Marynka

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What do you mean Global Village? Marynka Nicolai is a Russian singer who lives in Amsterdam and releases her albums on a French label. Sometimes she sings her songs in her mother tongue (which intensifies the exotic character even more), but mostly in English, with an irresistable accent just like Björk. But mostly Marynka sounds like Marynka. Effortlessly she skips from jumpy pop-songs to dreamy piano ballads, and she loves loops and beats just as much as violins and chello’s. This her second album sounds as if the singer had herself locked up in a patisserie all night long and had a tast of every cake available. Robert Heeg

- Robert Heeg

Marynka Nicolai, the flamboyant, powerful Russian Dutch singer who can turn a piano into a grand piano, a grand piano into an orchestra and an orchestra into a hurricane of emotions. - Fret

It has been already two years since I got to know Marynka, her music, that is. The versatile Russian singer/keyboardplayer Marynka Nicolai,for many years a Dutch citizen, for that matter, left an impressive calling card with her CD “Privet”.
On it she presents, along with 14 guests, warm, classical toned popsongs, alternating with triphop, jazz, neofolk, cabaret and light experiments. All that and Marynka’s sultry voice as delightful audio-center. A melancholic record full of not obvious surprises.
Now there is the sequel, “2 Much Is Not Enough”, a continuation of the former, but even more spontaneous
and varied. The CD starts very cheerful and exuberant. Only later on the CD you find the melancholic songs, that I like most of all. She is being accompanied by Rob Kloet (drums, percussion, vocals, DJ Goldfinger (beats, loops, effects), Mike Stewart (bass, vocals, guitar, beats, loops, synthesizer, effects) and other guests on violin, cello, contrabass, guitar, flute and vocals. As a veritable matryoshka new sounds reveal themselves on her record. From the cheerful pop at the beginning, the rock that follows, through melancholic dreamsongs and jazzy nightmusic to the avant-pop, chansons and Russian bossanova of the latter part.
Each time she surprises and comes out with a fresh, varied and also original sound. To make the variety complete, she even sings in English, French and Russian. Think a rough mix of Solex, Stina Nordenstam, Lisa Germano, and Gry, together with the aforesaid styles and ingredients.
Everything is evidence to the freedom to do exactly what
you want, which makes it all spontaneous. It is loving, enthousiast, wild and touching. Great Matryoshka-pop!
- Robert Heeg

Marynka - 2 Much Is Not Enough
[cd, Bad Reputation]

It has been already two years since I got to know Marynka, her music, that is. The versatile Russian singer/keyboardplayer Marynka Nicolai,for many years a Dutch citizen, for that matter, left an impressive calling card with her CD “Privet”.
On it she presents, along with 14 guests, warm, classical toned popsongs, alternating with triphop, jazz, neofolk, cabaret and light experiments. All that and Marynka’s sultry voice as delightful audio-center. A melancholic record full of not obvious surprises.
Now there is the sequel, “2 Much Is Not Enough”, a continuation of the former, but even more spontaneous
and varied. The CD starts very cheerful and exuberant. Only later on the CD you find the melancholic songs, that I like most of all. She is being accompanied by Rob Kloet (drums, percussion, vocals, DJ Goldfinger (beats, loops, effects), Mike Stewart (bass, vocals, guitar, beats, loops, synthesizer, effects) and other guests on violin, cello, contrabass, guitar, flute and vocals. As a veritable matryoshka new sounds reveal themselves on her record. From the cheerful pop at the beginning, the rock that follows, through melancholic dreamsongs and jazzy nightmusic to the avant-pop, chansons and Russian bossanova of the latter part.
Each time she surprises and comes out with a fresh, varied and also original sound. To make the variety complete, she even sings in English, French and Russian. Think a rough mix of Solex, Stina Nordenstam, Lisa Germano, and Gry, together with the aforesaid styles and ingredients.
Everything is evidence to the freedom to do exactly what
you want, which makes it all spontaneous. It is
loving, enthousiast, wild and touching. Great
Matryoshka-pop!
- Jan Willem Broek

On the very first evening of the festival Marynka & SLG wrote the opening paragraph. The Dutch/Russian Marynka is masterful in constantly changing the line-up of her band. At the last moment she picked up a violinist "from the street" and added her to the band. Mike Stewart, the bass guitar player, is the only constant in this unusual group. She certainly grabbed her enthusiastically clapping audience in the Cedar Street Courtyard. Is it pop music, folk music or is it camp? Nobody knows, but they all like it, and that's what counts. Marynka, in her colorful fluorescent clothing, clearly enjoys what she's doing. Robert Tilly, Fret Magazine, Tourverslag van SXSW, 2004 - Fret Magazine

'Marynka embodies all that is wonderful about arts and music. Her obvious
respect for different musical cultures and genres is expressed through her
intimate and extravagantly wonderful show. Her flamboyance and talent are
captivating.'

Jo Metcalf - Director - Salisbury International Arts festival (UK), july 2005) - Salisbury International Arts Fest

"The emigration in The World of Today seems to cause many problems; at least that's what the politicians often say and what you read in the paper. But all too often forgotten are all the beautiful and good things that the mixing of cultures can produce.Take for instancethe music of Marynka, who was born in Russia and moved to Amsterdam 13 years ago. She creates her own multicultural crossover on her CD "Privet". The result is a soundscapefull of serene sounds of traditional instruments (cello, violin, grand piano) and samples. It is special. "Privet" brings youinto a dreamland." -Music Makers - music makers

Too much is never good was what they always told me at home. Russian/Dutch Marynka has a completely different opinion about that. Her album clearly shows that ‘too much’ is ‘not enough’. Fourteen songs long Marynka sweeps from folk to classical and from disco to triphop, singing in English, French and Russian. Her theatrical way of singing needs a bit of getting used to, but n combination with the beats and loops from DJ Goldfinger it all sounds organic. Sometimes Marynka’s voice resembles that of Björk, sometimes that of Lamb’s Louise Rhodes. It is a tre musical portpourri, now and again a bit over the top, but generally within ht eset framework. 2 Much Is Not Enough has become a merry and sunny album, with a rest here and there.The culmination is the ballad Let Me Make A Step sung in Russian, although the restrained way of her singing makes it understandable. It may be clear: Marynka loves many. Many languages, many styles of music, it can’t get crazy enough for her. Luckily this album is not ‘2 Much’, it’s just right. (Paul Gersen) - Music Maker

Two years after her debut album ’Privet’ instrumentalist (piano, accordeon, meodica) and singer Marynka (Nicolai) has released a new CD: ’2 Much Is Not Enough’. Marynka was born in Russia, but has been living in the Netherlands for many years now, where she also enjoyed part of her musical education. Nearly all the tracks are from her compositorial hand. ‘2 Much Is Not Enough’ may be a unusual CD concerning recognisable musical genres (a mix of pop, folk, jazz, disco, dance, Russian folkmusic), it is a good piece of work vocally and instrumentally. And, after playing the CD a couple of times on a row, you begin to get the hang of it. - SBStext