MAX BARSKIH
High-gloss synth-pop that pairs 80s nostalgia with modern club energy. Melancholic yet driving music for neon-lit nights and emotional dancefloor releases.
High-gloss synth-pop that pairs 80s nostalgia with modern club energy. Melancholic yet driving music for neon-lit nights and emotional dancefloor releases.
Max Barskih creates a world of neon-soaked melancholia, where the synthesizers are warm and the heartbeats are fast. His sound is a sophisticated blend of retro-80s aesthetics and cutting-edge Eastern European dance-pop, characterized by shimmering textures and driving, four-on-the-floor rhythms. It feels like a high-speed chase through a futuristic city, simultaneously exhilarating and lonely.
What sets him apart is the emotional weight he carries into the club. While the production is impeccably polished and club-ready, his vocal delivery remains intimate and breathy, often exploring themes of lost love and nostalgic longing. He masters the 'sad banger' - songs that make you want to dance while making you feel the sting of a recent breakup.
Start with the album '1990' to hear his mastery of the retro-revivalist sound, or '7' for a more direct hit of modern dance-pop. These records showcase his ability to craft infectious hooks that linger long after the lights come up.
Mykola Mykolaiovych Bortnyk (Ukrainian: Микола Миколайович Бортник, born 8 March 1990), better known by his stage name Max Barskih (Ukrainian: Макс Барських) and alter-ego Mickolai, is a Ukrainian singer and songwriter. He was raised in Kherson, Ukraine, and moved to Kyiv after his graduation. He has released six studio albums, one compilation album and one extended-play.
Shares dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop (subgenres); studio polished, digital clarity, maximalist (production style)
Shares dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop (subgenres); urban night, late night, rooftop (atmosphere)
Shares dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop (subgenres); studio polished, digital clarity, maximalist (production style)
Shares dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop (subgenres); studio polished, digital clarity, maximalist (production style)
Shares dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop (subgenres); studio polished, digital clarity, maximalist (production style)
Shares dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop (subgenres); studio polished, digital clarity, maximalist (production style)
Shares dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop (subgenres); studio polished, digital clarity, maximalist (production style)
Shares dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop (subgenres); urban night, late night, rooftop (atmosphere)
Shares dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop (subgenres); studio polished, digital clarity, maximalist (production style)
Shares dance-pop, synth-pop, electropop (subgenres); studio polished, maximalist, digital clarity (production style)
Shares retro-futurist synth textures, melancholic dancefloor energy, bittersweet, electropop (detail)
Shares disco, falsetto, electropop, euphoric (subgenre)
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