Alternosfera

Alternosfera is an alternative rock band from Chişinău, Republic of Moldova. They started their career in 1998 in highschool with their first album, Oraşul 511.

The history of post-Soviet rock in the Republic of Moldova is a concise one. Since 1991, only a few bands (e.g. Zdob şi Zdub), managed to occupy solid positions on the show-business arena of the Republic of Moldova and abroad.

Alternosfera first rehearsed with their full lineup on December 13, 1998. Their first concert took place on 23 November 1999 in Chişinău. In 2001, the band made their first demo recordings in Chişinău, followed by more demo recordings in 2002 in Bucharest, Romania.

Both the lineup and musical direction have changed over time, as the band reached maturity and developed their own approach to alternative rock, with the keyboards "carrying" the entire tune. Their lyrics are most often about love, but also have social and political connotations. Alternosfera's sound is unique on the Moldovan market at the moment, their influences varying from 80's motifs to the Seattle alternative rock of the '90s.

Their specific melodiousness is also partly due to most songs having the classic piano "lead."

Alternosfera have performed on most of Chişinău's stages, taking part in the most important rock festivals in Moldova and were always well received by the public. In 2005 they performed in the Tuborg festival in Bucharest.

Like most Moldovans, the band members speak both their native language Romanian and Russian, except Vlad Hohlov, who is a native Russian speaker. While most of their songs are in Romanian, there are a small handful written in Russian, especially earlier on in their career.

In 2022 the band moved to Sibiu, Romania, due to concerns regarding the aforementioned Russian invasion.