Sound producers’ names rarely take center stage, yet they largely determine the success and final sound of tracks. We’re featuring ten musicians behind the hits of Egor Creed, PHARAOH, Zivert, and other Russian stars.
Maxim Fadeev
Maxim Fadeev was behind several major pop projects of the 2000s, including Gluk’oZu and SEREBRO, and also worked for many years with Yulia Savicheva. But his production approach is most clearly demonstrated in the story of Gluk’oZu, where the music was linked to the visual image from the very beginning.
According to Fadeev, before launching the project, he spent about a year working on the sound of the band Total, but ultimately the material turned out too heavy. Then the producer decided to go in the opposite direction: he bought a children’s synthesizer in Prague for about $70 and recorded a simple “Suga” on it. Toy beats, bass, and a minimalist arrangement set the direction for the project’s early sound. The musical idea acquired its own visual universe, with Maxim Fadeev himself behind the imagery, and the illustrated Gluk’oZa became one of the most notable pop projects of the 2000s.
With SEREBRO, Fadeev worked differently. According to him, with Gluk’oZa he calculated every detail, whereas the band’s music was more often born in a free creative flow. During the producer’s collaboration with Yulia Savicheva, her early hits “Vysoko” and “Prosti za lyubov” (Forgive for Love) were released, as well as other songs for which Maxim Fadeev wrote the music.
Fargo
Fargo is a multi-platinum producer and songwriter for Zivert, Dima Bilan, MOT, Lyusya Chebotina, ANNA ASTI, and other artists. Among his most famous works is Zivert’s “Life,” which combines Russian-language verses with an English-language chorus and a retro feel. Fargo’s career also includes international collaborations: he collaborated with Miguel, and in 2025, he participated in the creation of the joint track “Kukareku” between MARGO and Lil Pump.
FargoOutside the studio, Fargo shares his experience in public talks and podcasts, where he discusses creating hits, working with artists, and the differences between the Russian and American music markets. He recently spoke about the inner workings of the profession in the first episode of the Yandex Music video project “Those Who Write Hits.” Together with Alex Davia and LYRIQ, the producer recalled how work on famous songs began, how the initial idea changed, and what decisions turned out to be key.
DJ SMASH
DJ SMASH helped club electronica go beyond the dance floors in the late 2000s. The compositions “Moscow Never Sleeps” and “Volna” entered the rotation of radio stations and music TV channels, and Andrey Shirman gradually transformed from a popular DJ into an independent pop star.
Over time, DJ SMASH began to regularly record songs with famous artists. His discography includes collaborations with Vera Brezhneva, the group “Vintage,” Polina Gagarina, Yegor Creed, Klava Koka, Artik & Asti, and Olga Seryabkina. These compositions vary in mood and genre, but a dance foundation remains the core element of his music.
Alex Davia
Alex Davia’s work is known far more widely than the producer himself. He collaborated with Yegor Creed for several years during his career. Among their most high-profile collaborations is “Color of Mood: Black,” recorded with Philipp Kirkorov. Alex Davia also participated in the creation of the songs “Heartbreaker”, “Voice”, “Girl from a Picture”, “Blue Eyes” and other releases by Egor Creed.
A prominent place in his discography is occupied by his collaboration with Marie Kraimbrery. Alex Davia wrote music for her and worked on arrangements, and then appeared at the microphone himself. Together they released the tracks “If You Love Me” and “Uspokoyu”, where the producer acted as a performer.
White Punk
White Punk became one of the key figures in the Dead Dynasty group and noticeably influenced the early sound of PHARAOH. Cold and dark instrumentals helped the artist form his distinctive sound, which listeners still associate with the important period of Russian rap in the 2010s. Over the years of working together, White Punk wrote music for dozens of PHARAOH compositions, and his name became known far beyond the circle of beatmakers.
After leaving Dead Dynasty, the producer continued to work with other artists. One of his closest creative partnerships was with Husky: together they recorded “October 7” and “Spider Milk.” In recent years, White Punk has focused on his own career, releasing music under his own name.
KUOK
KUOK combines his solo career as an artist with his work as a sound producer. For Markul’s album “Sense Of Human”, he created the production of the songs “Boomerang” and “Cuba Libre”. The former became the album’s lead single, with which Markul began to emerge from a protracted creative crisis.
KUOK himself came to rap from instrumental electronics. He released his first release under the pseudonym Quok at the age of 14 on the Mujuice label – Acid Pop Recordings. Later, the musician began adding his own vocals to tracks. According to him, in Russia, producers usually remain less visible than the artist, and he wanted to come out from behind the scenes and show himself.
This experience also determined the direction of his solo work. KUOK writes instrumentals himself, creates arrangements, and works with vocal parts. Starting with experimental electronics, he gradually added hip-hop, alternative pop, and live instruments to the music, while maintaining an interest in complex timbres and multi-layered sound. As part of the show “GARAZH,” KUOK, together with SLAVA MARLOW, produced the single “DOMA,” on which he was the lead singer.
Pretty Scream
One of Pretty Scream’s first notable works was the Boulevard Depo track “Loot.” The producer then worked with Big Baby Tape, MAYOT, OG Buda, SODA LUV, SEEMEE, and other representatives of the rap scene. His music combines harsh rap instrumentals with more melodic, intimate compositions.
In 2021, Pretty Scream released the album “Leave Your Bones” featuring MAYOT, Boulevard Depo, SEEMEE, Blago White, and other artists. One of the most notable songs on the release was “You,” recorded with MAYOT. The producer later teamed up with Hugo Loud for the album “Local,” featuring Scriptonite as the sole guest artist. Thus, Pretty Scream formed a distinct discography built entirely around his production.
DooMee
DooMee has long worked on releases by Melon Music members as a beatmaker and engineer. Notable projects include OG Buda’s “FREERIO,” MAYOT’s “GHETTO GARDEN,” LOVV66’s “BEST FRIENDS,” and 163ONMYNECK’s “NO OFFENCE.” In the latter case, DooMee also appeared on the cover of the record.
In 2024, the producer released his debut album “Portal”, on which he himself appeared as a performer. The recording featured MAYOT, LOVV66 and August, with whom he had already worked in the studio. The release is based on melodic ambient trap, retaining DooMee’s recognizable production style.
Wipo
Wipo, a producer, beatmaker and sound engineer, is behind the sound of many releases by nkeeei, uniqe and ARTEM SHILOVETS. He is involved in song creation at various stages: helping to build the structure, recording, mixing, and finalizing. At 18, Wipo opened his own studio in Minsk, where he records his own work and the music of other artists.
Together with nkeeei, uniqe, and ARTEM SHILOVETS, he went from home recordings to viral hits and concerts attended by thousands. One of his first achievements was the success of the song “Crowds are screaming,” and even greater success came with the track “GLAMOUR” from the album of the same name: it went viral around the world and entered the TikTok Billboard chart at 35th place. The artist also recorded a joint album with ARTEM SHILOVETS, “Otkrovenno Svyazaniya.”
FirstFeel
Initially, FirstFeel was known primarily as a beatmaker and sound producer, but over time, he expanded his skills beyond the studio. The musician began working as an A&R manager for the Zion Music label and later headed a management agency. Thus, in addition to creating music, he added the development of other artists and his own industrial projects.
As a sound producer, FirstFeel collaborated with SLAVA MARLOW, Slava KPSS, mzlff, CMH, Alena Shvets and other stars. The musician openly shared his accumulated experience with his audience. In the show “SINGLE”, FirstFeel, together with invited musicians, went through the entire process from the idea to the finished song and video: he worked on the beat and lyrics, recorded vocals and participated in the filming. The heroes of the issues were Dzharakhov, LIDA, the GLAM GO! group, Pyrokinesis and other artists.
