Biography

Alexey Kochetkov was born in Smolensk, Russia but left the country at the age of nineteen in 2003 because he "never felt that Russian post-soviet culture and mentality suited him." Due to his Jewish roots, he immigrated to Israel, but he couldn't find his place there either. Complicated political and historical circumstances, religious pressure, and the isolated location of the country forced him to look for his place in Europe. In 2012 Alexey visited Berlin for the first time and immediately realized that this shall become his place to be. The familiar post-soviet ambiance combined with the open-minded and rebellious spirit of the city convinced him to settle here, which he did at the end of 2013.

Ever since, Kochetkov has been constantly active in the city's music scene and has collaborated with numerous international artists. Directly after his arrival, he started the “Aletchko Trio” which mixed various genres of fiddle music from around the world and made many crowds dance in different bars and clubs around the city. From 2016 to 2018 Kochetkov musically directed the project „Diva: Celebrating Oum Kalthoum” in collaboration with Ariel Efraim Ashbel. It was dedicated to the music of the Egyptian Diva and brought together musicians who just fled from the war in Syria with local artists. The project was presented in Ufer Studios and HAU Theater in Berlin, Kampnahgel Hamburg and Schauspielhaus Bochum. From 2018 to 2020, Alexey worked with the renowned circus company from Australia, Gravity & Other Myths. In 2020, the movie “Layla in Haifa” by Amos Gitai, for which he composed original music, was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 77th Venice International Film Festival. During the Covid lockdowns, Alexey was developing new materials with Ajam Quartet, which were released in 2022 and presented, among the others, in Konzerthaus Berlin. At the same time, he also worked on his 5 String Theory performance, which has been premiered on January 19th, 2023 at the historic Ballhaus Wedding in Berlin.