Sergey Pimenov (born July 17, 1973, Rostov-on-Don, Russia) is a music producer, DJ, radio host, and digital media pioneer. He's best known as co-founder of PPK, the electronic group that became the first Russian act to crack the UK Top 10. Over three decades, Pimenov has produced chart-topping artists (PPK, Sveta, Katya Chekhova), launched the UPLIFTO label, and built media ventures that consistently anticipated industry shifts—from digital music distribution to AI-powered content. Today he runs Content Factory, a production studio specializing in neural network-generated media and AI implementation. This is his story.
Pimenov's media career began at home in Rostov-on-Don. He played in a high school punk band called Pulverizer Head, but his real break came through broadcasting. In 1991, at just 18, he started hosting youth music shows on local television (GTRK Don-TR)—first Musical Entertainment, then the late-night program DON'T SLEEP TV! A year later, the 19-year-old Sergey joined Radio Provincia (later Radio 103) as a live DJ. By October 1992, he'd become prime-time host, editor, and program director.
His Saturday night show Don't Sleep! ran from 11 PM to 7 AM and built a cult following. Sergey was bringing vinyl directly from London, playing tracks that hadn't even been released in Russia yet. For southern Russia, this was revolutionary. While others programmed yesterday's hits, Pimenov delivered tomorrow's sound.
The show sparked a local phenomenon called Purple Points—retail outlets selling cassette recordings of each broadcast. Every Monday, new tapes hit the shelves. Exclusive tracks. Custom mixes. Cosmic trance. They sold thousands of copies, creating an underground distribution network for electronic music years before digital streaming existed.
Pimenov wasn't just a broadcaster. He threw the region's first rave parties, translating what he played on air into sweaty, packed dance floors. And he had an ear for talent. His show premiered tracks by then-unknown Rostov artists who'd later break nationally: rapper Basta's My Game, singer Sveta, and hip-hop crew Kasta. When he believed in Kasta, Sergey personally carried their demo tapes to Moscow and introduced them to producer Arkady Slutskovsky, who signed them to Respect Production. That instinct for spotting talent would define his career.
In 1998, Sergey Pimenov and musician Alexander Polyakov launched PPK (an acronym of their surnames). They made instrumental electronic music—trance, progressive house, the kind of energetic tracks that defined late-90s club culture. Their first album circulated through the underground, but Pimenov saw a bigger opportunity: the internet.
In August 1999, PPK uploaded their tracks to MP3.com, a then-new platform for direct-to-fan distribution. The strategy worked. By year's end, PPK hit #2 on MP3.com's global chart. In 2000, their track Resurrection climbed to #1—the first time a Russian electronic act had achieved that level of international recognition online.
The real explosion came in 2001. PPK remixed Eduard Artemyev's theme from the Soviet film Siberiade, calling it ResuRection. That autumn, the track became the first song from Russia to enter heavy rotation on BBC Radio 1, the UK's most influential dance music station. In November, Paul Oakenfold's label Perfecto Records released the single. Within weeks it hit #3 on the UK Singles Chart.
PPK had broken through. The track sold over 200,000 copies in two months, earning a BPI Silver Disc. It played in every club in London. The duo appeared on legendary British TV show Top of the Pops—something no Russian electronic act had ever done.
In 2002, riding that success, Pimenov was named Best DJ of Russia (DJ Top 100) and won the first Russian Dance Music Awards. Meeting Paul Oakenfold inspired him to launch his own production company and label, UPLIFTO, that same year. In 2003, DJ Magazine ranked Sergey in their Top 100 DJs—rare recognition for a Russian artist at the time.
But fame proved fleeting. PPK's follow-up releases didn't match ResuRection's success. The single Reload (a cover of a Zodiac track) peaked at #39 in 2002. By 2003, creative tensions led to a split. Polyakov focused on composition. Pimenov, the producer and driving force, moved on to build something more sustainable.
After PPK dissolved, Pimenov doubled down on artist development. He'd learned that viral success was unpredictable, so he built a system for sustained growth. In 2005, he introduced Katya Chekhova, an electronic pop singer whose debut tracks (Wings, I Am Robot) immediately hit heavy rotation on Russian radio. Her album I Am Robot sold over 250,000 CDs. In 2006, she won Record magazine's Debut of the Year award, validating Pimenov's production approach. Chekhova became one of the first successful Russian-language vocal trance acts.
Simultaneously, Pimenov transformed UPLIFTO into something bigger than a label. He launched PromoMusic.ru, a platform where DJs could download new UPLIFTO tracks for free. By 2005, the network reached 1,400 DJs across Russia. "On Monday I upload a track—by Friday, 400 people are playing it in clubs nationwide," Pimenov explained. When a track caught fire, UPLIFTO booked tours and performances, monetizing the buzz.
Pimenov pioneered something unusual: he wasn't just selling music—he was selling DJs. Producing their image. Booking their shows. By the mid-2000s, UPLIFTO represented 15 electronic artists and had evolved into a full-scale booking agency.
Beyond Chekhova, Pimenov worked with singer Sveta (producing her 2002 album Love), collaborated with experimental electronic trio PGG (Pimenov, Gradoboev, Galushkin) on the Ethnogenesis soundtrack series, and released solo material like the 2005 single Rockstar (via UK label Oven Ready). Throughout the 2000s, he established himself as a versatile producer capable of moving seamlessly between trance, pop, and experimental electronic music.
By the late 2000s, Pimenov was exploring beyond music—internet media, mobile apps, VR, content production. Key projects included: