Meet Диктофон (Dictaphone), the Russian indie pop band led by multi-instrumentalist Anton Makarov (Антон Макаров). And meet Найк Борзов (Nike Borzov), if you haven’t already. Or better yet, meet them both at once, through a wonderful song that takes you to the moon with five chords and poetic lyrics.

The Birth of Dictaphone (Диктофон)

Founded in 2020, Диктофон wasn’t the first musical project for Anton Makarov (Антон Макаров). Born in 1995 in Zhukovsky (Жуковский), he had previously played in Дайте танк (!) and Свидание (check this), and also released music as a solo artist. This may explain how a band no one had ever heard of, managed to get Nike Borzov to join them for their debut single, Космонавт (2020).

Nike Borzov: A Russian Rock Legend

Nike Borzov or Найк Борзов (1972), from Vidnoye (Видное), is best known for Три слова, Лошадка (more specifically, for кокаин in the lyrics), for Одна она (of course) and for the fact that Music in Russian made him a video for Верхом на звезде.

Хотелось and Космонавт

Космонавт later appeared on Хотелось (2021), alongside tracks like Инвалид, Как мне быть? and Поле Чудес. All fine songs – but our Cosmonaut stands alone at the top (or on the Moon), and none of the others come close.

Lyrics – with existential questions and poetic answers – on Genius and below (with stress marks). Chords for the song on the Диктофон Bandcamp page. Acoustic here, live here, with lyrics and sign language here.

Lyrics Космонавт

Е́сли жизнь – э́то лишь коро́ткий сон
Е́сли всё не сейча́с, а всё пото́м

[Chorus]
Как же тогда́ жить?
Идти́ позади́ с бо́лью в груди́?
Но е́сли бы я жил на Луне́
Я был пел свои́ пе́сни
Сам по себе́
Звёзды свети́ли бы мне
И с ры́хлой земли́
Я взлета́л бы к ним
То́лько е́сли бы я жил на Луне́
О-о-о-у, о-о-о-у, о-о-о-у
О-о-о-у, о-о-о-у, о-о-о-у

Е́сли вре́мени нет, то заче́м же ждать?
Е́сли пти́цы пою́т, то заче́м молча́ть?

(Chorus)

Старый отель (2025)

There was no shortage of candidates (see below) for the encore. We tried them all in search of the best, and with each listen, our enthusiasm only grew. But honestly, it was mostly enthusiasm for the song we had already chosen. Once again – or perhaps still – none of the others came close. And so we went for distance, pairing the first with the latest. Старый отель (Old Hotel) is brand new for 2025, though its original version by Браво dates back to the 1980s. Lyrics here.

More Dictaphone songs

Lyric videos for Долго ли я буду жить, Убери свои руки прочь and Хуже некуда (2021) require good eyes or reading glasses. The videos for Вот и всё! and ТэЖэ (2024) do not. More lyric videos in this playlist Russian Song Lyrics. More Диктофон on Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, VK and this website.

Interview Anton Makarov

Even newer than ‘Старый отель’ is this interview with Anton Makarov (НА РАВНЫХ, 2025, 37 m). More extensive but older in Антон Макаров о песнях, диете, любви, пандемии, Найке Борзове, культуре отмены и Боге (Ловлю на слове. 2022, 68 m). Read on Kudago, don’t miss Поцелуй меня, я – русский! (Snob.ru, 2023).


More pop in the playlist Russian Pop by Music in Russian on Spotify. Songs covered here can also be found in this YouTube playlist, and in Music in Russian songs (Spotify).

© Music in Russian, 2025

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