Timpuri Noi


Timpuri Noi is a Romanian alternative rock band.

History

Timpuri Noi was formed in 1980, and remained an underground act up until 1991. This was mainly due to what was perceived as "subversive lyrical content" in the Ceauşescu era. Incidentally, the name derives from a cliché of the period: its literal meaning is "New Times", used to signify Marxist Socialism. The tongue-in-cheek reference is somehow associated with the Bucharest metro station of the same name. The name is also the Romanian translation of Modern Times, the title for Charles Chaplin's classic 1936 film.
In the early nineties, up to around 1995, the band was arguably the top Romanian act. Around the time, they had the opportunity to be the opening act for rather prestigious foreign acts during concerts in Bucharest: Ian Gillan and Uriah Heep in 1992, Scorpions in 1993, Saxon, Paradise Lost and Jethro Tull in 1994, Iron Maiden and Kreator in 1995, Eros Ramazzotti, Joe Cocker and Rod Stewart later in the same year.
1994 also signified an important event in both Timpuri Noi's career and Romanian music in general: Timpuri Noi gives the very first unplugged performance in this country, recorded as an album in the same year.
In 1997, the band was presented with one of the French music television and Radio France Internationale "Decouvertes de Rock a l'Est" Awards, performing in a special gala concert.
The band split in 2001, with members becoming involved in personal projects - Partizan for Artan, ZIDD for Dan Iliescu. These projects were short-lived, since Timpuri noi re-united in 2005, releasing a new record called "Back in Business". In 2009, Artan leaves the group, due to disagreements with Dan Iliescu.
As of 2020, the group is still active, playing live sporadically throughout the country. They released a new full-length called "Moldova Mon Amour".

Lineup

Original Lineup

In some concerts, the band would add two backing female singers to its line-up : the official site mentions Denis Iliescu, Crina Godescu and Maria Radu as its main collaborators.

Discography