understand the lyrics. Trying to control, censor, and stop bands from doing their thing became impossible in some cases. Despite multiple attempts to stop him, Gunnar “Iron Man” Graps only sang in Estonian and played any kind of music he wanted. We didn"t hold back on the classics this time, since their hit status stems mostly from the 1.3 million people in the northernmost Baltic state. One exception is “Stopp, seisku aeg!” which has already garnered international attention thanks to Frotee Records’ 7-inch release and the amazing Funked Up East YouTube channel. As is our custom, you"ll find cuts that had never made it out of the archives" analog tapes before we restored them with the help of both Estonian Radio personnel and mastering engineer Jörgen Hermaste. To accompany the music, we"ve written a few words about each track and artist on the record sleeve. A more saddening tradition has also taken root, with the heroes who laid the foundation for our rich music scene passing away. So we dedicate the Groove of ESSR III volume to Els Himma (1940–2025) and Mikk Targo (1959–2025), exceptional human beings who left us with the gift of their music and memories of interesting and fun moments working together to give this music another life. The latter suitably kicks off volume number 3 with the track "Nr. 3," the third song he ever wrote. Make no mistake, our nostalgia is not for the USSR, but for the unique spirit of people who would use music to withstand terror, deportation, and oppression. Ultimately, united by the Singing Revolution, they won back what was taken from them—their freedom. We stand with Ukraine and the rest of the world that takes a clear stance against the evil imperialistic politics of Russia and the likes. May the Soviet Union never return!