The Russian World Music Chart (RWMC), Russia’s first world/ethno music chart, has revealed the top 10 Russian world music albums of 2025. Topping the list is’s Nostalgia by ODUCHU, a duo from the Siberian Tuva Republic, released by the China-based label Stallion Era.
A total of 52 releases from 23 labels participated in the chart across the genres of world, ethnic, and folk music. The list includes albums released in 2025 and three releases from late 2024.
An international jury of 21 representatives from Norway, the USA, Hungary, Slovakia, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Japan, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Russia selects what they consider to be the 10 best albums at the end of each year.
“Among them are radio journalists and authors of music columns in the world’s best publications devoted to folk music,” says Daryana Antipova, who launched the chart in 2021 with Irina Brykova. “We invite to the jury only those experts who regularly include Russian artists in their rotation or write about them. For the participants, this chart is a real chance to be heard around the world!” (Disclaimer: Daryana is a contributor to Green Man Review.)
The goal of the RWMC is to attract the attention of the world music community to the new folk music of multinational Russia, as well as to popularize and assist in promoting unique musicians from remote corners of Russia and those now living abroad. Says Daryana: “With this project we want to celebrate the independent recording world, the music label business, and the media that brings artists to the community.”
Russian World Music Chart: Top 10 Albums of 2025
- ODUCHU’s Nostalgia (Stallion Era Beijing Culture Communication Co., Ltd)
- Zhenya Wind’s The Earth Is Moving (Zhenya Wind)
- Chuvash band DIVA’s Şăltăr Vitĕr Şol Korănat (Ruslan Solovyov / Diva Ethno Future Sound)
- Tatyana Molchanova’s Songs of Lidiya Ruslanova, Part 2 (Tatyana Molchanova)
- Folk Ensemble Ere-Chuy’s Ӱргӱлји (Eternity) (Soyuz MedStyle Management LLC)
- Nytt Land’s Songs of the Shaman (Prophecy Production)
- PEVCHAYA, Ivan KIT’s Russian Folk Lounge (новаямузыка.рф)
- NUKER’s Khamta (Together) (Baikal Music Label)
- Tatyana Kalmykova’s The Little Bee (SWA)
- Anna Hoffman’s By Your Name (Aera Records)
Best EP: Alexandra Arbatskaya and Trio Zalessky Jazz’s Ripple (ArtBeat Music Publishing)
Listeners’ Choice 2025 (Album): Alexey Kruglov, Arkady Kirichenko, Sergey Letov, Arkady Shilkloper, Karina Kozhevnikova, Vladimir Volkov, Pyotr Talalay’s Pilgrim (ArtBeat Music / ArtBeat Music Publishing
Listeners’ Choice 2025 (EP): Ensemble Krasnaya Gorka’s On the High Hill (Ensemble “Krasnaya Gorka,” Kazan
Best single 2025: Ensemble Lestvitsa’s A Little Rain Fell
Best label: Antonovka Records
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RWMC Voting Team 2025
Arne Berg (Norway), Jungeltelegrafen, World Music Charts Europe (WMCE)
Gino Granata (Italy), An Triskell – Radio Città Bollate!
Angel Romero y Ruiz (USA), worldmusiccentral.org, Transglobal World Music Chart (TWMC)
Lev Belyakov (Russia/Bulgaria), FolkRoom
Giovanni Alcani (Italy), Radio Cernusco Stereo
Daryana Antipova (USA), TWMC, WFHB
Loris Böhm (Italy), Lineatrad
Araceli Tzigane (Spain), TWMC
Nikola Glavinic (Serbia), Randevu s muzikom
Jorge Garcia Patón (Catalonia, Spain), Demésenllà, TWMC
Milan Tesař (Czech Republic), Radio Proglas, Slyšte, lidé!, Jak se vám líbí, WMCE
Dmitrii Popugin (Russia), Gornovosti
Toni Pennacchia (USA), MergingArts Productions, TWMC
Tamás Galgóczi (Hungary), ekultura.hu
Vladimír “Potkan” Potančok (Slovakia), Hudba sveta FM, WMCE
Tatiana Naryshkina (Russia/Serbia), TWMC
Ludwig Liebhardt (Germany), FOLK&WeltMIX on Radio LORA
Kutay Derin Kugay (Turkey), Açık Radyo, TWMC
Takuya Unagami (Japan), NHK-FM, TWMC
Scott Stevens (USA), Spin The Globe
Rudy Carrera (USA/ Georgia), MusicYouNeedToHear.com
