I’ve been reviewing surf music for a long time, and have received music from bands all over the world – Japan, Argentina, Denmark, Croatia, Australia, Germany, Holland, France, Peru, Brazil, etc… However, it always surprised me that I didn’t hear more from Russia. A while back I got a disc from Hula Hoop that was pretty good, but nothing else.

Thankfully that all changed when I hooked up with Art of the King Kongs – thanks to him I’ve been turned on to a bunch of great Russian surf bands from the past and present, including his own. They started off as more of a garage/punk band, but a couple of years ago, inspired by fans who really dug the instrumentals they were playing, decided to focus more on surf music and they’re really starting to establish a name for themselves. In addition to their own CD’s, Art has supplied me with discs by the Messer Chups, mid-60’s combo Elektron and a great 25-track compilation called Voodoo Surf. All of these will be reviewed in the upcoming issue of The Continental Magazine.