Kulakovs, born in 1958, played in the well-known band Menuets since 1978. At the end of the 1970s, he founded an instrumental jazz band Arka, while in 1981 – the rock band Pērkons, which would become a symbol of Latvian independence fight.
Unlike most Latvian groups, the lyrics of Pērkons were not written by the band. They used highly esteemed Latvian poets' texts. Pērkons was distinguished by loud music, noisy behaviour, which was unusual in Soviet times, and was one of the first groups in Latvia to start using pyrotechnics.
Kulakovs was a keyboardist in many other musical projects and ensembles and collaborated with numerous esteemed conductors.
Our deepest condolences to Kulakovs' loved ones, colleagues, and fans of his work.
