Ekatarina Velika
Encyclopedia
Ekatarina Velika sometimes referred to as EKV for short, was a Serbia
n and former Yugoslav rock group from Belgrade
, being one of the most successful and influential music acts coming out of former Yugoslavia.
Initially called Katarina II , the band had built up a devoted following that greatly intensified and expanded after the death of its frontman Milan Mladenović
in 1994, which caused the band to dissolve. The group's core consisted of singer and guitarist Milan Mladenović, keyboardist Margita Stefanović
and bassist Bojan Pečar
, with other members mostly remaining for comparatively shorter periods.
, in February 1982, Milan Mladenović
(guitar, vocals) with Dragomir Mihailović "Gagi"
(guitar), Dušan Dejanović (drums), and Zoran Radomirović "Švaba" (bass) formed the band Katarina II, named after Mihailović's unrequited love, a girl named Katarina. During the late 1982, after the performance at the cinema Topčiderska zvezda, the band was joined by the classically trained pianist Margita Stefanović
. At the time, the rhythm section had changed, with Radomirović leaving to join Du Du A
and Dejanović joining the heated rivals Disciplina Kičme
.
The vacant drummer position was taken over by the former Grupa I
member Branko Kuštrin "Mango", but after not more than a month's period he left the band, being replaced by Milan's former bandmate from Šarlo Akrobata Ivan Vdović "VD"
. At the same time, on early 1983, Bojan Pečar
, a former VIA Talas
bassist became the new band member. In the spring of 1983 the band took part in Zagreb
Bienalle and received positive reviews. Their material for the debut album material was recorded soon after, featuring guest appearance by the actor Svetislav Goncić on tin whistles. The recording sessions for the material were completed in the Druga Maca studio owned by Enco Lesić however, due to a variety of reasons, most of them having to do with the poor technical equipment, the material was unusable.
The following year in RTV Ljubljana studios, the band took the offer of fellow musician Srđan Marjanović, who was the label's musical director at the time, to rerecord the material for the debut album. Katarina II eponymous debut album
was eventually released in 1984, mostly featuring the lyrics written by Mladenović, except for the songs "Vrt" ("The Garden") and "Platforme" ("The Platforms") written by Mihajlović, while the music was a collaboration between the two. The tracks like "Aut" ("Out"), "Jesen" ("Autumn"), "Radostan dan" ("A Joyful Day"), "Treba da se čisti" ("It Ought To Be Cleaned"), "Ja znam" ("I Know") the band successfully linked Milan's descriptive lyrical sensibility with the energetic New Wave sound. The material was produced by Đorđe Petrović and featured guest appearances by Mario Čelik on congas Film member Jurij Novoselić "Kuzma Videosex" on saxophone.
Soon after the album release, the band went through more lineup changes. Mihajlović ran afoul of the law and went to jail and after serving the punishment he was informed by the rest of the band that he was no longer a Katarina II member. However, since Mihajlović claimed rights to the usage of the Katarina II band name, he forced the band into using another one. Later he collaborated with Vlada Divljan
before moving to the United States
where he currently resides. Additionally, drummer Vdović left due to drug abuse problems, later joining Du Du A
and the band Heroji, being replaced by the former Luna drummer Ivan Fece "Firchie". The remaining members continued working as Ekatarina Velika, after Catherine II of Russia
, or EKV for short. Due to constant SFR Yugoslavia-wide touring, with frequent stops in Belgrade
, Zagreb
and Ljubljana
, and occasional TV spots, the band's popularity had gradually grown.
At the beginning of the following year, the band recorded their second studio album, recorded at the Zagreb SIM studio and produced by Vladimir Smolec and the band members themselves. Ekatarina Velika
, featuring Massimo Savić and Karlowy Wary member Tomo in der Mühlen as guests, provided the band with its first hits, "Oči boje meda" ("Honey Colored Eyes"), "Modro i zeleno" ("Indigo and Green") and "Tattoo". In accordance with the latter song, the album cover arranged by Dušan Gerzić feature the band members painted in Native American
ritual body art. After the album release, on March 22, 1985, they played outside of Yugoslavia for the first time, making a positive impression at Culture Days in Turin
, Italy
. Another memorable concert took place in Zagreb as part of Bolje vas našli Belgrade-Zagreb band exchange.
Towards the end of 1985, Fece left the band to serve the mandatory Yugoslav People's Army
service, later joining Laboratorija Zvuka
, and was replaced by the Ivan Ranković "Raka" from the band Tvrdo Srce i Velike Uši. The following year, the new lineup released the third studio album S vetrom uz lice (Faced Against the Wind), proving to be the breakthrough album that turned them into bona fide stars. The album was produced by Milan Mladenović, Margita Stefanović and Dragan Čačinović, extensively using the E-mu Emulator II 8-bit sampler. With the hits "Budi sam na ulici" ("Be Alone on the Street"), "Ti si sav moj bol" ("You Are All My Anguish"), "Novac u rukama" ("Money in the Hands"), and "Kao da je bilo nekad" ("As If It Had Once Been") came some lukewarm reviews from the critics complaining about the similarities to the works of the Simple Minds
.
After the album release, the band toured extensively all over former Yugoslavia, and the recording of one of the five sold-out performances at the Zagreb club Kulušić
, made on November 2, 1986, was released in early 1987 on the live album EKV 19LIVE!86
. The band promoted the release of the live album in Belgrade during January 1987 and triumphed at Dom Omladine with six sold-out shows. During spring of the same year, Ivan Ranković decided to leave EKV in order to form a new group Ulica Od Meseca with his old bandmates from Tvrdo Srce i Velike Uši. Ranković was replaced by the actor Srđan Todorović, a former Disciplina Kičme
became the new drummer, playing his first show on April 9, 1987, at the New Rock festival held at the La Locomotive club in Paris
. On autumn of the same year, the band got the Sedam Sekretara SKOJa for the achievements on the second and third studio album.
(Love), co-produced by the band with the Australia
n musician Theodore Yanni. It displayed a more guitar-oriented sound, along with stylized sleeve done by Margita and artist Vuk Vidor. Prominent tracks from the album include "Zemlja" ("Earth"), "7 Dana" ("7 Days"), "Pored mene" ("Beside Me"), "Ljudi iz gradova" ("People From The Cities"), and "Ljubav" ("Love"). It had also shown the first signs of Milan's depressive lyrics, as exemplified by song "Tonemo" ("We Are Sinking"). The album had also confirmed their live attraction status with two consecutive sold out shows at Belgrade's Pionir Hall
sports arena. New extensive tour commenced in early 1988, and EKV enlisted help from Tanja Jovićević of Oktobar 1864
and Zvonimir Đukić from Van Gogh
to appear as backing live musicians. Fece had also promptly rejoined the band on tour, shortly replacing Srđan Todorović before moving away to New York City
in May 1988.
In January 1989, the band finished the recording sessions for the album Samo par godina za nas (Only a Few Years for Us), released during the same year, featuring guest appearances by Mitar Subotić (guitar, album production) and Tanja Jovićević (backing vocals). The critics regarded this album as a mere of the concept from the previous album. Several hits from the album include "Krug" ("The Circle"), "Par godina za nas" ("A Few Years for Us"), and "Srce" ("Heart"). Despite the mixed critics, the band were at their peak performing at the EBU-UER rock festival in Novi Sad
, the 1990 Midem
festival in Cannes
and the first Europe
an rock music bienalle held in Toulouse
. After the tour, Todorović left the band, focusing on his acting career. Bojan Pečar also decided to leave the band moving to London
. The new members became the former VIA Talas
, D' Boys
and Piloti
member Miško Petrović "Plavi" on bass and the former U Škripcu
member Marko Milivojević
on drums.
The sixth studio album Dum dum
(Bang Bang), released in 1991, featured the Plejboj
member Dušan Petrović and session musician Bata Božanić as bass players, Tanja Jovićević on backing vocals, Zvonimir Đukić on guitar and Mitar Subotić on keyboards and machines. The album, produced by Theodore Yanni, featured the prominent songs "Zabranjujem" ("I Forbid"), "Idemo" ("Let's Go"), "Dum dum" ("Bang Bang") and "Bledo" ("Pale"), inspired by the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars
and the general political and economical situation in the country. The following year, Mladenović participated in the antiwar project Rimtutituki
, also featuring Električni Orgazam
and Partibrejkers
members, releasing the single "Slušaj 'vamo" ("Listen Up").
(Somebody Is Watching Us), released in May 1993. The album featured a more accessible and communicative sound especially present in the songs "Ponos" ("Pride"), "Jadransko more" ("The Adriatic Sea
"), "Just Let Me Play Some Modern R'n'R Music" and "Zajedno" ("Together"). For the first time, the band had included a cover song on and album, "Istina Mašina" ("Truth Machine"), originally performed by the Yugoslav rock band Time
. The album was produced by Mladenović and featured Srđan Todorović, Tanja Jovićević and a childer choir as guest performers.
After the album release, in September of the same year, Ekatarina Velika, Električni Orgazam
, Partibrejkers
and the Zagreb
band Vještice performed in Prague
and Berlin
on the concerts entitled Ko to tamo pjeva (Who's That Singing Over There). At the time, Mladenović and Stefanović held occasional unplugged
club performances, often featuring guest appearances by the Partibrejkers guitarist Nebojša Antonijević "Anton" and various jazz musicians, until Milan's departure to Brazil
, where he worked on a project called Angel's Breath, together with Mitar Subotić and a line-up of Brazilian musicians. The two started recording the material partially written in 1985 when, with the guitarist Goran Vejvoda
, they had several live appearances under the moniker Dah Anđela (Angel's Breath).
at the Pjesma Mediterana
festival. The very next day Milan was held in a hospital, and it was soon discovered that he had pancreatic cancer
. Barely a few months later, on November 5, 1994, Milan Mladenović died in Belgrade, at the age of 36, thus Ekatarina Velika ceased to exist.
Margita Stefanović continued working as a musician, for a short period of time performing with the cover band Kurajberi. In 1995, with Vladimir Stojanović, as an ambiental music duo EQV, she released the album Ti si sav moj bol (You Are All My Anguish), released by the Austria
m record label Coop Arts Crafts Unltd. In October of the same year, EQV appeared at the Vienna
Talkit festival. She had also made occasional live appearances with the bands Direktori
, Glisers and Zion Banda, and appeared as guest on the albums of several Belgrade rock bands. In 1996, she appeared on the Električni Orgazam
unplugged live album Živo i akustično
(Live and Acoustic), and in 1998, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
signing, she appeared in Pula
with Zoran Stojanović, the leader of the Zagreb
band Veliki Bijeli Slon, being, along with Rambo Amadeus
, the first Serbian musician to play in Croatia
after the Yugoslav Wars
.
During the early 1997, a posthumous live album entitled Live '88 was released, featuring the recordings of the performances from Zagreb and Novi Sad held during the 1988 tour. The Zagreb recordings, made at the Kulušić club, were announced by the rock critic Dražen Vrdoljak and featured Theodore Yanni on guest guitar. The live recordings were owned by Fece whom initiated the album release. During the same year, Margita Stefanović founded the record label EKV Records and started reissuing EKV studio album with bonus material. The Ljubav reissue featured live bonus material made at the Belgrade Dom Omladine on November 13, 1991 and the 1988 Novi Sad SNP performance, Samo par godina za nas featured the live bonus tracks from the Avala fest held in September 1990 and Dum dum featured alternate and demo recordings and the 1991 Dom Omladine live tracks.
PGP RTS also contributed the CD reissuing by releasing the compilation album Kao nada, kao govor, kao more... (Like Hope, Like Speech, Like the Sea...) in 1997, featuring selected material from the latter four studio albums. During 2001 and 2002, EKV Records and IPS music reissued the rest of the band's catalog, also featuring bonus live material. The label also released the live album Kao u snu - EKV live 1991 (As If in a Dream - EKV Live 1991) featuring the Belgrade Dom Omladine 1991 performance. During the same year, a tribute album Kao da je bilo nekad... (Posvećeno Milanu Mladenoviću) (As If It Had Once Been) was released. The following year, a live tribute album Jako dobar tattoo - Tribute to EKV (A Very Good Tatto - Tribute to EKV) was released.
On September 18, 2002, Margita Stefanović died, being the fourth band member to die prematurely. Ivan Vdović died of AIDS
on September 25, 1992. Milan Mladenović died of pancreatic cancer on November 5, 1994. Bojan Pečar died of a hear attack on October 13, 1998. Dušan Dejanović died on November 16, 2000.
, which has risen to the status of one of the most popular rock acts in Serbia in the second half of the 1990s. Another band highly inspired by EKV is the alternative rock band Block Out
.
In 2003, a tribute album to Mladenović entitled Kao da je bilo nekad... Posvećeno Milanu Mladenoviću (Like It Happened Someday... Dedicated to Milan Mladenović) was released. The album consists of 15 covers of Mladenović's songs (14 EKV and one Šarlo Akrobata song) by a range of musicians, spanning from rock veteran Dado Topić
, over EKV contemporaries like Električni Orgazam
, Darko Rundek
, Partibrejkers
, Miško Plavi, Vlada Divljan
, Del Arno Band
, and Tanja Jovićević, to younger acts, like Jarboli
, Darkwood Dub
, Novembar
, Night Shift
, Block Out, and Vroom. Mladenović's former Šarlo Akrobata bandmate Dušan Kojić
also appeared on the album under the pseudonym Crni Zub, participating in the cover of "Zemlja".
Another tribute album, released in 2003, was a live album
Jako dobar tattoo - Tribute to EKV (Very Good Tattoo - Tribute to EKV), recorded at the tribute concert held on February 22, 2003, in Zagreb
's Tvornica club. The performers included Croatia
n bands Le Cinema, Vatra, and Urban & 4, and solo artists Massimo Savić with EKV tribute band Veliki Bijeli Slon, Darko Rundek with his Cargo Orkestar, and Električni Orgazam frontman Srđan "Gile" Gojković, also with Veliki Bijeli Slon. The album consists of 13 live covers, each artist performing several.
The book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike
(YU 100: The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music), published in 1998, features two albums by the band: S' vetrom uz lice
(ranked #26) and Katarina II (album)
(ranked #68).
In November 2006, "Par godina za nas" was polled the Best Yugoslav Popular Music Song on the B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list.
In July 2011, the plateau in front of Belgrade Youth Center
was named Plateau of Milan Mladenović.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n and former Yugoslav rock group from Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, being one of the most successful and influential music acts coming out of former Yugoslavia.
Initially called Katarina II , the band had built up a devoted following that greatly intensified and expanded after the death of its frontman Milan Mladenović
Milan Mladenovic
Milan Mladenović was a Yugoslav and Serbian musician best known as the frontman of Serbian art rock band Ekatarina Velika.-Early life:...
in 1994, which caused the band to dissolve. The group's core consisted of singer and guitarist Milan Mladenović, keyboardist Margita Stefanović
Margita Stefanovic
Margita "Magi" Stefanović was a Yugoslav and Serbian musician best known as a keyboardist for the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika.Born in Belgrade as the only child of well-known theatre and television director Slavoljub Stefanović-Ravassi and Desanka Nikolić...
and bassist Bojan Pečar
Bojan Pecar
Bojan Pečar was a Yugoslav and Serbian musician, best known as bass player of the cult Yugoslav rock band Ekatarina Velika. Previously he was a member of the New Wave group Via Talas, who were featured on the Yugoslav New Wave compilation album Artistička radna akcija...
, with other members mostly remaining for comparatively shorter periods.
Post-punk years (1982–1986)
Following the disbandment of Šarlo AkrobataŠarlo Akrobata
Šarlo Akrobata were a seminal Yugoslav rock band often categorized as late punk or New Wave, particularly art-oriented. Short-lived but extremely influential, in addition to being one of the most important acts of the Yugoslav New Wave scene, the three piece left an indelible mark on the entire...
, in February 1982, Milan Mladenović
Milan Mladenovic
Milan Mladenović was a Yugoslav and Serbian musician best known as the frontman of Serbian art rock band Ekatarina Velika.-Early life:...
(guitar, vocals) with Dragomir Mihailović "Gagi"
Dragomir Mihajlović
- Musical career :Mihajlović started his career as a guitarist in a progressive rock group Limunovo Drvo, which, formed in 1978 by himself and Milan Mladenović , after performing for two years moved towards New Wave, with the arrival of Dušan Kojić "Koja" and Ivan Vdović "VD" . In April 1980,...
(guitar), Dušan Dejanović (drums), and Zoran Radomirović "Švaba" (bass) formed the band Katarina II, named after Mihailović's unrequited love, a girl named Katarina. During the late 1982, after the performance at the cinema Topčiderska zvezda, the band was joined by the classically trained pianist Margita Stefanović
Margita Stefanovic
Margita "Magi" Stefanović was a Yugoslav and Serbian musician best known as a keyboardist for the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika.Born in Belgrade as the only child of well-known theatre and television director Slavoljub Stefanović-Ravassi and Desanka Nikolić...
. At the time, the rhythm section had changed, with Radomirović leaving to join Du Du A
Du Du A
Du Du A is a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade.- History :Du Du A was formed in 1981 by the former Grupa I member Dejan Kostić and the former VIA Talas member Vuk Vujačić. The two started writing material which featured a combination of funk, reggae and dance music...
and Dejanović joining the heated rivals Disciplina Kičme
Disciplina Kičme
Disciplina Kičme , is a Serbian band, one of the two spin-offs of the seminal Yugoslav New Wave and later post-punk band Šarlo Akrobata, the other being Ekatarina Velika...
.
The vacant drummer position was taken over by the former Grupa I
Grupa I
Grupa I was a Serbian and former Yugoslav New Wave band from Belgrade, active in the late 1970s and early 1980s.- History :...
member Branko Kuštrin "Mango", but after not more than a month's period he left the band, being replaced by Milan's former bandmate from Šarlo Akrobata Ivan Vdović "VD"
Ivan Vdovic
Ivan "Ivica" Vdović also known as VD was Yugoslavian musician, drummer of Yugoslav rock bands such as Suncokret, Šarlo Akrobata and Katarina II....
. At the same time, on early 1983, Bojan Pečar
Bojan Pecar
Bojan Pečar was a Yugoslav and Serbian musician, best known as bass player of the cult Yugoslav rock band Ekatarina Velika. Previously he was a member of the New Wave group Via Talas, who were featured on the Yugoslav New Wave compilation album Artistička radna akcija...
, a former VIA Talas
VIA Talas
VIA Talas were a former Yugoslav New Wave band notable as one of the participants of the Artistička radna akcija project...
bassist became the new band member. In the spring of 1983 the band took part in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
Bienalle and received positive reviews. Their material for the debut album material was recorded soon after, featuring guest appearance by the actor Svetislav Goncić on tin whistles. The recording sessions for the material were completed in the Druga Maca studio owned by Enco Lesić however, due to a variety of reasons, most of them having to do with the poor technical equipment, the material was unusable.
The following year in RTV Ljubljana studios, the band took the offer of fellow musician Srđan Marjanović, who was the label's musical director at the time, to rerecord the material for the debut album. Katarina II eponymous debut album
Katarina II (album)
Katarina II is the first studio album by the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1984. The band was called Katarina II at the time of its release, but changed the name to Ekatarina Velika, and has continued to work under that name till the end...
was eventually released in 1984, mostly featuring the lyrics written by Mladenović, except for the songs "Vrt" ("The Garden") and "Platforme" ("The Platforms") written by Mihajlović, while the music was a collaboration between the two. The tracks like "Aut" ("Out"), "Jesen" ("Autumn"), "Radostan dan" ("A Joyful Day"), "Treba da se čisti" ("It Ought To Be Cleaned"), "Ja znam" ("I Know") the band successfully linked Milan's descriptive lyrical sensibility with the energetic New Wave sound. The material was produced by Đorđe Petrović and featured guest appearances by Mario Čelik on congas Film member Jurij Novoselić "Kuzma Videosex" on saxophone.
Soon after the album release, the band went through more lineup changes. Mihajlović ran afoul of the law and went to jail and after serving the punishment he was informed by the rest of the band that he was no longer a Katarina II member. However, since Mihajlović claimed rights to the usage of the Katarina II band name, he forced the band into using another one. Later he collaborated with Vlada Divljan
Vlada Divljan
Vladimir "Vlada" Divljan , is a Serbian singer and songwriter. He is known as the frontman for the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Idoli, as well as for his solo works.-Early activity:...
before moving to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where he currently resides. Additionally, drummer Vdović left due to drug abuse problems, later joining Du Du A
Du Du A
Du Du A is a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade.- History :Du Du A was formed in 1981 by the former Grupa I member Dejan Kostić and the former VIA Talas member Vuk Vujačić. The two started writing material which featured a combination of funk, reggae and dance music...
and the band Heroji, being replaced by the former Luna drummer Ivan Fece "Firchie". The remaining members continued working as Ekatarina Velika, after Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II of Russia
Catherine II, also known as Catherine the Great , Empress of Russia, was born in Stettin, Pomerania, Prussia on as Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg...
, or EKV for short. Due to constant SFR Yugoslavia-wide touring, with frequent stops in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
and Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, and occasional TV spots, the band's popularity had gradually grown.
At the beginning of the following year, the band recorded their second studio album, recorded at the Zagreb SIM studio and produced by Vladimir Smolec and the band members themselves. Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika (album)
Ekatarina Velika is the second studio album by the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1985. Before this release, the band was called Katarina II, and had released a self-titled album in 1984....
, featuring Massimo Savić and Karlowy Wary member Tomo in der Mühlen as guests, provided the band with its first hits, "Oči boje meda" ("Honey Colored Eyes"), "Modro i zeleno" ("Indigo and Green") and "Tattoo". In accordance with the latter song, the album cover arranged by Dušan Gerzić feature the band members painted in Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
ritual body art. After the album release, on March 22, 1985, they played outside of Yugoslavia for the first time, making a positive impression at Culture Days in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Another memorable concert took place in Zagreb as part of Bolje vas našli Belgrade-Zagreb band exchange.
Towards the end of 1985, Fece left the band to serve the mandatory Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
service, later joining Laboratorija Zvuka
Laboratorija Zvuka
Laboratorija Zvuka , sometimes credited as Laboratorija only, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band...
, and was replaced by the Ivan Ranković "Raka" from the band Tvrdo Srce i Velike Uši. The following year, the new lineup released the third studio album S vetrom uz lice (Faced Against the Wind), proving to be the breakthrough album that turned them into bona fide stars. The album was produced by Milan Mladenović, Margita Stefanović and Dragan Čačinović, extensively using the E-mu Emulator II 8-bit sampler. With the hits "Budi sam na ulici" ("Be Alone on the Street"), "Ti si sav moj bol" ("You Are All My Anguish"), "Novac u rukama" ("Money in the Hands"), and "Kao da je bilo nekad" ("As If It Had Once Been") came some lukewarm reviews from the critics complaining about the similarities to the works of the Simple Minds
Simple Minds
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...
.
After the album release, the band toured extensively all over former Yugoslavia, and the recording of one of the five sold-out performances at the Zagreb club Kulušić
Kulušić
Kulušić was a Yugoslav Concert Club in Zagreb, Croatia, which hosted many famous international acts and all the important acts from the region. It is particularly associated with the Yugoslav New Wave acts of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Many Live albums which today are part of the Ex-Yugoslav...
, made on November 2, 1986, was released in early 1987 on the live album EKV 19LIVE!86
EKV 19LIVE!86
-Personnel:*Milan Mladenović – vocals, guitar*Margita Stefanović – keyboards, backing vocals*Bojan Pečar – bass, backing vocals*Ivan "Raka" Ranković – drums...
. The band promoted the release of the live album in Belgrade during January 1987 and triumphed at Dom Omladine with six sold-out shows. During spring of the same year, Ivan Ranković decided to leave EKV in order to form a new group Ulica Od Meseca with his old bandmates from Tvrdo Srce i Velike Uši. Ranković was replaced by the actor Srđan Todorović, a former Disciplina Kičme
Disciplina Kičme
Disciplina Kičme , is a Serbian band, one of the two spin-offs of the seminal Yugoslav New Wave and later post-punk band Šarlo Akrobata, the other being Ekatarina Velika...
became the new drummer, playing his first show on April 9, 1987, at the New Rock festival held at the La Locomotive club in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. On autumn of the same year, the band got the Sedam Sekretara SKOJa for the achievements on the second and third studio album.
Alternative rock years (1987–1991)
During the summer of 1987, the band released the album LjubavLjubav (album)
Ljubav is the fourth studio album by the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1987. The new band member, replacing Ivan "Raka" Ranković on drums, was Srđan "Žika" Todorović...
(Love), co-produced by the band with the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n musician Theodore Yanni. It displayed a more guitar-oriented sound, along with stylized sleeve done by Margita and artist Vuk Vidor. Prominent tracks from the album include "Zemlja" ("Earth"), "7 Dana" ("7 Days"), "Pored mene" ("Beside Me"), "Ljudi iz gradova" ("People From The Cities"), and "Ljubav" ("Love"). It had also shown the first signs of Milan's depressive lyrics, as exemplified by song "Tonemo" ("We Are Sinking"). The album had also confirmed their live attraction status with two consecutive sold out shows at Belgrade's Pionir Hall
Pionir Hall
Pionir Hall, or Pionir Arena is a sports arena in Belgrade, Serbia, located in the Belgrade's municipality of Palilula...
sports arena. New extensive tour commenced in early 1988, and EKV enlisted help from Tanja Jovićević of Oktobar 1864
Oktobar 1864
Oktobar 1864 was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band.-1984 – 1992:Oktobar 1864 was formed in 1984 in Zemun by Goran Tomanović and have changed several line-ups before they won the Best demo Band Award at the MESAM festival in 1986. Goran Tomanović the first band members over the...
and Zvonimir Đukić from Van Gogh
Van Gogh (band)
Van Gogh is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. The band was formed in 1986, and released their debut alternative rock-oriented self-titled album the same year...
to appear as backing live musicians. Fece had also promptly rejoined the band on tour, shortly replacing Srđan Todorović before moving away to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in May 1988.
In January 1989, the band finished the recording sessions for the album Samo par godina za nas (Only a Few Years for Us), released during the same year, featuring guest appearances by Mitar Subotić (guitar, album production) and Tanja Jovićević (backing vocals). The critics regarded this album as a mere of the concept from the previous album. Several hits from the album include "Krug" ("The Circle"), "Par godina za nas" ("A Few Years for Us"), and "Srce" ("Heart"). Despite the mixed critics, the band were at their peak performing at the EBU-UER rock festival in Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, the 1990 Midem
Midem
-MIDEM:Short for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale, MIDEM is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at and around the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, since 1967...
festival in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
and the first Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an rock music bienalle held in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
. After the tour, Todorović left the band, focusing on his acting career. Bojan Pečar also decided to leave the band moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The new members became the former VIA Talas
VIA Talas
VIA Talas were a former Yugoslav New Wave band notable as one of the participants of the Artistička radna akcija project...
, D' Boys
D' Boys
-1982 - 1985:The band was formed in 1982, consisting of two musicians: Peđa D'Boy and Miško Mihajlovski, who reportedly "played the drum machine" and percussion...
and Piloti
Piloti
Pilotis, or piers, are supports such as columns, pillars, or stilts that lift a building above ground or water. They are traditionally found in stilt and pole dwellings such as fishermen's huts in Asia and Scandinavia using wood and in elevated houses such as Old Queenslanders in Australia's...
member Miško Petrović "Plavi" on bass and the former U Škripcu
U Škripcu
U Škripcu was a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade, notable as participant in the Artistička radna akcija project as well as for their later works.- Formation and breakup :...
member Marko Milivojević
Marko Milivojevic
Marko Milivojević is a Serbian musician. He played drums and keyboards in various Yugoslav bands Marko Milivojević is a Serbian musician. He played drums and keyboards in various Yugoslav bands Marko Milivojević is a Serbian musician. He played drums and keyboards in various Yugoslav bands...
on drums.
The sixth studio album Dum dum
Dum Dum (Ekatarina Velika album)
Dum Dum is the sixth studio album by the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1991. Srdjan "Žika" Todorović was here replaced by Marko Milivojević , who remained the band's drummer till the end...
(Bang Bang), released in 1991, featured the Plejboj
Plejboj
Plejboj was a Serbian punk rock/ska band from Belgrade.- Formation, rise to prominence :...
member Dušan Petrović and session musician Bata Božanić as bass players, Tanja Jovićević on backing vocals, Zvonimir Đukić on guitar and Mitar Subotić on keyboards and machines. The album, produced by Theodore Yanni, featured the prominent songs "Zabranjujem" ("I Forbid"), "Idemo" ("Let's Go"), "Dum dum" ("Bang Bang") and "Bledo" ("Pale"), inspired by the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
and the general political and economical situation in the country. The following year, Mladenović participated in the antiwar project Rimtutituki
Rimtutituki
Rimtutituki was a Serbian rock supergroup featuring Ekatarina Velika, Električni Orgazam and Partibrejkers members. The band was formed as an anti-war project during the Yugoslav Wars...
, also featuring Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of New Wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed their style, becoming a mainstream rock act.- New Wave years :...
and Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers is a prominent Serbian rock band from Belgrade, as well as an acclaimed act of the former Yugoslav rock scene....
members, releasing the single "Slušaj 'vamo" ("Listen Up").
Mainstream rock years (1992–1994)
During the summer of 1992 the band toured with the new bassist Dragiša Uskoković "Ćima", with whom they recorded the final studio album Neko nas posmatraNeko nas posmatra (album)
Neko nas posmatra is the seventh, and the last studio album by Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1993. As a contardiction to the previous record, it showed a more optimistic and more positive views...
(Somebody Is Watching Us), released in May 1993. The album featured a more accessible and communicative sound especially present in the songs "Ponos" ("Pride"), "Jadransko more" ("The Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
"), "Just Let Me Play Some Modern R'n'R Music" and "Zajedno" ("Together"). For the first time, the band had included a cover song on and album, "Istina Mašina" ("Truth Machine"), originally performed by the Yugoslav rock band Time
Time (rock band)
Time was a rock band from Yugoslavia that was formed in 1971 by Dado Topić after leaving his previous band Korni Grupa. The original lineup consisted of, in addition to Topić, Tihomir Pop Asanović , Vedran Božić , Mario Mavrin , Ratko Divjak and Brane Lambert Živković...
. The album was produced by Mladenović and featured Srđan Todorović, Tanja Jovićević and a childer choir as guest performers.
After the album release, in September of the same year, Ekatarina Velika, Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of New Wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed their style, becoming a mainstream rock act.- New Wave years :...
, Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers is a prominent Serbian rock band from Belgrade, as well as an acclaimed act of the former Yugoslav rock scene....
and the Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
band Vještice performed in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on the concerts entitled Ko to tamo pjeva (Who's That Singing Over There). At the time, Mladenović and Stefanović held occasional unplugged
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
club performances, often featuring guest appearances by the Partibrejkers guitarist Nebojša Antonijević "Anton" and various jazz musicians, until Milan's departure to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where he worked on a project called Angel's Breath, together with Mitar Subotić and a line-up of Brazilian musicians. The two started recording the material partially written in 1985 when, with the guitarist Goran Vejvoda
Goran Vejvoda
Goran Vejvoda is an English-born, French-based, media artist ....
, they had several live appearances under the moniker Dah Anđela (Angel's Breath).
Breakup and post-breakup
The band resumed their activities when Mladenović returned to Yugoslavia. There were plans to make a new album, tentatively titled Ponovo zajedno (Together Again), but the idea was shelved because of Milan's health problems. EKV played what would turn out to be their last ever show on August 24, 1994 in BudvaBudva
Budva is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has around 15,000 inhabitants, and it is the centre of municipality...
at the Pjesma Mediterana
Pjesma Mediterana
Pjesma Mediterana is a pop music festival held every summer in Budva, Montenegro.The festival began in 1992 There have been various sponsors of the festival, including:Komuna Belgrade, Music Star Production and the Municipality of Budva. From 2008, the Municipality of Budva, together with HTP...
festival. The very next day Milan was held in a hospital, and it was soon discovered that he had pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
. Barely a few months later, on November 5, 1994, Milan Mladenović died in Belgrade, at the age of 36, thus Ekatarina Velika ceased to exist.
Margita Stefanović continued working as a musician, for a short period of time performing with the cover band Kurajberi. In 1995, with Vladimir Stojanović, as an ambiental music duo EQV, she released the album Ti si sav moj bol (You Are All My Anguish), released by the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
m record label Coop Arts Crafts Unltd. In October of the same year, EQV appeared at the Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
Talkit festival. She had also made occasional live appearances with the bands Direktori
Direktori
Direktori is a Serbian oi! punk/ska group from Belgrade.-1989 – 1999:During the spring of 1989, vocalist Nebojša Drakula, with the former Varšavski Geto member Miroslav Pilipović "Trta" on guitar, former Pogrebni Zavod member Srđan Marić on bass guitar and former Hogari member Dragan "Rale"...
, Glisers and Zion Banda, and appeared as guest on the albums of several Belgrade rock bands. In 1996, she appeared on the Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of New Wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed their style, becoming a mainstream rock act.- New Wave years :...
unplugged live album Živo i akustično
Živo i akustično
Živo i akustično is the Električni Orgazam unplugged album, released in 1996.- Tracklisting :Source: Discogs- Personnel :* Srđan Gojković Gile * Branislav Petrović Banana * Zoran Radomirović Švaba...
(Live and Acoustic), and in 1998, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
signing, she appeared in Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
with Zoran Stojanović, the leader of the Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
band Veliki Bijeli Slon, being, along with Rambo Amadeus
Rambo Amadeus
Rambo Amadeus is the stage name of the Belgrade-based Montenegrin singer-songwriter Antonije Pušić, popular all over the former Yugoslavia...
, the first Serbian musician to play in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
after the Yugoslav Wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
.
During the early 1997, a posthumous live album entitled Live '88 was released, featuring the recordings of the performances from Zagreb and Novi Sad held during the 1988 tour. The Zagreb recordings, made at the Kulušić club, were announced by the rock critic Dražen Vrdoljak and featured Theodore Yanni on guest guitar. The live recordings were owned by Fece whom initiated the album release. During the same year, Margita Stefanović founded the record label EKV Records and started reissuing EKV studio album with bonus material. The Ljubav reissue featured live bonus material made at the Belgrade Dom Omladine on November 13, 1991 and the 1988 Novi Sad SNP performance, Samo par godina za nas featured the live bonus tracks from the Avala fest held in September 1990 and Dum dum featured alternate and demo recordings and the 1991 Dom Omladine live tracks.
PGP RTS also contributed the CD reissuing by releasing the compilation album Kao nada, kao govor, kao more... (Like Hope, Like Speech, Like the Sea...) in 1997, featuring selected material from the latter four studio albums. During 2001 and 2002, EKV Records and IPS music reissued the rest of the band's catalog, also featuring bonus live material. The label also released the live album Kao u snu - EKV live 1991 (As If in a Dream - EKV Live 1991) featuring the Belgrade Dom Omladine 1991 performance. During the same year, a tribute album Kao da je bilo nekad... (Posvećeno Milanu Mladenoviću) (As If It Had Once Been) was released. The following year, a live tribute album Jako dobar tattoo - Tribute to EKV (A Very Good Tatto - Tribute to EKV) was released.
On September 18, 2002, Margita Stefanović died, being the fourth band member to die prematurely. Ivan Vdović died of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
on September 25, 1992. Milan Mladenović died of pancreatic cancer on November 5, 1994. Bojan Pečar died of a hear attack on October 13, 1998. Dušan Dejanović died on November 16, 2000.
Legacy
Ekatarina Velika is considered one of the top and most influential acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene. Of the bands heavily influenced by Ekatarina Velika, by far the most notable is Van GoghVan Gogh (band)
Van Gogh is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. The band was formed in 1986, and released their debut alternative rock-oriented self-titled album the same year...
, which has risen to the status of one of the most popular rock acts in Serbia in the second half of the 1990s. Another band highly inspired by EKV is the alternative rock band Block Out
Block Out (band)
Block Out is a grunge/alternative rock band from Belgrade, Serbia. Their musical style is a combination of artistic alternative rock, punk rock, doom metal and psychedelic rock...
.
In 2003, a tribute album to Mladenović entitled Kao da je bilo nekad... Posvećeno Milanu Mladenoviću (Like It Happened Someday... Dedicated to Milan Mladenović) was released. The album consists of 15 covers of Mladenović's songs (14 EKV and one Šarlo Akrobata song) by a range of musicians, spanning from rock veteran Dado Topić
Dado Topic
Adolf "Dado" Topić is a singer who sang the entry from Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 together with the band Dragonfly. He is one of the most popular rock musicians of Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. He was the lead singer of Time, a 1970s progressive rock band...
, over EKV contemporaries like Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of New Wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed their style, becoming a mainstream rock act.- New Wave years :...
, Darko Rundek
Darko Rundek
Darko Rundek is a Croatian rock singer, songwriter, poet, and actor. His music career started in the early '80s, as the frontman of the world music influenced rock band Haustor...
, Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers is a prominent Serbian rock band from Belgrade, as well as an acclaimed act of the former Yugoslav rock scene....
, Miško Plavi, Vlada Divljan
Vlada Divljan
Vladimir "Vlada" Divljan , is a Serbian singer and songwriter. He is known as the frontman for the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Idoli, as well as for his solo works.-Early activity:...
, Del Arno Band
Del Arno Band
Del Arno Band is a Serbian and former Yugoslav reggae band from Belgrade. Formed in 1986, Del Arno Band are considered the longest lasting Serbian reggae band, and one of the pioneers of Serbian and former Yugoslav reggae scenes.-1980s:...
, and Tanja Jovićević, to younger acts, like Jarboli
Jarboli
Jarboli is a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade.- 1990s :The band was formed in 1991 by Daniel Kovač , Boris Mladenović , Žolt Kovač , and Nemanja Aćimović whom, influenced by garage rock and punk rock, started to compose their own material and to perform in Belgrade clubs,...
, Darkwood Dub
Darkwood Dub
Darkwood Dub are an alternative rock band from Belgrade, Serbia, which, formed in 1988, gradually grew to prominence on the Serbian rock scene. Their music is characterized by gentle bass lines, a mixture of live drumming and electronic percussion, along with frequent use of slide guitar,...
, Novembar
Novembar
Novembar is a Serbian punk rock band from Niš.- Studeni Studeni, band formation :...
, Night Shift
Night Shift (band)
- Underground years :The band was formed in 1991, by the Šćepanović brothers, Milan and Danijel , with their friend Marko Dacić . The official date of the band formation was chosen to be January 11, 1991, when the trio had their first live performance...
, Block Out, and Vroom. Mladenović's former Šarlo Akrobata bandmate Dušan Kojić
Dušan Kojic
Dušan Kojić "Koja" is a Serbian rock bassist, singer and songwriter. He is the frontman of the Serbian Alternative rock band Disciplin A Kitschme .- Compilation albums :...
also appeared on the album under the pseudonym Crni Zub, participating in the cover of "Zemlja".
Another tribute album, released in 2003, was a live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
Jako dobar tattoo - Tribute to EKV (Very Good Tattoo - Tribute to EKV), recorded at the tribute concert held on February 22, 2003, in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
's Tvornica club. The performers included Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n bands Le Cinema, Vatra, and Urban & 4, and solo artists Massimo Savić with EKV tribute band Veliki Bijeli Slon, Darko Rundek with his Cargo Orkestar, and Električni Orgazam frontman Srđan "Gile" Gojković, also with Veliki Bijeli Slon. The album consists of 13 live covers, each artist performing several.
The book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike
YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike
YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike is a book by Duško Antonić and Danilo Štrbac...
(YU 100: The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music), published in 1998, features two albums by the band: S' vetrom uz lice
S' vetrom uz lice
S' vetrom uz lice is the third studio album by the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1986. With this album Ekatarina Velika reached a wider audience, and it is considered to be the commercial breakthrough for the band. The new drummer, replacing Ivan "Firchie" Fece, was Ivan "Raka"...
(ranked #26) and Katarina II (album)
Katarina II (album)
Katarina II is the first studio album by the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1984. The band was called Katarina II at the time of its release, but changed the name to Ekatarina Velika, and has continued to work under that name till the end...
(ranked #68).
In November 2006, "Par godina za nas" was polled the Best Yugoslav Popular Music Song on the B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list.
In July 2011, the plateau in front of Belgrade Youth Center
Belgrade Youth Center
Belgrade Youth Center, or Dom omladine Beograda , is a cultural center in Belgrade, dedicated primarily to youth. It organises numerous programs in the area of modern art and culture, as well as educational-debate programs: around 1,000 different programs per year, visited by over 180,000 youth...
was named Plateau of Milan Mladenović.
Members
- Milan MladenovićMilan MladenovicMilan Mladenović was a Yugoslav and Serbian musician best known as the frontman of Serbian art rock band Ekatarina Velika.-Early life:...
— vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with... - Dragomir Mihajlović "Gagi"Dragomir Mihajlović- Musical career :Mihajlović started his career as a guitarist in a progressive rock group Limunovo Drvo, which, formed in 1978 by himself and Milan Mladenović , after performing for two years moved towards New Wave, with the arrival of Dušan Kojić "Koja" and Ivan Vdović "VD" . In April 1980,...
— guitar (February 1982 - sometime in 1984) - Zoran Radomirović "Švaba" — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(February 1982 - late 1982) - Dušan Dejanović — drums (February 1982 - late 1982)
- Margita Stefanović "Magi"Margita StefanovicMargita "Magi" Stefanović was a Yugoslav and Serbian musician best known as a keyboardist for the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika.Born in Belgrade as the only child of well-known theatre and television director Slavoljub Stefanović-Ravassi and Desanka Nikolić...
- keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s, backing vocals (late 1982 - summer 1994) - Branko Kuštrin "Mango" — drums (late 1982 - early 1983)
- Bojan PečarBojan PecarBojan Pečar was a Yugoslav and Serbian musician, best known as bass player of the cult Yugoslav rock band Ekatarina Velika. Previously he was a member of the New Wave group Via Talas, who were featured on the Yugoslav New Wave compilation album Artistička radna akcija...
— bass guitar (early 1983 - early 1990) - Ivan Vdović "VD"Ivan VdovicIvan "Ivica" Vdović also known as VD was Yugoslavian musician, drummer of Yugoslav rock bands such as Suncokret, Šarlo Akrobata and Katarina II....
— drumDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
s (early 1983 - fall 1984) - Ivan Fece "Firchie" — drums (fall 1984 - late 1985), (early 1988 - May 1988)
- Ivan Ranković "Raka" — drums (late 1985 - early 1987)
- Srđan Todorović "Žika" — drums (early 1987 - early 1988), (May 1988 - early 1990)
- Marko MilivojevićMarko MilivojevicMarko Milivojević is a Serbian musician. He played drums and keyboards in various Yugoslav bands Marko Milivojević is a Serbian musician. He played drums and keyboards in various Yugoslav bands Marko Milivojević is a Serbian musician. He played drums and keyboards in various Yugoslav bands...
— drums (early 1990 - summer 1994) - Miško Petrović "Plavi" — bass guitar (early 1990 - spring 1991)
- Dušan Petrović — bass guitar (spring 1991 - fall 1991)
- Bata Božanić — bass guitar (spring 1991 - fall 1991)
- Dragiša Uskoković "Ćima" — bass guitar (fall 1991 - late 1993)
- Boško Stanojević "Bole" — bass guitar (summer 1994)
Discography
- Katarina IIKatarina II (album)Katarina II is the first studio album by the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1984. The band was called Katarina II at the time of its release, but changed the name to Ekatarina Velika, and has continued to work under that name till the end...
(1984) - Ekatarina VelikaEkatarina Velika (album)Ekatarina Velika is the second studio album by the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1985. Before this release, the band was called Katarina II, and had released a self-titled album in 1984....
(1985) - S' vetrom uz lice (1986)
- LjubavLjubav (album)Ljubav is the fourth studio album by the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1987. The new band member, replacing Ivan "Raka" Ranković on drums, was Srđan "Žika" Todorović...
(1987) - Samo par godina za nas (1989)
- Dum DumDum Dum (Ekatarina Velika album)Dum Dum is the sixth studio album by the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1991. Srdjan "Žika" Todorović was here replaced by Marko Milivojević , who remained the band's drummer till the end...
(1991) - Neko nas posmatraNeko nas posmatra (album)Neko nas posmatra is the seventh, and the last studio album by Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1993. As a contardiction to the previous record, it showed a more optimistic and more positive views...
(1993)
External links
- Official website
- Fan website
- Ekatarina Velika at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Ekatarina Velika at MyspaceMyspaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Ekatarina Velika at FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- Ekatarina Velika at YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Ekatarina Velika at Rateyourmusic
- Ekatarina Velika at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
- Ekatarina Velika at B92.fmB92B92 is a radio and television broadcaster with national coverage headquartered in Belgrade, Serbia. The network's key demographic is chiefly urban and young audience. Its programs, including the news cover topics with fairly liberal political painted attitudes...