Stoties Narva 2026 atidarymo koncertas ""Eesti Gruuv""

Station Narva opening concert “Estonian Groove” brings pop music from behind the Iron Curtain to the Rugodiv Cultural Centre The music and city festival Station Narva, taking place on 3–6 September, will open on Thursday, 3 September with the concert “Estonian Groove” in the Grand Hall of Narva’s Rugodiv Cultural Centre. Decades-old funk, soul and disco from the golden era of Estonian popular music will be performed by soloists Rita Ray and Robert Linna, together with the vocal trio TripleTone and the Narva City Symphony Orchestra.

This special project, curated by Funk Embassy Records, gives new life to musical gems that could be heard in the 1970s and 1980s both in the first local discotheques, such as the underground Sagadi Soul Club, and in live performances at venues ranging from the Viru Variety Theatre to Linnahall.

During the Soviet era, a large part of what is now considered groove music – funk, disco, soul, fusion and yacht rock – was classified as estrada, the most favoured form of popular music in the Soviet empire. Although it lacked the outspoken spirit of protest associated with punk, its Western influences and intoxicating escapism helped pave the way towards freedom. Despite censorship and technical limitations, something emerged here that sounded at once innocent and desirable, modern and timeless. At the “Estonian Groove” concert, grooves and melodies that helped erode the Iron Curtain will be interpreted by soloists Rita Ray and Robert Linna, who grew up in independent Estonia, together with the vocal trio TripleTone and the Narva City Symphony Orchestra. The programme will feature original compositions by Estonian songwriters, some of which were recorded semi-secretly at night in the first studio of Estonian Radio, as well as adaptations of Western songs that remained on shelves for years because of politically unsuitable content or the involvement of artists considered dissidents by the authorities.

The audience can expect songs such as Gunnar Graps’ “Tühjad pihud”, Apelsin’s “Aeg ei peatu”, Marju Kuut’s “Kui tahad olla hea”, Els Himma’s “Kesköö”, Tõnis Mägi & Music Seif’s “Sa haara kinni mu käest”, as well as the cult hit “Stopp, seisku aeg!” by Velly Joonas and the Lasnamäe-based band Vstretša, which was once left in the archives and is now played by DJs around the world. In addition, Rita Ray will perform a selection of her own songs in the style of blue-eyed soul and classic disco.

The Station Narva opening concert is presented in collaboration with Funk Embassy Records and is largely based on tracks from the label’s “Groove of ESSR” compilation album series.

Station Narva 2026 takes place in Narva on 3–6 September. The festival’s music programme will be held at the Narva Museum’s Ro-Ro Culture Club and at special events across the city, featuring British trip-hop pioneer Tricky, Icelandic electronic music icons GusGus, and Estonian artists including Propeller, SADU, ALIKa and many others. The festival programme also includes Future Day at Narva Museum and Jõhvi Film City, the BAZAR discussion day, art and experience tours, a Narva-style breakfast and much more.

Explore the full festival programme here: www.stationnarva.ee/kava

The organiser reserves the right to make changes to the programme.

The festival is organised by MTÜ Muusikanädal and OÜ Shiftworks in cooperation with the Narva team.