Serbian rock
Encyclopedia
Serbian rock is the rock music
scene of Serbia
. During the 1960s
, 1970s
and the 1980s
, while Serbia was a constituent republic
of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
, Serbian rock scene was a part of the SFR Yugoslav rock scene
.
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was not an Eastern Bloc
country, but a member of the Non-Aligned Movement
and as such, it was far more opened to the Western culture comparing to the other socialist countiries. Rock and roll reached Yugoslavia via foreign radio stations, most notably Radio Luxemburg
, and the availability of rock and roll records, brought in from the West. Rock and roll influences reached schlager
singers, most notably Đorđe Marjanović, who released the first popular music solo album in Serbia, in 1959. The end of the 1950s featured the appearances of first rock and roll acts, and the 1960s featured a large number of beat
bands, such as Siluete
and Elipse
, which became enormously popular with the younger generations. Rock bands drew the public's attention to themselves, which was followed with the appearance of first rock music magazines, radio and TV shows.
Until the beginning of the 1970s, Serbian rock bands released only 7" singles and extended play
s. Korni Grupa
was the first Serbian rock act to release a full-length album, in 1971, and one of the first bands to move towards progressive rock
. Progressive and acoustic rock dominated the Serbian rock scene during the 1970s, with a part of bands incorporating elements of traditional music
into their sound. At this period, bands like YU grupa
and Smak
achieved large mainstream popularity and massive album sales. The end of the 1970s featured the appearance of the prominent hard rock
band Riblja Čorba
, and the emergence of the closely associated punk rock
and New Wave scenes. Pekinška Patka
was the first Serbian punk rock
band to release an album, in 1980. The New Wave bands Šarlo Akrobata
, Električni Orgazam
and Idoli, which appeared on the influential compilation album Paket aranžman
in 1980, were followed by a large number of New Wave acts. Around 1982, with the rising tensions in Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo
, New Wave scene declined. During the 1980s, pop rock
acts, such as Đorđe Balašević and Bajaga i Instruktori
, dominated the mainstream scene, but various rock genres also emerged, and the alternative rock
scene, with the acts such as Ekatarina Velika
, Disciplina Kičme
, and Rambo Amadeus
, started to develop and gain mainstream popularity.
With the outbreak of the Yugoslav wars
at the beginning of the 1990s, the former Yugoslav rock scene ceased to exist. During the 1990s popularity of rock music declined in Serbia, and, although several major mainstream acts managed to sustain their popularity, an underground
and independent music scene developed, During the 1990s most of, both mainstream and underground, rock acts expressed their opposition towards the regime of Slobodan Milošević
. After the 1999 NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia and the arrival of the political changes during the 2000s, not only the mainstream scene saw a revival, but a new independent and underground scene started to develop. The 2000s also featured the establishing of new connections between the former Yugoslav republics' scenes.
and rockabilly
acts such as Elvis Presley
, Bill Haley
, Chuck Berry
, Bo Diddley
, Little Richard
, Buddy Holly
and others, a large number of young people started performing the so-called "električna muzika" ("electric music"), naming themselves "električari" ("electricians"). One of the first Serbian rock and roll musicians who rose to fame was guitarist Mile Lojpur
from Belgrade
, also often considered the first Serbian or even Yugoslav rock and roll musician. He rose to fame at the performances he and his band Septet M organized at Red Star
basketball courts at Kalemegdan
. Although Lojpur did not make any recordings (except two guest appearances, on Nikola Čuturilo
and Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi
albums), he had a great influence on subsequent development of the scene. Another notable rock and roll artist was Perica Stojančić from Niš
who released his first single "Lucia" (a cover of Little Richard's "Lucille
") in 1961.
The singer Đorđe Marjanović became the first Yugoslav megastar
. Despite essentially being a pop
singer, Marjanović also performed rock songs. He recorded a large number of hits, but is also notable as the first Yugoslav popular music
singer who had an energetic on-scene appearance. He was the first pop singer to take off his jacket on stage, take off the microphone from the stand and walk with it into the audience, and perform songs in theatrical manner. His popularity led to release of his album Muzika za igru in 1959, the first solo popular music album released by PGP-RTB
, the biggest Serbian record label. In 1963, Marjanović went on his first Soviet Union
tour, where he soon became very popular, and had gone on more than thirty Soviet Union tours since. He continued to perform until 1990, when, on the concert in Melbourne
, he had a stroke
. He recovered, but decided to retire.
The beginning of the 1960s saw the emergence of numerous rhythm and blues
and beat
bands, the majority of which being initially inspired by the then-popular Cliff Richard
and The Shadows
: Iskre
and Siluete
, both formed in 1961; Zlatni Dečaci
and Bele Višnje
, both formed in 1962; Crni Biseri
, Daltoni
, Elipse
, and Samonikli
, all formed in 1963; Tomi Sovilj i Njegove Siluete
and Sanjalice
, both formed in 1964; Džentlmeni
, formed in 1966. Siluete were well known for their shocking appearance and performance, and the band's frontman Zoran Miščević, known for his long blond hair, became one of the first Yugoslav rock stars and a sex symbol
. The media often dealt with rivalry between Siluete and Elipse. Initially formed as a rhythm and blues band, Elipse moved to soul music
and added a brass section when they were joined by vocalist Edi Dekeng, an Africa
n student from Congo
in 1967. Zoran Simjanović
, today a well-known film score
composer, spent some time as a member of both Siluete and Elipse. Crni Biseri featured the prominent musician Vlada Janković "Džet", who later formed the band Tunel
and became a well-known Radio Belgrade
host
. Sanjalice were one of the first former Yugoslav all-female rock bands. The members of Džemtlmeni, brothers Žika and Dragi Jelić
, later formed the progressive
/hard rock
band YU grupa
. Although none of these bands recorded studio albums (with the exception of Crni Biseri, which recorded their only studio album Motorok in 1976, and Bele Višnje, which recorded their old songs and released them on the album Pesme naše mladosti in 1994) and released only 7" singles and extended play
s, they had major influence on the subsequent development of the scene.
was one of the first Serbian rock bands to achieve major mainstream popularity. Formed in 1968 by former Indexi
keyboardist
Kornelije Kovač
, the band recorded a large number of commercial pop rock
songs released on 7" singles, with which they achieved huge popularity and appeared on pop music
festivals throughout former Yugoslavia. Already influenced by progressive rock
, the band moved towards progressive sound with the arrival of vocalist Dado Topić
, continuing to occasionally release commercial singles. Korni Grupa's 1971 debut album Korni Grupa was the first long play album by a rock act coming from Serbia, and the fourth long play album by a Yugoslav rock act. The band's second, symphonic rock
-oriented album, Not An Ordinary Life, released under the name The Cornelians in 1974, was one of the first Yugoslav albums released through a foreign record label. Despite the success with the singles they released in Yugoslavia, the band disbanded due to the little success of Not An Ordinary Life and the song "Moja generacija
" at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.
By the time Korni Grupa disbanded, other Serbian progressive rock bands had already achieved huge mainstream popularity. YU grupa
, formed in 1970 by former Džentlmeni
members, brothers Dragi
and Žika Jelić, is often considered the longest-lasting Serbian rock band, although they had a seven-year break in their work (from 1981 to 1987). Having released several successful singles which featured a fusion of progressive/hard rock
and Balkan traditional music
, YU grupa released their first album, YU grupa
, in 1973, which became one of the best selling Yugoslav rock albums of the 1970s. The band continued releasing successful albums, but with the popularity of New Wave, the band disbanded in 1981. However, the band reunited in 1987 and has released a number of well-accepted hard rock-oriented albums since. The band Smak
from Kragujevac
, formed by guitar virtuoso Radomir Mihailović "Točak" in 1971, was, during most of the 1970s, competitive with the band Bijelo Dugme
from Sarajevo
. Smak released several hit singles, and appeared as an opening act on the Deep Purple
concert in Belgrade in 1975. During the same year, the band released their self-titled debut
, considered to be one of the most successful debut albums in former Yugoslavia. Despite the popularity of the band's later releases, Satelit
(1976), Crna dama
(1977) and Stranice našeg vremena
(1978), the band disbanded in 1981. The band reunited and disbanded several more times during the 1980s and 1990s, releasing albums that saw little commercial success.
The end of the 1970s featured the appearance of the pop rock band Rani Mraz
. Rani Mraz was formed in 1978 by a former Žetva member Đorđe Balašević, and during the initial period went through numerous lineup changes. The most famous lineup featured Balašević, Verica Todorović, Bora Đorđević and Biljana Krstić, the latter two joining Rani Mraz after leaving the acoustic rock band Suncokret
. This lineup of the band released the highly popular single "Računajte na nas", a song which praised People's Liberation War
from a slightly different perspective than habitual socialist realism
, and soon became an anthem of Yugoslav youth. Đorđević, however, soon left the band to form Riblja Čorba
. Rani Mraz released two well-received albums, Mojoj mami umesto maturske slike u izlogu
and Odlazi cirkus
, before disbanding in 1981. With the release of the album Pub in 1982, Balašević started a very successful solo career, spanning up to the present, establishing himself as one of the most popular Serbian singer-songwriter
s.
The end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s featured the appearance of three popular solo singers: Slađana Milošević, Bebi Dol and Oliver Mandić
. Aleksandra "Slađana" Milošević released her debut single "Au, au" in 1977. The single saw huge success and was followed by a successful album Gorim od želje da ubijem noć (1979). In 1984 she recorded a highly popular ballad "Princeza" with Dado Topić
, which premiered at the Jugovizija 1984. During the 1990s and 2000s she experimented with various musical genres and her popularity heavily declined. Bebi Dol and Oliver Mandić, both using simple pop rock
forms combined with jazz
, synthpop
and folk music
, achieved mainstream popularity and large record sales. Bebi Dol, born Dragana Šarić, with her debut single "Mustafa" (1981) quickly gained the public's attention. Her debut album Ruže i krv gained positive reviews and good commercial reception. Spending two years performing in Egypt
, from 1984 to 1986, she returned to Yugoslavia, and having high ranks at the MESAM and Jugovizija festivals, she was, with the song "Brazil
", the last representative of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest
. Having released her second album Ritam srca in 1995, her popularity declined and she withdrew from performing in the late 1990s, only to return in the early 2000s. Oliver Mandić, though active in the 1970s as a member of various bands, it was his debut album Probaj me (1980) that gave him the nationwide popularity. With hits appearing on his albums Zbog tebe bih tucao kamen and Dođe mi da vrisnem tvoje ime, controversial stage performance and clothing style, Mandić achieved high record sales and positive critics. In the late 1980s he semi-retired, appearing occasionally only until today.
The hard rock band Riblja Čorba
, formed in 1978, achieved huge success with their debut single "Lutka sa naslovne strane
" (1978) and their debut album Kost u grlu
(1979). Their following albums, Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti
and Mrtva priroda
, both released in 1981, launched them to the top of the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock scene, despite their hard rock
sound with blues
and heavy metal
elements, and thanks to their provocative social- and, since the release of Mrtva priroda, political-related lyrics written by the band leader Bora Đorđević. After the album Istina
the band, although still generally fitting into hard rock, started gradually turning towards softer sound, managing to sustain their popularity. The pop rock band Bajaga i Instruktori
, formed in 1984 by former Riblja Čorba member Momčilo Bajagić "Bajaga"
, after releasing their debut, highly successful solo album Pozitivna geografija
in 1983 (originally released as Bajagić's solo album, but, as it featured musicians which would later become members of Bajaga i Instruktori, included in the band's official discography), started releasing successful albums Sa druge strane jastuka
(1985) Jahači magle
(1986), and Prodavnica tajni
(1988), all becoming mega-hits. Both Bajaga i Instruktori and Riblja Čorba entered the 1990s as some of the most popular Serbian rock acts, and their later releases maintained the gained popularity. However, in the 1990s, Riblja Čorba's popularity heavily declined in Croatia
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
during the Yugoslav wars
, when Ðorđević became an active supporter of the Serbian troops in Republika Srpska
and Republika Srpska Krajina which he demonstrated by recording controversial songs "E moj druže zagrebački" (which was recorded as a response to Jura Stublić
's song "E moj druže beogradski") and "Ljetovanje" with the band Mindušari from Knin
. However, Ðorđević was also strongly opposed to Serbian regime and the president Slobodan Milošević
and he demonstrated his attitude by writing a number of anti-regime songs released on Riblja Čorba albums Zbogom, Srbijo
, Ostalo je ćutanje
and Nojeva barka
, and by publishing Njihovi dani
in his own name rather than that of his band.
After the decline of the New Wave
scene in Serbia, part of the bands moved towards more commercial rock and pop rock sound. Električni Orgazam
, after releasing Kako bubanj kaže
in 1984, released their most successful albums, Distorzija
in 1986 and pop rock
-influenced Letim, sanjam, dišem
in 1988. The latter featured the anthem hit-song "Igra rock 'n' roll cela Jugoslavija". Električni Orgazam continued with the same musical directions in the 1990s with Zašto da ne!
and A um bum
. In 2007, Električni Orgazam performed as an opening act for The Rolling Stones
, on the concert held at the Belgrade Ušće park
, becoming the only Serbian band ever to succeed in it. Idoli, after releasing Odbrana i poslednji dani
, went to London
and recorded their second studio album Čokolada
, featuring a combination of pop rock, funk
and electronic music
. The album turned out to be the greatest commercial success by the band. Having recorded the Šest dana juna
soundtrack in the 1960s pop rock manner, the band split up and Vlada Divljan
released his debut album Tajni život A. P. Šandorova, stylistically similar to the previous Idoli releases. The reformed New Wave band Piloti
released the highly successful album Kao ptica na mom dlanu in 1984. With the following albums Osmeh letnje noći and Neka te bog čuva za mene the band maintained their popularity, which even increased in the 1990s with the Zaboravljeni soundtrack album. However, the band disbanded in 1997 and, in the meantime, Piloti frontman Zoran "Kiki" Lesendrić
released the album Nedelja na Duhove
with former Idoli members Srđan Šaper and Nebojša Krstić
under the name Dobrovoljno Pevačko Društvo
. During the late 1990s and 2000s Lesendrić worked as a songwriter before releasing his first, very successful solo album Mesec na vratima in 2008, after which he reformed Piloti. Other New Wave acts that made a shift towards more commercial sound after the decline of the scene include Bezobrazno Zeleno
(which moved towards pop rock), U Škripcu
(which moved towards pop rock and synthpop
), and Laki Pingvini
(which moved towards synthpop and New Romantic
).
The mid-1980s pop rock bands Amajlija
, Poslednja Igra Leptira
, Slomljena Stakla
, Alisa
, Banana
, Jugosloveni
and Bel Tempo
had a vast number of album sales, however, the majority of them disbanded before reaching or at the beginning of the 1990s. Poslednja Igra Leptira, formed in 1980 and led by charismatic frontman Nenad Radulović
, also known as Neša Leptir, achieved success with their pop rock songs with humorous lyrics, but disbanded in 1989. Radulović released his solo album Niko nema što piton imade, which parodied
"novokomponovana muzika
", in 1989, before dying of tumor
in 1990. The power pop
band Banana, formed in 1985, released two albums before disbanding in 1988. Bel Tempo, formed in 1986 by brother and sister Vlada and Suzana Petričević
, released two pop rock albums with jazz elements, Bel Tempo (1987) and Modesty (1992), the concept of the latter being inspired by the comic strip
character
Modesty Blaise
, before disbanding in 1992. The end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s also featured the popular band Vampiri
, whose sound was influenced by the 1950s doo-wop
and rockabilly
. However, with the breakout of the Yugoslav Wars
, their sound seamed misplaced and the band disbanded in 1993. They reunited in 1995 and released the album Plavi grad, and, in 1997, Monkey Food, experimenting with different musical genres on the latter. However, the band disbanded once again in 1998.
Popular rock acts of the 1990s were Galija
, Van Gogh
, Dejan Cukić
, Del Arno Band
, Babe, Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi
, Familija
, and the Belgrade faction of the band Zabranjeno Pušenje
. Galija, despite being formed in the late 1970s and initially performing progressive rock, reached the peak of popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the album trilogy
consisting of Daleko je Sunce
(1988), Korak do slobode
(1989), and Istorija, ti i ja
(1991), entering the 1990s as one of the most popular Serbian rock bands. In the 1990s, Galija promoted the Socialist Party of Serbia
, which had provoked a part of the critics and fans to proclaim Galija a "state band". Nevertheless, albums Karavan
(1994), Trinaest
(1996) and Voleti voleti
(1997) were well received by majority of the fans. The band Van Gogh started their career with the release of their debut self-titled album in 1986, but disbanded a year later. The band reunited in 1990, and throughout the 1990s released the albums Svet je moj (1990), Strast (1993), Hodi (1996) and Opasan ples (1999), which made them one of the most popular acts on the Serbian rock scene. Former Bulevar
and Bajaga i Instruktori vocalist Dejan Cukić started his solo career in the late 1980s, and forming his Spori Ritam Band started releasing a series of successful albums, Spori ritam (1987), Zajedno (1989), 1991 (1991) and Ja bih da pevam (1996). Pioneers of Serbian and former Yugoslav reggae
scenes, Del Arno Band, formed in 1986, were always closely associated with the rock scene. Although they released only three full-length studio albums during twenty-five years of career, Del Arno Band managed to remain on top of Serbian reggae scene and sustain their popularity. Babe, starting in 1992 as a side project of Bajaga i Instruktori member Žika Milenković, Električni Orgazam member Goran Čavajda and Riblja Čorba member Zoran Ilić, with the release of their debut album Slike iz života jednog idota gained popularity with their comedy rock
songs. After the departure of Čavajda, having released Slike sna i jave (Samo za buntovnike) in 1999, Babe ended their activity. Another popular comedy rock
band, Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi
, formed by charismatic frontman Igor Blažević in 1993, with humorous lyrics inspired by musical, film or sport stars quickly gained mainstream popularity. The band Familija
was formed in 1994 by former Vampiri, U Škripcu
and Košava
members, and saw large popularity with their albums Narodno pozorište
and Seljačka buna
, which featured ska
/pop rock songs with humorous lyrics. With the outbreak of the Bosnian War
the band Zabranjeno Pušenje from Sarajevo
split into two factions, both named Zabranjeno Pušenje: the Sarajevo
faction, led by the original Zabranjeno Pušenje guitarist Sejo Sexon
, and the Belgrade faction, led by the original Zabranjeno Pušenje vocalist Nele Karajlić
. The Belgrade faction released the album Ja nisam odavle in 1997, after which they changed the name to No Smoking Orchestra and moved towards world music
. The No Smoking Orchestra recorded the soundtrack for the Venice Film Festival
awarded Black Cat, White Cat
by the film director Emir Kusturica
, with whom the band soon started to perform. The band has recorded several studio albums and a live album recorded in Buenos Aires
since. The band's new sound is, however, better accepted abroad than in Serbia.
The 2000s featured popular bands Negative, Neverne Bebe
, Night Shift
, and Strip. The power pop band Negative, featuring the former Tap 011
vocalist Ivana Peters
, formed in 1999, released several successful albums and appeared on several musical festivals including Beovizija
and Evropesma
. Neverne Bebe
, formed in 1993 by the keyboard player Milan Đurđević, having released three studio albums and having several lineup changes, released highly successful album Dvoje — The Best Of, featuring two female vocalists, Jelena Pudar and Jana Šušteršič, and featuring rerecorded versions of the band's old songs. In 2007 the band released successful album ...Iza oblaka. The post-grunge
/hard rock band Night Shift
, although formed in 1991, released their debut, successful cover album
Undercovers
in 2002. In 2009 the band released Bez zaklona
which featured their own songs. Strip, which combines graphic art with power pop
and pop punk
, was initially a project by Serbian graphic
and comic book
artists, and gained popularity with their computer animated
videos. Beside the mentioned bands, the veterans of the Serbian rock scene Bajaga i Instruktori
, with the albums Zmaj od Noćaja
and Šou počinje u ponoć
, Riblja Čorba
, with Pišanje uz vetar
, Ovde
, Trilogija
and Minut sa njom
, YU grupa
with their comeback Dugo znamo se
, Đorđe Balašević with Dnevnik starog momka
and Rani mraz
, and Van Gogh
, with DrUnder
, Kolo
and Lavirint
, maintained their popularity throughout the 2000s.
s. One of the most important authors is Đorđe Balašević from Novi Sad
. He started his career in the 1970s as a member of the band Žetva and the leader of the band Rani Mraz
, before beginning a very successful solo career, in 1982, with the release of his first solo album Pub, spanning up to the present. Despite the fact that his work in Žetva and Rani Mraz was mainly pop rock
-oriented, in his later career he often used elements of rock
, chanson
and folk music
, while his lyrics often dealt with humorous or political- and social-related themes.
Another notable singer-songwriter was Srđan Marjanović. Marjanović released his debut album Srđan Marjanović i prijatelji, which he recorded with members of YU grupa
, in 1974. During 1980s he released a number of albums before he semi-retired at the end of the 1990s.
, Lutajuća Srca, S Vremena Na Vreme
, DAG, and Suncokret
, most of them being a part of the Belgrade
acoustic rock scene, naming themselves "akustičari" ("acousticans").
Porodićna Manufaktura Crnog Hleba, formed by Maja de Rado and Jugoslav Vlahović
in 1968, were one of the pioneers of the Serbian and former Yugoslav acoustic rock scene. The band, which was also a theatre group, organized happenings at the Belgrade Atelje 212
basement. Having released their only album Stvaranje in 1974, the band disbanded in 1975. Lutajuća Srca, formed in 1970 in Niš
, were not a part of Belgrade acoustic rock scene. The band released a large number of 7" singles and four studio albums, but remained best known for their hit song "Jefimija". Acoustic/progressive rock
band S Vremena Na Vreme, formed in 1972, were also one of the pioneers of the Belgrade acoustic rock scene and one of first former Yugoslav bands to incorporate traditional music
elements into their music. The band's debut self-titled album, released in 1975, was widely praised by the critics. After releasing their third, electric
-oriented album, Paviljon G in 1979, S Vremena Na Vreme disbanded. They reunited in 1993, releasing a studio and a live album, before disbanding once again in 1997. DAG, formed in 1972, although a part of the Belgrade acoustic rock scene, used electric instruments on their only studio album Sećanja, released in 1974. In 1975, appeared Suncokret, featuring Bora Đorđević and Nenad Božić on acoustic guitars and vocals and two female vocalists, Bilja Krstić
and Gorica Popović
. The band started releasing folk music
-inspired singles and, in 1977, the band released their only album Moje bube. The following year, having written the song "Lutka sa naslovne strane
", which the band refused to perform, Đorđević left the band, forming Riblja Čorba
. Suncokret continued to perform with a changed lineup, led by female vocalist Snežana Jandrlić, until 1980 when they disbanded. Beside the mentioned bands, part of the Belgrade acoustic rock scene was also the singer-songwriter
Srđan Marjanović.
Throughout the 1980s, the acoustic scene did not exist, however, the appearance of the first unplugged
concerts in the late 1980s introduced the popularity of acoustic rock in the following decade. In 1987, Bora Đorđević's and Arsen Dedić
's unplugged performance in Terazije Theatre
, released as the official bootleg album Arsen & Bora Čorba Unplugged `87
, was one of the first unplugged concerts in Serbia and former Yugoslavia. However, it was in the 1990s that the Serbian rock acts started performing unplugged concerts. The first official unplugged live album was released by the Bečej
britpop
band Eva Braun
in 1993, and in the following year the Music Television of Serbia organized an unplugged festival in Belgrade Sava Centar. The recordings of Eva Braun, Rambo Amadeus
, Laki Pingvini
, Babe, Dejan Cukić
, Milan Delčić, Du Du A
, Del Arno Band
, Kazna Za Uši
, and others appeared on the various artists compilation Bez struje
in 1995. During the 1990s, the unplugged concerts in Serbia were mainly organized by the Novi Sad
television station NS Plus in Novi Sad Studio M. Influenced by the already popular MTV Unplugged
, NS Plus Unplugged concerts of Dejan Cukić, Kerber
, S Vremena Na Vreme, Električni Orgazam
, Vlada Divljan & Old Stars Band
, Garavi Sokak
and YU grupa
, performed in 1996, and Love Hunters
, in 1998, were released on live albums throughout the late 1990s. YU grupa released only a part of the performance, featuring Kornelije Kovač
on piano, on their 2007 album Live
. An unplugged album was also released by Generacija 5
, but their 1995 unplugged performance, the recording of which was released in 2002, was not the part of the NS Plus Unplugged series.
The 1990s also featured several notable acoustic non-live releases. The folk rock
band Garavi Sokak
, after the release of their 1994 acoustic-oriented album Slova tvoga imena, started performing with acoustic instruments only and turned towards pop
sound. In 1996, the singer-songwriter
Đorđe Balašević released acoustic folk rock-oriented album Na posletku...
.
During the 2000s the acoustic music lost its popularity and featured only a few notable releases. In 2000, Dejan Cukić recorded an acoustic Bob Dylan
tribute Divlji med, featuring lyrics translated in Serbian language
. In 2002, Block Out
leader Nikola Vranjković released a solo album Zaovdeilizaponeti, featuring acoustic songs and featuring lyrics written by him from the book of the same title released with the CD. In 2002, Đorđe Balašević released the album Rani mraz
, stylistically similar to Na posletku.... In 2002, the reformed Griva
held an unplugged concert in Studio M, the recording of which was released on the album Griva & Co. — Live.
dominated the Serbian rock scene throughout the 1970s, with the acts such as Korni Grupa
, YU grupa
, Smak
, Pop Mašina
, Dah
, S Vremena Na Vreme
, Opus
, Tako
, and Igra Staklenih Perli
being the most notable representatives.
Korni Grupa
was one of the first bands to move away from the 1960s rhythm and blues
sound. Formed in 1968 by Kornelije Kovač
, the band had gone through many lineup changes and featured a large number of famous musicians: vocalists Dušan Prelević, Dalibor Brun, Dado Topić
, Zdravko Čolić
and Zlatko Pejaković
, drummer Vladimir "Furda" Furduj, guitarist Josip Boček, and others. The band gained mainstream popularity with their simple pop
-oriented songs, but moved towards progressive rock after they were joined by singer Dado Topić. Nevertheless, the band continued to record pop-oriented songs and represented Yugoslavia at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Moja generacija
". In 1973 the band, under the name The Cornelians, released the symphonic rock
-oriented English language
album Not An Ordinary Life. Korni Grupa disbanded shortly after, but reunited in 1987 to perform at the Legende YU Rocka (Legends of YU Rock) concerts.
YU grupa
, formed in 1970 by former Džentlmeni
members, brothers Dragi
and Žika Jelić, were one of the pioneers in combining folk music
elements with rock on the former Yugoslav rock scene, and achieved huge popularity with their fusion of progressive/hard rock
and folk. Members of YU grupa performed as a support band for guitarists Bata Kostić, Vedran Božić, Josip Boček and Goran Bregović
on the Kongres rock majstora (Congress of Rock Masters) concert and album. YU grupa disbanded in 1981, but reunited in 1987, continuing to record successful hard rock
-oriented releases throughout the late 1980s, 1990s and the 2000s.
Smak
, formed in 1971 and led by guitarist Radomir Mihajlović Točak, often considered one of the top and most influential guitarist on the former Yugoslav rock scene, performed jazz
-influenced progressive rock. The band members also incorporated folk, blues
and hard rock elements into their sound. Smak achieved huge popularity in the 1970s, however, the band's popularity heavily declined at the beginning of 1980s due to the great popularity of New Wave bands. Smak disbanded in 1981, and reunited and disbanded several times since. The band's various lineups featured prominent musicians Boris Aranđelović, Slobodan "Kepa" Stojanović, Laza Ristovski
, and others.
Pop Mašina
, formed in 1971, performed progressive/hard rock, but their debut album Kiselina
, released in 1973, also featured acid
and psychedelic rock
elements. The band released the first former Yugoslav live album
, Put ka Suncu in 1976, and disbanded the following year. In 1981, the band's former members, Robert Nemeček and brothers Vidoja
and Zoran Božinović, formed the hard rock/heavy metal
band Rok Mašina
.
S Vremena Na Vreme
, formed in 1972, were one of the pioneers of the Yugoslav acoustic rock scene, but also incorporated progressive rock elements into their music and often wrote and recorded music for stageplays. They were also one of the first former Yugoslav rock bands to incorporate folk music elements into their music. The band's debut self-titled album was widely praised by the critics. After releasing their third album, Paviljon G, S Vremena Na Vreme disbanded. The band reunited in 1993 but disbanded again in 1997. Dah
, formed in 1972 and led by guitarist Zlatko Manojlović, also combined folk and rock music elements. In 1975, Dah moved to Belgium
and started a short-lasting international career under the name Land. After returning to Yugoslavia, the band recorded the album Povratak and disbanded shortly after. Manojlović formed the progressive/hard rock band Gordi
, which made a shift towards heavy metal in the 1980s.
The band Opus
was formed in 1973. The band disbanded after releasing only one symphonic rock
-oriented album, Opus 1 (1975). Another symphonic rock-oriented act was the band Tako
, formed in 1974. Their two studio albums, Tako (1978) and U vreći za spavanje (1980) featured a fusion of symphonic and jazz rock.
Progressive/psychedelic rock band Igra Staklenih Perli
was one of the rare Serbian and former Yugoslav psychedelic rock bands that rose to prominence. Influenced by Can
, early Pink Floyd
, Hawkwind
and Tangerine Dream
, Igra Staklenih Perli were one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav psychedelic/space rock
scene. The band released two studio albums, Igra Staklenih Perli (1979) and Vrt svetlosti (1980), before disbanding in 1985.
Other notable bands that incorporated progressive rock elements into their music include Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba
, DAG
, Galija
and Neverne Bebe
. Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba
, formed in 1968, and DAG
, formed in 1972, were acoustic rock bands, but, as S Vremena Na Vreme, also incorporated progressive elements into their music, both releasing only an album before disbanding. Galija, formed in 1977, released their debut, progressive rock-oriented album Prva plovidba
in 1979. Although the band's several following releases featured similar progressive rock sound, the band started gradually turning towards mainstream rock, and reached their peak of popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Neverne Bebe, formed in 1993, in the initial period of their career incorporated progressive rock elements into their music, but in the 2000s turned towards pop rock
sound.
With the emergence of the Yugoslav New Wave scene most of Serbian progressive rock bands ceased to exist.
scene were the bands Pop Mašina
, YU grupa
and Smak
. Pop Mašina, formed in 1971, was one of the first Serbian and Yugoslav bands to move away from the 1960s rhythm and blues
towards harder sound. Their sound featured progressive
, hard, psychedelic
and acid rock
elements. Pop Mašina disbanded in 1977, and in 1981, former Pop Mašina members formed the hard rock/heavy metal
band Rok Mašina
, which disbanded after releasing only an album
. YU grupa, formed in 1970, performed progressive/hard rock, and their songs often featured traditional music
elements. The band disbanded in 1981, only to reunite in 1987, continuing to release well-accepted hard rock-oriented albums. Smak, formed in 1971, performed jazz
-influenced progressive rock, but their sound often featured hard rock, blues
and folk elements. The band moved to more commercial hard rock at the beginning of 1980s, having, however, constant disbandments and reunions throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
The hard rock band Generacija 5
, formed in 1977, managed to gain a loyal fan base, but disbanded in 1982. The band reunited in 1992, but has released only two studio albums since. Their 2006 release Energija featured Smak frontman Dejan Najdanović as guest vocalist on the entire album.
In 1978, former Suncokret
and Rani Mraz
member Bora Đorđević and SOS members Miša Aleksić
, Rajko Kojić
and Vicko Milatović
formed the hard rock band Riblja Čorba
. After the recording of their debut hit single "Lutka sa naslovne strane
" they were joined by guitarist Momčilo Bajagić
(who, having left Riblja Čorba in 1984, formed the highly successful pop rock
band Bajaga i Instruktori
). Riblja Čorba debut album Kost u grlu
saw huge success, and the band became very popular in a few months period. The albums Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti
, Mrtva priroda
and Buvlja pijaca
, the latter featuring softer sound than the band's first three releases, were also well received by fans and critics alike, and Ðorđević's provocative political- and social-related lyrics, caused him to become one of the most controversial musicians in Yugoslavia. The album Večeras vas zabavljaju muzičari koji piju
was poorly received, but the band triumphed with the following album, Istina
, which featured one of the band's signature pieces, "Pogledaj dom svoj, anđele". Although more heavy metal-oriented than any of the band's previous works and often considered Riblja Čorba's magnum opus
, Istina was also the album after which the band, although still generally fitting into hard rock, started turning towards softer sound. However, the band managed to sustain their popularity and remained one of the most popular acts of the Serbian rock scene until today. In 1982, Riblja Čorba drummer Vicko Milatović formed the heavy metal band Ratnici, which later changed the name to Warriors and, without Milatović, moved to Canada
and recorded an album
for the foreign market, but disbanded shortly after. In 1982, guitarist Aleksandar "Leki" Cvetković formed the hard rock band Balkan
, whose social-related lyrics were heavily influenced by the lyrics of Bora Ðordevic and Azra
leader Branimir Štulić
.
In 1981, progressive/hard rock band Gordi
, formed in 1977, recorded the album Pakleni trio
which marked their shift towards heavy metal, making Gordi one of the first Serbian and former Yugoslav traditional heavy metal bands. Although only the last two Gordi albums, Pakleni trio and Kraljica smrti
(1982), were heavy metal-oriented, these are generally considered the most notable Gordi releases and considered milestones on the Serbian and former Yugoslav heavy metal scenes.
Hard rock band Kerber
, formed in 1981, released their debut album Nebo je malo za sve
in 1983, but it was their second album, Ratne igre
that launched them to fame. The band's melodic hard rock sound was very well received and the band became one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav hard rock and heavy metal scene. However, in the late 1990s, the band went on hiatus. Hard rock band Griva
, formed in 1982, saw big commercial success after the release of their third album Griva
(1987) which featured a combination of hard rock and glam metal
with the traditional music of Vojvodina. The band Love Hunters
, formed in 1987, initially performed punk blues
, but later moved towards hard rock. As their songs featured English language
lyrics, during the first several years of existence the band did not manage to break through to mainstream media, but achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s.
Serbian glam metal
scene developed in the second half of the 1980s, but gave a small number of notable acts. The band Karizma, formed in 1985, won the Audience's Award at the 1988 Gitarijada festival
and released two albums before disbanding at the beginning of 1990s. Female rock singer Viktorija
, known for her husky voice, started her career as a member of the girl group
Aska
, starting her solo career in 1988. She combined pop rock
, hard rock and glam metal and saw huge popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before she semi-retired at the end of 1990s. The band Osvajači
released their debut glam metal-oriented album Krv i led
in 1990, while their second album Sam
marked the band's slight shift towards heavier sound. Osvajači disbanded in 1997, and reunited in 1999 with the new vocalist, releasing the album Vrelina
, but disbanding a year later.
Extreme metal
saw little mainstream popularity in Serbia and former Yugoslavia during the 1980s. The thrash metal
band Heller
, formed in 1985, released arguably the first thrash metal album in South-Eastern Europe
and was one of the pioneers of Serbian and former Yugoslav extreme metal scene. Another pioneer of the former Yugoslav extreme metal scene, speed
/thrash metal band Bombarder
, originally based in Sarajevo
, after the beginning of the Bosnian War
moved to Belgrade, where the band continued to record and perform.
The 1990s featured only several notable, mostly crossover thrash
, metal acts: Sick Mother Fakers
, Dead Ideas
, and Svarog
, the latter also being one of the pioneers of sludge
and doom metal
in Serbia. The 2000s saw the revival of the Serbian heavy metal scene and brought a variety of heavy metal genres: black metal
(with The Stone
and May Result being the most notable representatives), doom metal (with Tales of Dark...), gothic metal
(with Abonos
and Demether), power metal
(with Dargoron
), progressive metal
(with Draconic), thrash metal (with Infest), most of the bands being gathered around Belgrade Radio 202
. The most notable bands of the movement are the hard rock/heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman
, formed in 1995, and progressive/power metal band Alogia
, formed in 2000, both gaining a large fanbase. The band Pero Defformero
, which combine heavy metal with turbo folk and humorous lyrics, became popular with the release of their second album Undergrand (2009), despite being active since the early 1990s.
The 2000s also saw the revival of the hard rock scene. The hard rock band Cactus Jack
was formed in 1998, but saw their commercial success in the 2000s. Cactus Jack was influenced by the 1970s hard rock, mostly Deep Purple
, which the band demonstrated by releasing the album Deep Purple Tribute
in 2003. In 2005, the band, with the album Mainscream
moved towards more pop
-oriented sound. The post-grunge
/hard rock band Night Shift
, even though formed in 1991, released their debut album Undercovers
in 2002. The album, which featured covers of songs by various rock and pop artists, was well-received by the audience and the critics, and the band moved towards writing their own songs, releasing their second album Bez zaklona
in 2009. The band Trigger
, formed in 2005, gained media's attention with their debut, concept album
Ljubav
, released in 2009.
, Daltoni
, Elipse
, and others performed rhythm and blues
, and a large number of 1970s progressive
and hard rock
bands, such as Pop Mašina
, YU grupa
, Smak
and Riblja Čorba
, incorporated blues
elemets into their music, the first Serbian blues band, Blues Kvintet, was formed in 1979. They held their first concert at Mašinac club in Belgrade in spring of 1981, which is considered the first blues concert by a Serbian band.
During the 1980s a large number of notable blues/blues-rock
band was formed: Sirova Koža (also known internationally as Raw Hide), formed in 1982; Point Blank and Blues Trio, both formed in 1983; Zona B
, formed in 1987; Di Luna Blues Band, formed 1989. The band Hush, led by female guitarist Ana Popović
, released their debut and only album Hush in 1998. In 1999, Ana Popović moved to Netherlands
and started a successful international career.
in Serbia
started in Novi Sad
. Vocalist Nebojša Čonkić (also known as Professor Čonta) who, having left for England
and seen the prominent punk rock acts of the time, returned to Yugoslavia and, with his former Trafo and Café Express bandmates, formed Pekinška Patka
in 1978. The band pronounced themselves "the first Orthodox
punk rock band", which was against the attitude of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia
, which promoted atheism
. Another pioneer of punk rock in Serbia was the band Gomila G (this name being a censored version of Gomila Govana, trans. A Pile of Shit), also from Novi Sad. The band was formed during the early 1978, performing cover versions of Ramones
and Sex Pistols
, but, after the arrival of vocalist Dragan "Dragus" Radosavljević, they started writing their own material. Gomila G usually performed as an opening act for Pekinška Patka, and their appearance at the Celebration of the World War II
liberation of Stepanovićevo
in 1979, where the band performed the song "God Save Martin Bormann
" and Čonkić of Pekinška Patka blown condom
s on stage, made the media turn against the two bands, even asking their banning of public appearance. Gomila G disbanded in 1980 as the band members, guitarist Žolt Horvat and drummer Robert Radić formed the first Serbian ska
band Kontraritam
.
In the meantime, Pekinška Patka gained mainstream popularity and recorded their first releases. At the Subotica
Youth Festival, they won the Audience Award and their whole performance was broadcast on national television, which was the first TV appearance of any punk rock band in Yugoslavia. The popularity of the band then gave them the opportunity to release two singles, and then a studio album, Plitka poezija
, the first punk rock album by a Serbian band, released in 1980 by Jugoton
. After the album release, the lineup changed, and the arrival of the young Zoran "Bale" Bulatović on guitar, brought the stylistic changes, firstly moving towards New Wave
, and eventually to post-punk
. The band's second album Strah od monotonije
is considered the first post-punk release in Serbia and former Yugoslavia
. After the album release, the band disbanded.
The appearance of the first post-punk album on the Serbian scene influenced appearance of post-punk and gothic rock
bands and releases. Zoran "Bale" Bulatović (guitar) and Marko "Mare" Vukomanović (bass guitar), both from Pekinška Patka, with La Strada
members Slobodan Tišma (vocals) and Ivan Fece Firchie (drums) formed the first gothic rock band in Serbia, Luna, releasing only one album, Nestvarne stvari
in 1984. Beside Luna, the notable gothic rock act was also Trivalia
from Niš
, formed in the second half of the 1980s. Gothic rock, however, saw little popularity in Serbia. Another Niš band, post-punk/darkwave
band Dobri Isak
, released their only album Mi plačemo iza tamnih naočara
in 1983. The album, which was one of the first albums in Serbia released through an independent record label
, saw little success at a time of its release, but saw critical acclaim when it was rereleased in 2009. Other bands which featured the post-punk/gothic rock influences were the New Wave bands Električni Orgazam
, on their second album Lišće prekriva Lisabon
, and Idoli, on their debut Odbrana i poslednji dani
, and the alternative rock
band Ekatarina Velika
, firstly called Katarina II, on the albums Katarina II
, Ekatarina Velika
and S' vetrom uz lice
.
The second generation of punk rock acts in Serbia featured Partibrejkers
, Kazna Za Uši
and Toni Montano
from Belgrade
. Serbian garage punk
band Partibrejkers
, formed in 1982, brought the public's attention to themselves with their live appearances and musical style, even as a demo act. The band was formed by former Urbana Gerila
and Radnička Kontrola
frontman, Zoran Kostić "Cane" and guitarist Nebojša Antonijević "Anton", the two being the mainstay members of the band. By the time the band released their debut, self-titled album
, in 1985, they already gained much popularity, kept through their later successful releases Partibrejkers II
(1988), Partibrejkers III
(1989), Kiselo i slatko
(1994) and Ledeno doba
(1997), entering the 2000s as one of the top mainstream acts of the Serbian rock scene. In 1986, another prominent garage punk band was formed, Kazna Za Uši
, but the band became prominent in the 1990s, winning the first place at Gitarijada festival in 1992 and releasing their debut Ispod zemlje in the same year. During the mid-eighties the former vocalist of the punk rock band Radost Evrope, Velibor Miljković performed as a solo act using the pseudonym Toni Montano
, and his self-titled debut album featured a combination of punk rock and rockabilly
, also found on his future releases.
Other prominent representatives of the second generation of punk rock bands in Serbia featured Kragujevac
bands KBO!
and Trula Koalicija
, both formed by Saša "Vuja" Vujić. Vujić formed KBO! in 1982, and their first recordings were released by foreign record labels, which was also the case with their first official studio album, Forever punk (1989). The band performed in many foreign countries, and also formed their own independent record label, KBO! Records, which released the band's demo recordings and studio albums. Vujić also formed a supergroup
Trula Koalicija
with the vocalist Predrag "Skaki" Drčelić from Gornji Milanovac
.
Punk rock continued to be popular in the 1990s with the appearance the bands Atheist Rap
from Novi Sad
, Goblini
from Šabac
, Džukele
from Subotica
, and Novembar
from Niš
. Atheist Rap's sound, a combination of punk rock with humorous lyrics describing every day accounts found on their studio albums Maori i Crni Gonzales
(1992), Ja eventualno bih ako njega eliminišete
(1996) and II liga zapad
(1998), is described by the band themselves as "happy punk". The band Goblini was formed in 1992, and with the release of their first two studio albums, Goblini
(1994) and Istinite priče I deo
(1994), the band had become a live attraction, performing in Serbia and abroad. On their third studio album U magnovenju
(1996), the band was joined by Leonid Pilipović from the band Džukele. After the album release, Pilipović returned to his own band which, having released their debut Gledajući u mrak
in 1994 and the second album Zubato Sunce
in 1998, disbanded. Punk rock band Novembar released three studio albums, Deguelo (1994), Blues južne pruge (1997), and Licem prema zemlji in (2000), featuring the band's combination of America
n guitar oriented rock sound combined with punk rock, pop punk
and New Wave
influences.
The 2000s featured disbandment and reunions of many punk rock groups. In 2001, Goblini disbanded, in 2003 Goblini guitarist Alen Jovanović formed Starfuckers, and, in 2010 Goblini made a brief reunion, reuniting again in 2011. In 2002, Džukele, Novembar and Trula Koalicija disbanded, but the latter two reformed a few years later, Trula Koalicija with a new lineup in 2005, and Novembar in 2007, releasing a new album, Radulizam in 2008. Džukele guitarist and vocalist Slobodan Vukosavljević formed the band garage rock
Nafta, and released the albums Samo senke prolaze (2008) and Alternator (2011). In 2004, at the EXIT festival
, gothic rock
band Luna
reunited in the original lineup, and, four years later at the same festival, the original Pekinška Patka
lineup reunited to perform at the festival main stage, alongside Sex Pistols
. In 2010, the band held several concerts. The band announced the release of a cover album, featuring songs performed at the Yugoslav 1960s pop festivals.
scene in Serbia can be found in Belgrade
1970s bands Zvuk Ulice, Limunovo Drvo and Hipnotisano Pile. The three bands featured the future members of the Serbian New Wave bands Idoli, Šarlo Akrobata
and Električni Orgazam
. Zvuk Ulice member Vlada Divljan
, with two friends, Nebojša Krstić
and Srđan Šaper formed a conceptual band VIS Dečaci in 1979, whose photographs appeared in the Vidici youth magazine and attracted media's attention. The band soon included bassist Zdenko Kolar
, also from Zvuk Ulice, and drummer Boža Jovanović
and was renamed to Idoli, in 1980. Limunovo Drvo, a progressive
/hard rock
band, featuring guitarists Milan Mladenović
and Dragomir Mihajlović "Gagi"
, performed for two years, until they realized they were headed nowhere. On the arrival of the bassist Dušan Kojić "Koja"
and drummer Ivan Vdović "VD"
, the band adopted the New Wave and punk rock
musical style, and, after performing as an opening act for Pankrti
, and the departure of Mihajlović, the band was renamed to Šarlo Akrobata
. Električni Orgazam
was formed as an ad hoc
band of the melodic hard rock band Hipnotisano Pile. The band was formed in order to perform at the 1980 Palilula Culture Olympics as an opening act for Hipnotisano Pile. Guitarist Ljubomir Jovanović "Jovec" was to play the drums and the drummer Srđan Gojković "Gile" was to play guitar and sing lead vocals. The band gained the public's attention at the performances and, soon after, the band ended their activity as Hipnotisano Pile and continued as Električni Orgazam.
Idoli, Šarlo Akrobata and Električni Orgazam had their first recordings released on the compilation Paket aranžman
, today considered one of the most prominent Serbian and Yugoslav rock releases, and by the time the compilation was released, the bands had already started working on their debut albums. The promotional video for Idoli song "Maljčiki
" which followed the release of the compilation featured a parody of soc-realist
iconography. It was broadcast for the first time at the New Year's Eve
on the then-popular Rokenroler show on the national television, and the Soviet
embassy sent a protest note to the TV and radio stations which broadcast the song and some of them banned it. During the same show, for the first time were broadcast the promotional videos for Električni Orgazam's "Krokodili dolaze" and Šarlo Akrobata's "Niko kao ja", all three appearing on the compilation. Idoli released their self titled EP
in 1981 and Odbrana i poslednji dani
in 1982, the latter polled in 1998 as the greatest Yugoslav popular music album in the book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike
, Električni Orgazam released their self titled debut
in 1981 and post-punk
oriented Lišće prekriva Lisabon
in 1982, and Šarlo Akrobata released their only album, Bistriji ili tuplji čovek biva kad...
in 1981. Električni Orgazam and Šarlo Akrobata also had short tours in Poland
and the Polish
bands recorded a tribute to the Yugoslav rock bands, including cover versions of Idoli and Električni Orgazam songs, released on the 2001 album Yugoton
. By 1983, Idoli and Električni Orgazam had moved towards mainstream pop
and rock, and Šarlo Akrobata disbanded.
Due to the success of Paket aranžman, Jugoton
wanted to release another compilation featuring the new punk rock and New Wave acts from Belgrade. The compilation Artistička radna akcija
, released in 1981, featured Radnička Kontrola
, Bezobrazno Zeleno
, Profili Profili
, Defektno Efektni
, Urbana Gerila
, Petar i Zli Vuci
, U Škripcu
, Pasta ZZ
, VIA Talas
and TV Moroni
, each with two songs, but it did not repeat the success of the previous compilation. Half of the bands did not release any other recordings except the ones on the compilation. Bezobrazno Zeleno released two pop rock
-oriented studio albums, Profili Profili released a split album
with Kazimirov Kazneni Korpus, Petar i Zli Vuci released two singles, U Škripcu released several studio albums and gained mainstream popularity moving to synthpop
and pop rock, and VIA Talas released one studio album
before disbanding in 1982.
Other bands which were the part of the Serbian New Wave scene include the Belgrade
acts Slađana Milošević, Bulevar
, Grupa I
, Kozmetika
, Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića
, and the initial periods in the Laki Pingvini
, Piloti
and Zana
works, the latter three later moving to more commercial pop rock
(Piloti) and synthpop
(Laki Pingvini, Zana), and the Novi Sad
acts Čista Proza
, Pekinška Patka
, Kontraritam
, the early works of La Strada
and Obojeni Program
, and some works by Laboratorija Zvuka
, the latter three bands becoming the pioneers of the Serbian alternative rock
scene.
acts was the band Beograd
, which were also one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav electronic music
scene. The band was formed in 1981, and in 1983 released their only album Remek depo, which featured a combination of synthpop and brass instrument
-oriented soul
.
With the decline of the New Wave scene around 1982, some New Wave bands moved towards synthpop. Artistička radna akcija
participant U Škripcu
, having started as a conceptual New Wave band in 1980, moved towards synth music. The band's debut album Godine ljubavi, featuring several hit songs, was followed by even more successful O je!, and the EP Nove godine. However, on their later releases, the band turned towards electro pop sound, which, having proved unsuccessful, led them to disband. Despite two reunion comeback albums (in 1987 and 1990), the band could not repeat the early success. The band's vocalist Milan Delčić formed the electro rock
band Delča & Sklekovi in the 1990s. Another band successful within the synthpop genre was Laki Pingvini
. The band, despite working occasionally and with an unsteady lineup since 1979, gained mainstream popularity in 1983 with the debut EP Šizika. Their debut album Muzika za mlade (1984) was also successful, however, their later releases did not repeat the previous success. The band disbanded in 1989, but had short reunions in 1994 and 1995. In 2006, the band reunited to perform as an opening act on Duran Duran
concert in Belgrade.
Belgrade New Wave band Zana
, named after the band's vocalist Zana Nimani
, having released their debut album Loše vesti uz rege za pivsku flašu, made a shift towards radio-friendly power pop
, New Romantic
and synthpop
sound with the release of their second album Dodirni mi kolena, and became one of the most popular bands of the 1980s. The singles "Dodirni mi kolena" and "Jabuke i vino", the latter recorded with Željko Bebek
for their next album Nazad na voz (1985), became major hits, but, despite the success of the releases, vocalist Nimani left the band. The rest of the band continued performing as Zana, often changing vocalists and turning to folk-pop
sound in the late 1990s. The duo D' Boys
, featuring a former VIA Talas
member Miško Petrović (also known as Miško Plavi) and Predrag Jovanović (also known as Peđa D'Boy, a former West German krautrock
group Jane member), was formed in 1982. With the albums Ajd' se zezamo (1984) and Muvanje (1985), the band became popular with humorous lyrical style, featuring kitsch
y and frivolous motifs dealing with nightlife, parties and girls, flavoured with humorous slang, camp value and party image. The band disbanded in 1985, with Jovanović forming a short lived Peđa D'Boy Band and pursuing a solo career, and Petrović who, having firstly joined Piloti
and then Ekatarina Velika
, took up playing accordion and formed his Miško Plavi Band.
in Serbia appeared in the 1980s with the bands Jakarta
and Oktobar 1864
, both from Belgrade
. Formed in 1981, Jakarta released their debut album Maske za dvoje in 1984, featuring several hits. However, despite the success of the first album, the band moved towards pop rock
on their second album Bomba u grudima, which was not well received by the fans, and the band ceased to exist in 1986. During the same year, Oktobar 1864
, formed in 1984 and featuring the female vocalist Tanja Jovićević, won the Debut Act of the Year Award at the MESAM Festival, after which they started recording their debut self-titled album
, released in 1987, featuring several hit songs. On their two following albums Igra bojama
(1988), and Crni ples
(1990), they successfully combined funk rock with jazz
and pop
elements, making immediate hits and having high album sales and well attended concerts. Despite the successful career, they disbanded in 1992 and Tanja Jovićević pursued a solo career as a jazz and funk musician. In 2005, she started collaborating with the funk
band Rich Bitch and with them, in 2008, released the album 10. During the 1980s, funk influences could also be found in the works of Idoli and Disciplina Kičme
.
In the following decades funk rock was again popularized in Serbia with the appearance of Deca Loših Muzičara
in the 1990s. Formed in 1988, Deca Loših Muzičara played a combination of funk and rock on their albums, Dobar dan, released in 1992, and Prolećni dan, released in 1995. In 1998, the band wrote music for the Virus theater play, in which the main character was played by the actor Ivan Jevtović, who, after the release of their 2005 studio album ...gde cveta Samsung žut, joined the band as a new vocalist, replacing Aleksandar Siljanovski. The band performed for four years without intending to release any new material and announced their disbandment in 2009.
bands and genres on the Serbian scene and the Oi!
, ska
, hardcore punk
and pop punk
bands emerged from the local demo scenes to the major record labels and nationwide popluarity.
The Oi! scene, with Ritam Nereda
and Direktori
, quickly found the way to the fans across the country with their political-related lyrics, aggressive music and effective live performances. Direktori, unlike Ritam Nereda, were also turned towards ska
music, which became very popular on the Serbian scene. Even though ska appeared in the early 1980s with the band Kontraritam
, formed in 1980, which released only one album
before disbanding in 1983, it was only with the bands like Plejboj
and Familija
that it gained a vast number of fans. Plejboj, formed in 1992, gained popularity with their combination of punk rock, ska, soul
, funk
, jazz fusion
, and pop rock
, found on their albums Sviraj dečko and Overdrive. The band disbanded in 1999, but reunited in 2006, in order to perform as an opening act for the Belgrade concert of The Rolling Stones
, however, the concert was canceled and the band appeared at the EXIT festival, and in 2007, once again reunited to perform at the Jelen Pivo Live
festival. Familija, formed in 1994, gained popularity with their ska/pop rock songs found on their albums Narodno pozorište
and Seljačka buna
. However, they disbanded in 1998.
Hardcore punk scene, founded in the late 1980s, gained the mainstream popularity in the 1990s with the bands Sick Mother Fakers
from Belgrade, which were one of the pioneers of the genre in Serbia, Ništa Ali Logopedi
from Šabac
, which featured accordion
-oriented Serbian folk music combined with hardcore punk, the rapcore
band Sunshine
from Belgrade, which combined rap and hardcore punk with sexually overt lyrics, and the hardcore punk/metalcore
band Overdrive
from Zrenjanin
. One of the most popular bands of the genre was Eyesburn
, a brass
-oriented combination of hardcore punk and reggae
music. The band's growing popularity with the releases of Fool Control and later Solid, gave them the opportunity to tour Europe with Soulfly
. The band disbanded in 2005, but reunited in 2011.
Pop punk scene in Serbia mainly developed in the 1990s, due to the popularity of the bands Oružjem Protivu Otmičara
, Six Pack
and Čovek Bez Sluha
. Oružjem Protivu Otmičara from Zrenjanin are one of the pioneers of the genre in Serbia
and their 1996 album BarbieCue became one of the most popular releases of the 1990s. Six Pack
and Čovek Bez Sluha
, the two bands currently having the same vocalist Milan "Miki" Radojević, the former from Smederevska Palanka
, and the latter from Kragujevac
, moved from local prominence to performing abroad and having their recordings released by foreign record labels. The popularity of the genre continued in the 2000s with the work of the above mentioned bands and the newly formed bands Lude Krawe, formed in 1998, and Super s Karamelom
, featuring two female vocalists, formed in 2003.
bands Laboratorija Zvuka
, with their eccentric style, erotic lyrics, unusual line ups and bizarre circus
-inspired stage performances, La Strada
, featuring the poet Slobodan Tišma on guitar and vocals, Obojeni Program
, featuring former Urbana Gerila
vocalist Branislav "Kebra" Babić
, which, despite being formed 1980, released their debut album Najvažnije je biti zdrav in 1990, and the all-female band Boye
whose debut album Dosta! Dosta! Dosta! (1988) was the first Serbian all-female release since the 1960s.
In Belgrade, former Šarlo Akrobata
members Dušan Kojić
and Milan Mladenović
formed two of the most notable bands of the alternative rock scene in Serbia, Disciplina Kičme
and Ekatarina Velika
. Former Šarlo Akrobata bassist and vocalist Dušan Kojić Koja, formed the band Disciplina Kičme
in 1982. The band, combining influences from punk rock
, funk
, jazz fusion
, motown, jungle
, and the works of Jimi Hendrix
, soon gained popularity. During the early 1990s, the band moved to London
and changed the name to Disciplin A Kitschme, performing with female vocalist, African-American singer Gofie Bebe, only to return to Serbia during the mid-2000s. The band was competitive with another Šarlo Akrobata associated act, Ekatarina Velika, which, having at first called Katarina II, featured former Šarlo Akrobata and Limunovo Drvo guitarists Milan Mladenović and Dragomir Mihajlović
. Having released their post-punk
influenced records, the band moved to a more guitar-oriented alternative rock
, found on their future releases Ljubav
(1987), Samo par godina za nas
(1989), and Dum dum
(1991). Another prominent figure of the Serbian alternative rock scene, Mitar Subotić, also known as Rex Illusivi, a composer, producer and one of the pioneers of electronic music
in Serbia, was closely associated with the works of Ekatarina Velika. In 1985, Subotić, Mladenović and Goran Vejvoda
started the short-lived project Dah Anđela. In 1990, Subotić moved to São Paulo
, Brazil
, where he worked as a musician and producer. In 1994, Subotić and Mladenović, with a group of Brazilian musicians, reactivated the project as Angel's Breath
, releasing the album Angel's Breath in 1994.
The second half of the 1980s brought the formation of the prominent alternative rock acts which gained the mainstream popularity with their works during the 1990s, Van Gogh
and Rambo Amadeus
. Despite the fact that Van Gogh, formed by guitarist Zvonimir Đukić "Đule", released their debut slef-titled album in 1986, which was also the year of their formation, it was in the early 1990s that the band which, having disbanded, and reformed in 1990, became successful with the albums Svet je moj (1991), Strast (1993), Hodi (1996), and Opasan ples (1999). However, in the 2000s the band moved towards more commercial sound, and established themselves as one of the top mainstream acts on the Serbian rock scene. The Belgrade
-based Montenegrin
singer-songwriter Antonije Pušić, who works under the pseudonym Rambo Amadeus, with his debut album O tugo jesenja
(1988), created the unique combiantion of different musical syles, including jazz
, rock
, and folk music
, which he called "turbo folk". The term was later used for the subgenere of the folk music from the Balkans
. Pušić continued in the same manner on his later releases also making influence on the Serbian hip hop scene with the albums Hoćemo gusle
(1989) and Psihološko propagandni komplet M-91
(1991).
The beginning of the 1990s had already featured the prominent alternative rock acts: Dža ili Bu
, Darkwood Dub
, Presing
, Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša
, and Block Out
from Belgrade
, and Bjesovi
from Gornji Milanovac
. Dža ili Bu, formed in 1987, featuring a combination hard rock
and punk rock
, with their 1992 album Hej mornari presented the political situation in the country with their ironical lyrical style. Darkwood Dub, formed in 1988, performed a combination of electronic music
and rock. Presing
, formed in 1990, combined post rock, soul
, free jazz
and krautrock
. Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša
, formed in 1991, performed a combination of rock, jazz and reggae
. Block Out, formed in 1991, initially inspired by various diverse bands and grunge
/hard rock
-oriented, after the release of Crno, belo i srebrno
started to move towards a darker, heavier atmosphere and sound under Nikola Vranjković's songwriting, combining elements of doom metal
, psychedelic rock
, hard rock and punk rock with social-related lyrics. Bjesovi, formed in 1989, combining grunge, hard rock, psychedelic rock and doom metal, released their debut U osvit zadnjeg dana
in 1991, but achieved success with the release of their second, self-titled album
, released in 1992.
The mid-1990s featured the disbandment of Ekatarina Velika
, and the formation of the bands Supernaut
, 357, Jarboli
, Kristali
and E-Play
. The band Supernaut, featuring former Radnička Kontrola
member Srđan Marković, which, influenced by Suicide
, wrote plays and performed a combination of art exhibition, theater play and rock concert. 357 performed a combination of hard rock
, rap rock
, Serbian folk
and reggae
, combined with socially critical lyrical style. Jarboli, a guitar-oriented club band formed in 1993, independently released the prominent album Čizmanoga, but after the album release, moved to a more softer rock sound, found on their later releases. Kristali, like Jarboli, were formed in 1993, and combined the simple pop rock
song structures backed with brass sections, making a communicative musical performance found on their releases Kristali and Dolina ljubavi. E-Play, featuring a majority of female members, combined alternative rock with various electronic music genres.
scene, Serbian scene gave a small number of notable acts. One of the most notable acts was the band Katarza from Novi Sad
, formed in 1989, which, combining industrial rock with elements of alternative rock
and crossover
, released two studio albums before disbanding in 1996. Another notable act was the band Retromind from Kruševac
, which combined industrial rock with industrial
and alternative metal
, releasing two studio albums. The band DreDDup
released 4 studio albums and did several European tours. The 2000s brought new acts into the scene, such as Syphil, Klopka za Pionira
, Youth A.D., Pornhouse, and others.
Alternative rock band Dža ili Bu
, with the release of their 2007 album Ultra muk, incorporated industrial rock combined with nu metal
into their sound. Another alternative rock act, Supernaut
, drawing on many different musical influences, featured a kind of experimental
variant of industrial rock.
from Belgrade
and Bjesovi
from Gornji Milanovac
were the representatives of grunge
on the Serbian rock scene. After their debut album Crno, belo i srebrno
, the early hard rock
concept of Block Out started to move towards a darker, heavier atmosphere and sound under Nikola Vranjković's songwriting. The followup Godina sirotinjske zabave
featured the material written during the six years of the band existence, and the lyrical themes were mainly oriented around the end of socialism
in Serbia. With the release of the next album, San koji srećan sanjaš sam
, in 1998, the band moved from grunge sound towards art rock
and alternative rock
. Gornji Milanovac band Bjesovi released their debut U osvit zadnjeg dana
in 1991, but achieved success with the release of their second, self-titled album
, which featured heavy riffs, dark ambient, pessimism and unique vocals on the tracks. Achieving success with the album, the band turned towards religiously oriented lyrics and music on their following album Sve što vidim i sve što znam
(1997). After the album release, Bjesovi disbanded, after which the band member Goran Marić became one of the originators of the Christian rock
project Pesme iznad istoka i zapada
. The band reformed with a new lineup in 2000 and released Bolje ti
in 2009.
The 2000s featured three notable post-grunge
bands, Night Shift
, Euforia, and Broken Strings. Night Shift, even though formed in 1991, released their debut album Undercovers
in 2002. The album, which featured covers of songs by various rock and pop
artists, was well-accepted by the audience and the crirtics, and the band moved towards writing their own songs, releasing their second album Bez zaklona
in 2009. Euforia, formed in 1999 and mainly influenced by Nirvana
, released their debut, self-titled album in 2005. The band single "Blokovi" was pronounced the Single of the Year 2005 on the B92
annual singles top list. The band continued performing, and in 2008 released their second album 2. Broken Strings, starting as a Pearl Jam
tribute band, moved towards writing their own material. Winning the 39th Gitarijada festival in Zaječar
, the band got the opportunity to sign a major record label, PGP-RTS
, which released their debut album Svaki trenutak ostaje... in 2007.
appeared in Serbia with the band Eva Braun
from Bečej
, and the band's faction Popcycle
. Eva Braun was formed in 1990 by Goran Vasović, Petar Dolinka and Milan Glavaški. Influenced by The Beatles
, Little Richard
, The Byrds
, and the Serbian band Idoli, the band started writing their own material, released in 1992 on their debut album Prisluškivanja. The album had minor hits, but the single "Sasvim običan dan" found on the band's second album Pop music, released in 1995, had drawn the public's attention to the band's work. The Rolling Stone
review of the album described the album as "the best Brit-pop album never to come out of the UK". Despite the success of the release, the internal conflicts lead to the disbandment of the band. Part of the band moved to their newly formed band Popcycle, while Vasović, with a new lineup reformed Eva Braun. The band's third album Heart Core repeated the success of the previous release, and the band, having performed at the International Pop Overthrow
, also gained the opportunity to release an album for the North America
n market with the release of Nowhere Land. In 2000, the band started working on an ambitious project which came out as Everest in 2001, however, after the album release, the band disbanded. Popcycle, formed by former Eva Braun members Petar Dolinka and Milan Glavaški, released their debut album Orbitalna putovanja in 1996, and Popcyclopedia in 1997. The band disbanded in 1999, and Dolinka and Glavaški reunited with the rest of the original Eva Braun lineup in 2007, releasing the single "Evergrin" and the compilation Off The Record in 2008.
Other notable representatives of the Serbian britpop scene are Kristali
, Veliki Prezir
, Instant Karma and Lutke
.
scene appeared in Serbia
with the works of Orthodox Celts
from Belgrade
. During the mid 1980s, Dušan Živanović, the drummer of the pub rock band Roze Poze, wanted to form a band which would perform cover versions of Irish folk songs, and the influence of the idea was partially achieved through the works of Roze Poze. However, it was in 1992 that Živanović formed the first Serbian Irish folk band called Orthodox Celts with the vocalist Aleksandar "Aca Celtic" Petrović and violinist Ana Đokić. The band, having released their first two albums, Orthodox Celts
and The Celts Strike Again
, which mainly featured cover versions of Irish folk songs, started writing their own material. Since the release of Green Roses
in 1999, the band centered on writing and recording their own songs. The traditional performances for Saint Patrick's Day
and at the Belgrade Beer Fest
made the band become a live attraction, having well-visited live appearances in Serbia and abroad.
During the early 2000s, appeared two bands, Tir na n'Og and Irish Stew of Sindidun
, both from Belgrade, inspired by the works of Orthodox Celts. Tir na n'Og, formed in 2000, and featuring female vocalist Jovana Vujnović, performed a combination of Irish and Serbian folk music
with punk rock
. The band wrote the song lyrics both in Serbian
and English language
, and their debut album Tir na n'Og
was released in 2006. However, in 2008, the band changed the name to Alfapop and moved towards power pop
sound. In the meantime, in 2003, having started as a cover band, Irish Stew of Sindidun started writing their own material. The band recorded their debut album So Many Words...
in 2005. In 2011, they released New Tomorrow
, their first album not to feature any covers of Irish folk songs.
band Goribor
, are closely associated to the scene. The bands differ by genre: although a part of the bands are influenced by the Yugoslav New Wave
and the contemporary indie
and pop rock
, not all the bands which are considered part of the scene are. The most notable bands which are associated with the scene include Klopka Za Pionira
, Multietnička Atrakcija, The Mothership Orchestra, Nežni Dalibor
, Repetitor
, Petrol, S.A.R.S.
, Stuttgart Online, Svi Na Pod!, Zemlja Gruva, ŽeneKese, and others,
In 2007, PGP-RTS
, in cooperation with Popboks, released the compilation album Jutro će promeniti sve?, which featured songs by sixteen bands associated with the scene. By the end of the decade, the most notable representatives of the scene released their debut albums. Goribor
, formed in 1996, gained popularity in the 2000s with their demo recordings officially released through the Croatia
n label Slušaj Najglasnije!, releasing their first studio album, Goribor
, in 2007. Petrol, formed in 2003, released their debut album, Nezgodno vreme opasni dani, in 2008. Nežni Dalibor
, active in the 1990s and reformed in 2000, released their debut album, Sredstva i veštine, in 2008, and their second album, Normalan život, in 2011. Repetitor
, formed in 2005, released their debut album, Sve što vidim je prvi put
, in 2009. S.A.R.S.
, which gained nationwide popularity with the hit song "Buđav lebac", released their debut, self-titled album in 2009, and their second album, Perspektiva, in 2010.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
scene of Serbia
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...
. During the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
and the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, while Serbia was a constituent republic
Constituent country
Constituent country is a phrase sometimes used in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity. The term constituent country does not have any defined legal meaning, and is used simply to refer to a country which is a part Constituent country is a phrase sometimes used in contexts...
of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
, Serbian rock scene was a part of the SFR Yugoslav rock scene
Popular music in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
SFR Yugoslav pop and rock scene includes the pop and rock music of SFR Yugoslavia , including all their genres and sub-genres. The scene included the constituent republics: SR Slovenia, SR Croatia, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Montenegro, SR Macedonia and SR Serbia and its subunits: SAP Vojvodina...
.
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was not an Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
country, but a member of the Non-Aligned Movement
Non-Aligned Movement
The Non-Aligned Movement is a group of states considering themselves not aligned formally with or against any major power bloc. As of 2011, the movement had 120 members and 17 observer countries...
and as such, it was far more opened to the Western culture comparing to the other socialist countiries. Rock and roll reached Yugoslavia via foreign radio stations, most notably Radio Luxemburg
Radio Luxemburg
Radio Luxemburg is the name of a commercial radio station that has broadcast in the German language from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on 208 metres in the Medium Wave Band since the conclusion of World War II....
, and the availability of rock and roll records, brought in from the West. Rock and roll influences reached schlager
Schlager
Schlager music is a style of popular music prevalent in Central and Northern Europe and the Balkans and also in France and Poland. In Portugal, it was adapted and became pimba music...
singers, most notably Đorđe Marjanović, who released the first popular music solo album in Serbia, in 1959. The end of the 1950s featured the appearances of first rock and roll acts, and the 1960s featured a large number of beat
Beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
bands, such as Siluete
Siluete
Siluete was a former Yugoslav and Serbian rock band from Belgrade, notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.-1961 - 1971:...
and Elipse
Elipse (band)
Elipse were a former Yugoslav rock and soul group from Belgrade, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.- The beat years :...
, which became enormously popular with the younger generations. Rock bands drew the public's attention to themselves, which was followed with the appearance of first rock music magazines, radio and TV shows.
Until the beginning of the 1970s, Serbian rock bands released only 7" singles and extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s. Korni Grupa
Korni Grupa
Korni Grupa was a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. Korni Grupa was one of the first former Yugoslav rock bands to achieve major mainstream popularity. The band's first releases were commercial pop-oriented songs. Korni Grupa later turned towards progressive rock, continuing, however, to...
was the first Serbian rock act to release a full-length album, in 1971, and one of the first bands to move towards progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
. Progressive and acoustic rock dominated the Serbian rock scene during the 1970s, with a part of bands incorporating elements of traditional music
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
into their sound. At this period, bands like YU grupa
YU grupa
YU grupa is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. One of the pioneers in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU grupa is considered the longest-lasting rock band to come from Serbia....
and Smak
Smak
Smak is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. The group reached the peak of popularity in the 1970s when it was one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene...
achieved large mainstream popularity and massive album sales. The end of the 1970s featured the appearance of the prominent hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
, and the emergence of the closely associated punk rock
Punk in Yugoslavia
Punk in Yugoslavia was the punk subculture of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a state which existed until 1991. The most developed punk scenes across the federation existed in Socialist Republic of Slovenia, the Adriatic coast of Socialist Republic of Croatia, the Socialist Autonomous...
and New Wave scenes. Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka is an eminent Serbian and former Yugoslav punk rock band from Novi Sad. Their debut album, Plitka poezija, released in 1980, is considered the first punk rock album by a band coming from Serbia...
was the first Serbian punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band to release an album, in 1980. The New Wave bands Šarlo Akrobata
Šarlo 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...
, 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 Idoli, which appeared on the influential compilation album Paket aranžman
Paket aranžman
Paket aranžman is a New Wave music compilation album released in 1980 by Jugoton and its one of the most important and influential records ever made in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It features the eminent Belgrade artists: Šarlo Akrobata, Električni Orgazam and Idoli...
in 1980, were followed by a large number of New Wave acts. Around 1982, with the rising tensions in Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo
Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo
Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo was one of the two socialist autonomous areas of the Socialist Republic of Serbia incorporated into the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1974 until 1990...
, New Wave scene declined. During the 1980s, pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
acts, such as Đorđe Balašević and Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori are a highly popular Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band...
, dominated the mainstream scene, but various rock genres also emerged, and the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
scene, with the acts such as Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika , sometimes referred to as EKV for short, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock group from Belgrade, being one of the most successful and influential music acts coming out of former Yugoslavia....
, 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...
, and 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...
, started to develop and gain mainstream popularity.
With 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...
at the beginning of the 1990s, the former Yugoslav rock scene ceased to exist. During the 1990s popularity of rock music declined in Serbia, and, although several major mainstream acts managed to sustain their popularity, an underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
and independent music scene developed, During the 1990s most of, both mainstream and underground, rock acts expressed their opposition towards the regime of Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
. After the 1999 NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia and the arrival of the political changes during the 2000s, not only the mainstream scene saw a revival, but a new independent and underground scene started to develop. The 2000s also featured the establishing of new connections between the former Yugoslav republics' scenes.
Rock pioneers
The first rock acts emerged in the late 1950s. Influenced by the classical rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
acts such as Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Bill Haley
Bill Haley
Bill Haley was one of the first American rock and roll musicians. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and their hit song "Rock Around the Clock".-Early life and career:...
, Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
and others, a large number of young people started performing the so-called "električna muzika" ("electric music"), naming themselves "električari" ("electricians"). One of the first Serbian rock and roll musicians who rose to fame was guitarist Mile Lojpur
Mile Lojpur
Milan "Mile" Lojpur was a former Yugoslav and Serbian rock musician, arguably the first Serbian, Yugoslav rock and roll musician.-Biography:...
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...
, also often considered the first Serbian or even Yugoslav rock and roll musician. He rose to fame at the performances he and his band Septet M organized at Red Star
KK Crvena zvezda
Košarkaški klub Crvena zvezda is a professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia. Its name Crvena zvezda means Red Star and it's part of the Red Star Belgrade sports society ....
basketball courts at Kalemegdan
Kalemegdan
Belgrade Fortress , represent old citadel and Kalemegdan Park on the confluence of the River Sava and Danube, in an urban area of modern Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad...
. Although Lojpur did not make any recordings (except two guest appearances, on Nikola Čuturilo
Nikola Čuturilo
Nikola Čuturilo , also known as Čutura is a Serbian musician...
and Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi
Prljavi inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi
Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade.-1990s:...
albums), he had a great influence on subsequent development of the scene. Another notable rock and roll artist was Perica Stojančić from Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
who released his first single "Lucia" (a cover of Little Richard's "Lucille
Lucille (Little Richard song)
"Lucille" is a 1957 rock and roll song which was one of Little Richard's international hits.Released on Specialty Records in February 1957, Little Richard's single made number 21 on the US pop chart, and number 10 on the UK chart...
") in 1961.
The singer Đorđe Marjanović became the first Yugoslav megastar
Superstar
A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity.Superstar or superstars may also refer to:-People:* Warhol Superstar, associates of Andy Warhol* WWE Superstar, the term used to refer to entertainers from the WWE...
. Despite essentially being a pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer, Marjanović also performed rock songs. He recorded a large number of hits, but is also notable as the first Yugoslav popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
singer who had an energetic on-scene appearance. He was the first pop singer to take off his jacket on stage, take off the microphone from the stand and walk with it into the audience, and perform songs in theatrical manner. His popularity led to release of his album Muzika za igru in 1959, the first solo popular music album released by PGP-RTB
PGP-RTB
PGP-RTB was a major record label and chain record store in the former SFR Yugoslavia based in Belgrade, Socialist Republic of Serbia. PGP-RTB was established in 1958...
, the biggest Serbian record label. In 1963, Marjanović went on his first Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
tour, where he soon became very popular, and had gone on more than thirty Soviet Union tours since. He continued to perform until 1990, when, on the concert in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, he had a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. He recovered, but decided to retire.
The beginning of the 1960s saw the emergence of numerous rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and beat
Beat music
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll, doo wop, skiffle, R&B and soul...
bands, the majority of which being initially inspired by the then-popular Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
and The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
: Iskre
Iskre
Iskre was a former Yugoslav rock band. The band is notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.-History:...
and Siluete
Siluete
Siluete was a former Yugoslav and Serbian rock band from Belgrade, notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.-1961 - 1971:...
, both formed in 1961; Zlatni Dečaci
Zlatni Dečaci
Zlatni Dečaci were a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.- History :...
and Bele Višnje
Bele Višnje
Bele Višnje was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. The band is notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.-1962-1973:...
, both formed in 1962; Crni Biseri
Crni Biseri
Crni Biseri was a former Yugoslav rock band, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.- 1963 - 1980 :...
, Daltoni
Daltoni
Daltoni was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Niš, notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.-1963 - 1970:...
, Elipse
Elipse (band)
Elipse were a former Yugoslav rock and soul group from Belgrade, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.- The beat years :...
, and Samonikli
Samonikli
Samonikli was a former Yugoslav rock band, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene-1963-1969:...
, all formed in 1963; Tomi Sovilj i Njegove Siluete
Tomi Sovilj i Njegove Siluete
Tomi Sovilj i Njegove Siluete were a Serbian and former Yugoslav beat group from Belgrade, notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene....
and Sanjalice
Sanjalice
Sanjalice was a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade, notable for being one of the first former Yugoslav all-female bands, as well as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.-History:...
, both formed in 1964; Džentlmeni
Džentlmeni
Džentlmeni were a Serbian beat band from Belgrade.- Band formation and split :...
, formed in 1966. Siluete were well known for their shocking appearance and performance, and the band's frontman Zoran Miščević, known for his long blond hair, became one of the first Yugoslav rock stars and a sex symbol
Sex symbol
A sex symbol is a celebrity of either gender, typically an actor, musician, supermodel, teen idol, or sports star, noted for their sex appeal. The term was first used in the mid 1950s in relation to the popularity of certain Hollywood stars, especially Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte...
. The media often dealt with rivalry between Siluete and Elipse. Initially formed as a rhythm and blues band, Elipse moved to soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and added a brass section when they were joined by vocalist Edi Dekeng, an Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n student from Congo
Congo Basin
The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...
in 1967. Zoran Simjanović
Zoran Simjanovic
Zoran Simjanović , was born in Belgrade on 11 May 1946. At the age of six he learned the piano, then went to the Mokranjac music school and then to the Belgrade music academy. Since 1961 he founded and played in some of the most popular rock'n'roll groups in Yugoslavia and abroad...
, today a well-known film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
composer, spent some time as a member of both Siluete and Elipse. Crni Biseri featured the prominent musician Vlada Janković "Džet", who later formed the band Tunel
Tunel (band)
Tunel was a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade.-1980 – 1992:The band was formed in 1980 by Ljuba Ninković , Vladimir "Vlada" Janković "Džet" , and Steva Stevanović...
and became a well-known Radio Belgrade
Radio Belgrade
Radio Belgrade is a state-owned and operated radio station in Belgrade, Serbia.The predecessor of Radio Beograd, Radio Beograd-Rakovica, started its program in 1924 and was a part of a state wireless telegraph station. Radio Beograd, AD started in March 1929...
host
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
. Sanjalice were one of the first former Yugoslav all-female rock bands. The members of Džemtlmeni, brothers Žika and Dragi Jelić
Dragi Jelić
Dragi Jelić is a Serbian rock musician, best known as a singer and guitarist for the band YU grupa, which he formed in 1970 with his brother Zika Jelić. During the 1960s, alongside his brother Žika, he was a member of the beat band Džentlmeni.-References:...
, later formed the progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
/hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band YU grupa
YU grupa
YU grupa is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. One of the pioneers in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU grupa is considered the longest-lasting rock band to come from Serbia....
. Although none of these bands recorded studio albums (with the exception of Crni Biseri, which recorded their only studio album Motorok in 1976, and Bele Višnje, which recorded their old songs and released them on the album Pesme naše mladosti in 1994) and released only 7" singles and extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s, they had major influence on the subsequent development of the scene.
Mainstream rock
Korni GrupaKorni Grupa
Korni Grupa was a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. Korni Grupa was one of the first former Yugoslav rock bands to achieve major mainstream popularity. The band's first releases were commercial pop-oriented songs. Korni Grupa later turned towards progressive rock, continuing, however, to...
was one of the first Serbian rock bands to achieve major mainstream popularity. Formed in 1968 by former Indexi
Indexi
Indexi was a Bosnian rock band popular in the former Yugoslavia. It formed in 1962 in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, and disbanded in 2001 when singer Davorin Popović died...
keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Kornelije Kovač
Kornelije Kovac
Kornelije "Bata" Kovač is a famous Serbian composer. He is a father of Aleksandra Kovač and Kristina Kovač, both successful Serbian singers.-Early life:...
, the band recorded a large number of commercial pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
songs released on 7" singles, with which they achieved huge popularity and appeared on pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
festivals throughout former Yugoslavia. Already influenced by progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, the band moved towards progressive sound with the arrival of vocalist 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...
, continuing to occasionally release commercial singles. Korni Grupa's 1971 debut album Korni Grupa was the first long play album by a rock act coming from Serbia, and the fourth long play album by a Yugoslav rock act. The band's second, symphonic rock
Symphonic rock
Symphonic rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental forms of progressive rock....
-oriented album, Not An Ordinary Life, released under the name The Cornelians in 1974, was one of the first Yugoslav albums released through a foreign record label. Despite the success with the singles they released in Yugoslavia, the band disbanded due to the little success of Not An Ordinary Life and the song "Moja generacija
Moja generacija
"Moja generacija" was the Yugoslavian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in Serbo-Croatian by veteran rock band Korni Grupa....
" at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.
By the time Korni Grupa disbanded, other Serbian progressive rock bands had already achieved huge mainstream popularity. YU grupa
YU grupa
YU grupa is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. One of the pioneers in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU grupa is considered the longest-lasting rock band to come from Serbia....
, formed in 1970 by former Džentlmeni
Džentlmeni
Džentlmeni were a Serbian beat band from Belgrade.- Band formation and split :...
members, brothers Dragi
Dragi Jelić
Dragi Jelić is a Serbian rock musician, best known as a singer and guitarist for the band YU grupa, which he formed in 1970 with his brother Zika Jelić. During the 1960s, alongside his brother Žika, he was a member of the beat band Džentlmeni.-References:...
and Žika Jelić, is often considered the longest-lasting Serbian rock band, although they had a seven-year break in their work (from 1981 to 1987). Having released several successful singles which featured a fusion of progressive/hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and Balkan traditional music
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
, YU grupa released their first album, YU grupa
YU grupa (1973 album)
YU grupa is the debut studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band YU grupa.The album featured hits "Crni leptir", "More", "Trka", "Čudna šuma", "Noć je moja"...
, in 1973, which became one of the best selling Yugoslav rock albums of the 1970s. The band continued releasing successful albums, but with the popularity of New Wave, the band disbanded in 1981. However, the band reunited in 1987 and has released a number of well-accepted hard rock-oriented albums since. The band Smak
Smak
Smak is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. The group reached the peak of popularity in the 1970s when it was one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene...
from Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...
, formed by guitar virtuoso Radomir Mihailović "Točak" in 1971, was, during most of the 1970s, competitive with the band Bijelo Dugme
Bijelo dugme
Bijelo dugme was a highly influential former Yugoslav rock band, based in Sarajevo. Active between 1974 and 1989, it is widely considered to have been the most popular band ever to exist in former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and one of the most important acts of the Yugoslav rock...
from Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
. Smak released several hit singles, and appeared as an opening act on the Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
concert in Belgrade in 1975. During the same year, the band released their self-titled debut
Smak (album)
- Personnel :* Boris Aranđelović - vocals* Radomir Mihajlović "Točak" - guitar* Laza Ristovski - keyboards* Zoran Milanović - bass* Slobodan Stojanović "Kepa" - drums, congas, gong...
, considered to be one of the most successful debut albums in former Yugoslavia. Despite the popularity of the band's later releases, Satelit
Satelit (EP)
- Personnel :* Boris Aranđelović - vocals* Radomir Mihajlović "Točak" - guitar* Laza Ristovski - keyboards* Zoran Milanović - bass* Slobodan Stojanović "Kepa" - drums, congas, gong...
(1976), Crna dama
Crna dama
- Personnel :* Boris Aranđelović - vocals* Radomir Mihajlović "Točak" - guitar* Miodrag Petkovski "Miki" - keyboards* Zoran Milanović - bass* Slobodan Stojanović "Kepa" - drums, percussion-The Harmonium Quartet:* Pat Nalling - first violin...
(1977) and Stranice našeg vremena
Stranice našeg vremena
- Personnel :* Boris Aranđelović - vocals* Radomir Mihajlović "Točak" - guitar* Tibor Levay - keyboards* Zoran Milanović - bass* Slobodan Stojanović "Kepa" - drums-Guest:* David Moos - Congas, Timbales, Maracas, Castanets, Gong, Cabasa...
(1978), the band disbanded in 1981. The band reunited and disbanded several more times during the 1980s and 1990s, releasing albums that saw little commercial success.
The end of the 1970s featured the appearance of the pop rock band Rani Mraz
Rani Mraz
Rani Mraz were a former Yugoslav rock band from Novi Sad, formed in 1977 by former Žetva member Đorđe Balašević. During the initial period, the band went through several lineup changes, until Balašević and female singer Biljana Krstić remained the only official members of the band...
. Rani Mraz was formed in 1978 by a former Žetva member Đorđe Balašević, and during the initial period went through numerous lineup changes. The most famous lineup featured Balašević, Verica Todorović, Bora Đorđević and Biljana Krstić, the latter two joining Rani Mraz after leaving the acoustic rock band Suncokret
Suncokret
Suncokret was a former Yugoslav acoustic rock band from Belgrade.-Band history:The band was formed in 1975 by former Zajedno member Bora Đorđević , a former U Cvetu Mladosti member Nenad Božić and female singers Snežana Jandrlić and Vesna Rakočević...
. This lineup of the band released the highly popular single "Računajte na nas", a song which praised People's Liberation War
People's Liberation War
The Yugoslav FrontThe Yugoslav Front, is also known as the National Liberation War . started in April 1941 when the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was quickly overrun by Axis forces and partitioned between Germany, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia and client regimes in Serbia with German Banat.The war was...
from a slightly different perspective than habitual socialist realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
, and soon became an anthem of Yugoslav youth. Đorđević, however, soon left the band to form Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
. Rani Mraz released two well-received albums, Mojoj mami umesto maturske slike u izlogu
Mojoj mami umesto maturske slike u izlogu
Mojoj mami umesto maturske slike u izlogu is the first studio album released by former Yugoslav rock band Rani Mraz....
and Odlazi cirkus
Odlazi cirkus
Odlazi cirkus is the second and the last studio album released by former Yugoslav rock band Rani Mraz.Like it was the case with the previous Rani Mraz album, Mojoj mami umesto maturske slike u izlogu, two official Rani Mraz members, Đorđe Balašević and Biljana Krstić, recorded Odlazi cirkus with...
, before disbanding in 1981. With the release of the album Pub in 1982, Balašević started a very successful solo career, spanning up to the present, establishing himself as one of the most popular Serbian singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
s.
The end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s featured the appearance of three popular solo singers: Slađana Milošević, Bebi Dol and Oliver Mandić
Oliver Mandic
Oliver Mandić is a Serbian pop musician, composer, and producer - very prominent and popular throughout the 1980s.-Early biography:...
. Aleksandra "Slađana" Milošević released her debut single "Au, au" in 1977. The single saw huge success and was followed by a successful album Gorim od želje da ubijem noć (1979). In 1984 she recorded a highly popular ballad "Princeza" with 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...
, which premiered at the Jugovizija 1984. During the 1990s and 2000s she experimented with various musical genres and her popularity heavily declined. Bebi Dol and Oliver Mandić, both using simple pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
forms combined with jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, achieved mainstream popularity and large record sales. Bebi Dol, born Dragana Šarić, with her debut single "Mustafa" (1981) quickly gained the public's attention. Her debut album Ruže i krv gained positive reviews and good commercial reception. Spending two years performing in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, from 1984 to 1986, she returned to Yugoslavia, and having high ranks at the MESAM and Jugovizija festivals, she was, with the song "Brazil
Brazil (Bebi Dol song)
"Brazil" was a song of the Eurovision Song Contest 1991, performed in Serbo-Croatian by Bebi Dol, representing Yugoslavia....
", the last representative of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. Having released her second album Ritam srca in 1995, her popularity declined and she withdrew from performing in the late 1990s, only to return in the early 2000s. Oliver Mandić, though active in the 1970s as a member of various bands, it was his debut album Probaj me (1980) that gave him the nationwide popularity. With hits appearing on his albums Zbog tebe bih tucao kamen and Dođe mi da vrisnem tvoje ime, controversial stage performance and clothing style, Mandić achieved high record sales and positive critics. In the late 1980s he semi-retired, appearing occasionally only until today.
The hard rock band Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
, formed in 1978, achieved huge success with their debut single "Lutka sa naslovne strane
Lutka sa naslovne strane
"Lutka sa naslovne strane" is the debut single from the influential Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba....
" (1978) and their debut album Kost u grlu
Kost u grlu
Kost u grlu is the 1979 debut album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba.The album was polled in 1998 as the 16th on the list of 100 greatest Yugoslav rock and pop albums in the book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike .-Album cover:The album cover...
(1979). Their following albums, Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti
Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti
Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti is the second studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba, released in 1981....
and Mrtva priroda
Mrtva priroda
Mrtva priroda is the third studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba, released in 1981....
, both released in 1981, launched them to the top of the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock scene, despite their hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
sound with blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
elements, and thanks to their provocative social- and, since the release of Mrtva priroda, political-related lyrics written by the band leader Bora Đorđević. After the album Istina
Istina
Istina is the sixth studio album released by Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba....
the band, although still generally fitting into hard rock, started gradually turning towards softer sound, managing to sustain their popularity. The pop rock band Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori are a highly popular Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band...
, formed in 1984 by former Riblja Čorba member Momčilo Bajagić "Bajaga"
Momcilo Bajagic
Momčilo Bajagić "Bajaga" is a highly popular Serbian rock musician born in Bjelovar. He is best known as the leader of the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, as well as a former member of the hard rock band Riblja Čorba.-Early career:Bajagić started his musical career as a...
, after releasing their debut, highly successful solo album Pozitivna geografija
Pozitivna geografija
Pozitivna geografija is the 1984 debut album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, released in 1984...
in 1983 (originally released as Bajagić's solo album, but, as it featured musicians which would later become members of Bajaga i Instruktori, included in the band's official discography), started releasing successful albums Sa druge strane jastuka
Sa druge strane jastuka
Sa druge strane jastuka is the second studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, released in 1985...
(1985) Jahači magle
Jahači magle
Jahači magle is the third studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, released in 1986....
(1986), and Prodavnica tajni
Prodavnica tajni
Prodavnica tajni is the fourth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, released in 1988....
(1988), all becoming mega-hits. Both Bajaga i Instruktori and Riblja Čorba entered the 1990s as some of the most popular Serbian rock acts, and their later releases maintained the gained popularity. However, in the 1990s, Riblja Čorba's popularity heavily declined 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 ...
and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
during 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...
, when Ðorđević became an active supporter of the Serbian troops in Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
and Republika Srpska Krajina which he demonstrated by recording controversial songs "E moj druže zagrebački" (which was recorded as a response to Jura Stublić
Jura Stublic
Jurislav "Jura" Stublić is a Croatian singer and songwriter.-Biography:In 1961, he moved with his parents Tomislav and Vesna to Sesvetski Kraljevec near Zagreb. His father was from Sesvetski Kraljevec and he too was a singer. His mother was a tailor.In Zagreb, Stublić studied philosophy, but he...
's song "E moj druže beogradski") and "Ljetovanje" with the band Mindušari from Knin
Knin
Knin is a historical town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia, located near the source of the river Krka at , in the Dalmatian hinterland, on the railroad Zagreb–Split. Knin rose to prominence twice in history, as a one-time capital of both the Kingdom of Croatia and briefly of the...
. However, Ðorđević was also strongly opposed to Serbian regime and the president Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
and he demonstrated his attitude by writing a number of anti-regime songs released on Riblja Čorba albums Zbogom, Srbijo
Zbogom, Srbijo
-Personnel:*Bora Đorđević – vocals*Vidoja Božinović – guitar*Zoran Ilić – guitar*Miša Aleksić – bass guitar*Vicko Milatović – drums-Additional personnel:*Vlada Barjaktarević – keyboardsm co-producer...
, Ostalo je ćutanje
Ostalo je cutanje
Ostalo je ćutanje is the thirteenth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba....
and Nojeva barka
Nojeva barka
Nojeva barka is the fourteenth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba, released in 1999....
, and by publishing Njihovi dani
Njihovi dani
Njihovi dani is the first and so far the only studio album released by Bora Đorđević...
in his own name rather than that of his band.
After the decline of the New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
scene in Serbia, part of the bands moved towards more commercial rock and pop rock sound. 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 :...
, after releasing Kako bubanj kaže
Kako bubanj kaže
"Kako bubanj kaže" is the title track of the fourth studio album by Serbian new wave band Električni Orgazam Kako bubanj kaže. The track was also released as the only single from the album...
in 1984, released their most successful albums, Distorzija
Distorzija
Distorzija is the fifth studio album by Serbian/Yugoslavian New wave band Električni orgazam. It was released in 1986 by Jugoton.-Track listing:All songs written by Srđan Gojković except were noted...
in 1986 and pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
-influenced Letim, sanjam, dišem
Letim, sanjam, dišem
Letim, sanjam, dišem is the sixth studio album by Serbian/Yugoslavian New wave band Električni orgazam. It was released in 1988 by PGP RTB.-Track listing:All songs written by Srđan Gojković except were noted...
in 1988. The latter featured the anthem hit-song "Igra rock 'n' roll cela Jugoslavija". Električni Orgazam continued with the same musical directions in the 1990s with Zašto da ne!
Zašto da ne!
Zašto da ne! is the studio album by Serbian/Yugoslavian New wave band Električni orgazam. It was released in 1994 by PGP RTS. It is the band's first double album.-Track listing:...
and A um bum
A um bum
A um bum is the eighth studio album by the Serbian rock band Električni Orgazam, released on late 1999. This is the only album the band had released under the City Records label.- Tracklisting :...
. In 2007, Električni Orgazam performed as an opening act for The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, on the concert held at the Belgrade Ušće park
Ušce (Belgrade)
Ušće is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd. Ušće is located on the mouth of the Sava river into the Danube, thus the name...
, becoming the only Serbian band ever to succeed in it. Idoli, after releasing Odbrana i poslednji dani
Odbrana i poslednji dani
Odbrana i poslednji dani is the first studio album by former Yugoslavn New Wave band Idoli released in 1982....
, went 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...
and recorded their second studio album Čokolada
Cokolada
Čokolada is the second studio album by Serbian rock band Idoli. It is considered to be one of the best selling Yugoslav records.- History :...
, featuring a combination of pop rock, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
. The album turned out to be the greatest commercial success by the band. Having recorded the Šest dana juna
Šest dana juna (album)
Šest dana juna is the soundtrack album for the movie with the same title. It was the last Idoli release.- History :After the Ljubljana show Idoli decided to split up. In the meantime Jugoton asked Vlada Divljan to work with Idoli on the soundtrack album for Dinko Tucaković's movie Šest dana juna...
soundtrack in the 1960s pop rock manner, the band split up and 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:...
released his debut album Tajni život A. P. Šandorova, stylistically similar to the previous Idoli releases. The reformed New Wave band Piloti
Piloti (band)
Piloti is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Formed in 1981, and initially immersed in the Yugoslav New Wave scene, the band later moved towards mainstream pop rock, they came to prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s as one of the leading pop rock acts in former Yugoslavia...
released the highly successful album Kao ptica na mom dlanu in 1984. With the following albums Osmeh letnje noći and Neka te bog čuva za mene the band maintained their popularity, which even increased in the 1990s with the Zaboravljeni soundtrack album. However, the band disbanded in 1997 and, in the meantime, Piloti frontman Zoran "Kiki" Lesendrić
Kiki Lesendric
Zoran "Kiki" Lesendrić is a Serbian rock musician, most notable as the founding member of the band Piloti....
released the album Nedelja na Duhove
Nedelja na Duhove
Nedelja na Duhove is the only album by Serbian rock supergroup Dobrovoljno Pevačko Društvo.- History :The band went to Budapest and recorded the album in the Utopia Studio during January and February 1995...
with former Idoli members Srđan Šaper and Nebojša Krstić
Nebojša Krstic
Nebojša Krstić is an Advisor of the President of Serbia for public relations appointed by Boris Tadić. He was also a member of the Serbian rock band Idoli.- Biography :...
under the name Dobrovoljno Pevačko Društvo
Dobrovoljno Pevacko Društvo
Dobrovoljno Pevačko Društvo was a Serbian supergroup consisting of former Idoli members Nebojša Krstić and Srđan Šaper and Piloti frontman Kiki Lesendrić. The band released only one album and disbanded.- History :...
. During the late 1990s and 2000s Lesendrić worked as a songwriter before releasing his first, very successful solo album Mesec na vratima in 2008, after which he reformed Piloti. Other New Wave acts that made a shift towards more commercial sound after the decline of the scene include Bezobrazno Zeleno
Bezobrazno Zeleno
Bezobrazno Zeleno were a former Yugoslav New Wave/pop rock band from Belgrade. The band was notable as the participant of the Artistička radna akcija project as well as for their later works....
(which moved towards pop rock), 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 :...
(which moved towards pop rock and synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
), and Laki Pingvini
Laki Pingvini
Laki Pingvini were a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. While initially being a New Wave act, throughout their later career, the band turned towards synthpop and pop rock....
(which moved towards synthpop and New Romantic
New Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
).
The mid-1980s pop rock bands Amajlija
Amajlija
Amajlija is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1979 by Bogoljub "Čombe" Banjac , Boško "Čvaja" Plaćkov and Predrag "Čole" Čoka , all three being 'Oćeš-Nećeš members, with Slobodan "Veća" Većalkov and Tomislav "Čvaja" Milei...
, Poslednja Igra Leptira
Poslednja Igra Leptira
Poslednja Igra Leptira was a Serbian pop rock band from Belgrade.-Biography:...
, Slomljena Stakla
Slomljena Stakla
Slomljena Stakla was a former Yugoslav pop rock band from Belgrade.- History :The band was formed in 1982 by singer and composer Zoran Vasilić...
, Alisa
Alisa (Serbian band)
Alisa were a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band.-1984 - 1991:...
, Banana
Banana (band)
-Band history:Banana was formed in 1985 in Belgrade. They released their debut album Ponoćni pasaži in 1986 in the following lineup: Aleksandra Toković , Dragan Lončar , Boban Šaranović , Srđan Cincar and Igor Borojević...
, Jugosloveni
Jugosloveni
Jugosloveni were a former Yugoslav rock band, best known for their hit "Jugosloveni".-Band history:The band was formed in 1986 by the vocalist Zoran Paunović...
and Bel Tempo
Bel Tempo
Bel Tempo wаs a Serbian and former Yugoslav pop rock duo.-History:Bel Tempo was formed in 1986 in Belgrade by brother and sister Vladimir "Vlada" Petričević and Suzana Petričević . They chose the name after Bora Ćosić's play Bel Tempo...
had a vast number of album sales, however, the majority of them disbanded before reaching or at the beginning of the 1990s. Poslednja Igra Leptira, formed in 1980 and led by charismatic frontman Nenad Radulović
Nenad Radulović
Nenad Radulović , also known as Neša Leptir was a former Yugoslav rock musician, best known as the frontman of the pop rock band Poslednja Igra Leptira.-Biography:...
, also known as Neša Leptir, achieved success with their pop rock songs with humorous lyrics, but disbanded in 1989. Radulović released his solo album Niko nema što piton imade, which parodied
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
"novokomponovana muzika
Turbo-folk
Turbo-folk is a popular musical sub-genre that originated in Serbia, the Balkans. Having mainstream popularity in Serbia, although closely associated with Serbian performers, its sound is as popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro...
", in 1989, before dying of tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
in 1990. The power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
band Banana, formed in 1985, released two albums before disbanding in 1988. Bel Tempo, formed in 1986 by brother and sister Vlada and Suzana Petričević
Suzana Petričević
Suzana Petričević is a Serbian actress and singer.-Acting career:Suzana Petričević graduated from the Belgrade Drama Arts Academy on the Department for Actors...
, released two pop rock albums with jazz elements, Bel Tempo (1987) and Modesty (1992), the concept of the latter being inspired by the comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
character
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
Modesty Blaise
Modesty Blaise
Modesty Blaise is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by Peter O'Donnell and Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows the adventures of Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talents and a criminal past, and her trusty sidekick Willie Garvin...
, before disbanding in 1992. The end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s also featured the popular band Vampiri
Vampiri
Vampiri were a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. The band was formed in 1988, and performed music influenced by the 1950s doo-wop and rockabilly. After releasing two studio albums, they disbanded in 1993...
, whose sound was influenced by the 1950s doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
. However, with the breakout 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...
, their sound seamed misplaced and the band disbanded in 1993. They reunited in 1995 and released the album Plavi grad, and, in 1997, Monkey Food, experimenting with different musical genres on the latter. However, the band disbanded once again in 1998.
Popular rock acts of the 1990s were Galija
Galija
Galija is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Niš. The central figures of the band are brothers Nenad Milosavljević and Predrag Milosavljević...
, 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...
, Dejan Cukić
Dejan Cukic
Dejan Cukić is a Serbian rock musician, journalist and writer.During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cukić was the frontman of the New Wave band Bulevar, releasing two albums with the band. After Bulevar disbanded in 1982, he retired from music...
, 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:...
, Babe, Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi
Prljavi inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi
Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade.-1990s:...
, Familija
Familija
Familija was a Serbian rock supergroup from Belgrade, consisting of Vampiri, Košava and U Škripcu members...
, and the Belgrade faction of the band Zabranjeno Pušenje
Zabranjeno pušenje
Zabranjeno Pušenje is a Yugoslavian garage rock band from Sarajevo, closely associated with the New primitivism cultural movement and the radio and television satire show Top Lista Nadrealista...
. Galija, despite being formed in the late 1970s and initially performing progressive rock, reached the peak of popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the album trilogy
Trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected, and that can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, or video games...
consisting of Daleko je Sunce
Daleko je Sunce
Daleko je Sunce is the sixth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Galija. It is the first part of the trilogy consisting of this album, the album Korak do slobode and the album Istorija, ti i ja....
(1988), Korak do slobode
Korak do slobode
Korak do slobode is the seventh studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Galija. It is the second part of the trilogy consisting of the album Daleko je Sunce, this album and the album Istorija, ti i ja...
(1989), and Istorija, ti i ja
Istorija, ti i ja
Istorija, ti i ja is the eighth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Galija. It is the third and the final part of the trilogy consisting of the album Daleko je Sunce, the album Korak do slobode and this album...
(1991), entering the 1990s as one of the most popular Serbian rock bands. In the 1990s, Galija promoted the Socialist Party of Serbia
Socialist Party of Serbia
The Socialist Party of Serbia is officially a democratic socialist political party in Serbia. It is also widely recognized as a de facto Serbian nationalist party, though the party itself does not officially acknowledge this...
, which had provoked a part of the critics and fans to proclaim Galija a "state band". Nevertheless, albums Karavan
Karavan (album)
Karavan is the ninth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Galija. This is the last album recorded in cooperation with the lyricist Radomir Kanjevac.-Track listing:#"Petlovi" – 2:45...
(1994), Trinaest
Trinaest
Trinaest is the tenth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Galija.Besides the lyrics written by the band member Predrag Milosavljević, songs feature lyrics written by poets Branko Radičević, Stevan Raičković and Petar Pajić.-Track listing:#"Imali smo krila" – 4:30#"Ona zna sve"...
(1996) and Voleti voleti
Voleti voleti
Voleti voleti is the eleventh studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Galija.-Track listing:All the songs were written by Nenad Milosavljević and Slobodan Kostadinović .#"Pege" – 4:17...
(1997) were well received by majority of the fans. The band Van Gogh started their career with the release of their debut self-titled album in 1986, but disbanded a year later. The band reunited in 1990, and throughout the 1990s released the albums Svet je moj (1990), Strast (1993), Hodi (1996) and Opasan ples (1999), which made them one of the most popular acts on the Serbian rock scene. Former Bulevar
Bulevar (band)
Bulevar were a Serbian and former Yugoslav New Wave band from Belgrade.-Band formation:The band history dates from the days of the group Tilt consisting of young highschool attendants Dejan Cukić , Nenad Stamatović , Dušan Bezuha , Miroslav Cvetković and drummers at different times,...
and Bajaga i Instruktori vocalist Dejan Cukić started his solo career in the late 1980s, and forming his Spori Ritam Band started releasing a series of successful albums, Spori ritam (1987), Zajedno (1989), 1991 (1991) and Ja bih da pevam (1996). Pioneers of Serbian and former Yugoslav reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
scenes, Del Arno Band, formed in 1986, were always closely associated with the rock scene. Although they released only three full-length studio albums during twenty-five years of career, Del Arno Band managed to remain on top of Serbian reggae scene and sustain their popularity. Babe, starting in 1992 as a side project of Bajaga i Instruktori member Žika Milenković, Električni Orgazam member Goran Čavajda and Riblja Čorba member Zoran Ilić, with the release of their debut album Slike iz života jednog idota gained popularity with their comedy rock
Comedy rock
Comedy rock is rock music mixed with comedy, often satire and parody.-History:Early USA examples include Stan Freberg, who lampooned artists such as Elvis Presley, Harry Belafonte and The Platters, and Sheb Wooley whose "Purple People Eater" reached No...
songs. After the departure of Čavajda, having released Slike sna i jave (Samo za buntovnike) in 1999, Babe ended their activity. Another popular comedy rock
Comedy rock
Comedy rock is rock music mixed with comedy, often satire and parody.-History:Early USA examples include Stan Freberg, who lampooned artists such as Elvis Presley, Harry Belafonte and The Platters, and Sheb Wooley whose "Purple People Eater" reached No...
band, Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi
Prljavi inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi
Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade.-1990s:...
, formed by charismatic frontman Igor Blažević in 1993, with humorous lyrics inspired by musical, film or sport stars quickly gained mainstream popularity. The band Familija
Familija
Familija was a Serbian rock supergroup from Belgrade, consisting of Vampiri, Košava and U Škripcu members...
was formed in 1994 by former Vampiri, 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 :...
and Košava
Kosava
Kosava can mean:* Košava , southeastern wind that blows in northern Serbia.* Kosava, Belarus, also Kosau, a town* Koshava, also transliterated as Košava, a village in Bulgaria...
members, and saw large popularity with their albums Narodno pozorište
Narodno pozorište
Narodno pozorište is the debut album of the Serbian rock supergroup Familija, released in 1995.- Background :The album was the result of the collaboration of U Škripcu and Košava members Aleksandar "Vasa" Vasiljević and Aleksandar "Luka" Lukić with former Vampiri members Dejan "Peja" Pejović ,...
and Seljačka buna
Seljačka buna
Seljačka buna is the second and last album by the Serbian rock supergroup Familija, released in 1997.- Background :The band's second album featured the same style the band had on the debut. The album, like the previous, was produced by Đorđe Petrović, and featured fourteen songs, including "Brate...
, which featured ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
/pop rock songs with humorous lyrics. With the outbreak of the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
the band Zabranjeno Pušenje from Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
split into two factions, both named Zabranjeno Pušenje: the Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
faction, led by the original Zabranjeno Pušenje guitarist Sejo Sexon
Sejo Sexon
Sejo Sexon is the stage name of Davor Sučić, Bosnian Croat rock and roll musician, composer, actor and television director....
, and the Belgrade faction, led by the original Zabranjeno Pušenje vocalist Nele Karajlić
Nele Karajlic
dr. Nele Karajlić a.k.a. Nele Karajlić, born on December 11, 1962 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, , is a Bosnian Serb rock and roll musician, composer, actor and television director living and working in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia.One of the founders of New Primitivism movement in Sarajevo,...
. The Belgrade faction released the album Ja nisam odavle in 1997, after which they changed the name to No Smoking Orchestra and moved towards world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
. The No Smoking Orchestra recorded the soundtrack for the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
awarded Black Cat, White Cat
Black Cat, White Cat
Black Cat, White Cat is a 1998 Yugoslav romantic comedy film directed by Emir Kusturica. It won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival....
by the film director Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
, with whom the band soon started to perform. The band has recorded several studio albums and a live album recorded in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
since. The band's new sound is, however, better accepted abroad than in Serbia.
The 2000s featured popular bands Negative, Neverne Bebe
Neverne Bebe
Neverne Bebe are a Serbian rock band from Belgrade.- 1990s :The band was formed in 1993 by a former Nova Zemlja, Smak and Frenki keyboardist Milan Đurđević. The first lineup featured Vladan Đurđević , Bane Jelić , Čeda Macura and Billy King...
, 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...
, and Strip. The power pop band Negative, featuring the former Tap 011
Tap 011
Tap 011 is a popular Serbian pop group, active in the period 1994-2002 and again from 2011. Tap 011 predecessor was a rap group Tapiri consisting of Milan Bojanic, Djordje Pajovic - Djole, Petar Stupar-Pera and some members of the variable...
vocalist Ivana Peters
Ivana Peters
Ivana Peters , born Ivana Pavlović is a Serbian Pop rock singer-songwriter, composer and musician, the leader of pop rock band Negative.-Private life:...
, formed in 1999, released several successful albums and appeared on several musical festivals including Beovizija
Beovizija
Beovizija was a music festival established in 2003. Since 2007 it was the national selection for Serbia's representative at the Eurovision Song Contest. Beovizija was organised and broadcast live each year by RTS1, on RTRS in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and internationally on Eurovision.tv and RTS SAT...
and Evropesma
Evropesma
Evropesma or Europjesma was a pop festival in Serbia and Montenegro which ran from 2004 to 2006. The winning song represents the country in the Eurovision Song Contest...
. Neverne Bebe
Neverne Bebe
Neverne Bebe are a Serbian rock band from Belgrade.- 1990s :The band was formed in 1993 by a former Nova Zemlja, Smak and Frenki keyboardist Milan Đurđević. The first lineup featured Vladan Đurđević , Bane Jelić , Čeda Macura and Billy King...
, formed in 1993 by the keyboard player Milan Đurđević, having released three studio albums and having several lineup changes, released highly successful album Dvoje — The Best Of, featuring two female vocalists, Jelena Pudar and Jana Šušteršič, and featuring rerecorded versions of the band's old songs. In 2007 the band released successful album ...Iza oblaka. The post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
/hard rock band 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...
, although formed in 1991, released their debut, successful cover album
Cover Album
-Tracklisting:#Misono to Utaou! Animedley I # #...
Undercovers
Undercovers (Night Shift album)
- Night Shift :* Milan Šćepanović * Danijel Šćepanović * Marko Dacić - Additional personnel :* Mirko Vukomanović * Ivana Pavlović * Dejan Cukić - References :...
in 2002. In 2009 the band released Bez zaklona
Bez zaklona
- Night Shift :* Milan Šćepanović * Danijel Šćepanović * Branislav Vukobratović - Additional personnel :* Marko Dacić * Teodora Bojović * Intermezzo string quartet...
which featured their own songs. Strip, which combines graphic art with power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
and pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
, was initially a project by Serbian graphic
Graphic arts
A type of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of art forms. Graphic art is typically two-dimensional and includes calligraphy, photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, lithography, typography, serigraphy , and bindery. Graphic art also consists of drawn plans and layouts for interior...
and comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artists, and gained popularity with their computer animated
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
videos. Beside the mentioned bands, the veterans of the Serbian rock scene Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori are a highly popular Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band...
, with the albums Zmaj od Noćaja
Zmaj od Noćaja (album)
Zmaj od Noćaja is the seventh studio album from Serbian rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, released in 2001. The name of the album refers to the name of a street in Belgrade...
and Šou počinje u ponoć
Šou počinje u ponoć
Šou počinje u ponoć is the eight studio album from Serbian rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, released in 2005....
, Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
, with Pišanje uz vetar
Pišanje uz vetar
Pišanje uz vetar is the fifteenth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba, released in 2001....
, Ovde
Ovde
Ovde is the sixteenth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba, released in 2003.The album featured a bonus CD with explicit lyrics songs "Zašto uvek kurcu sviram" and "Pičkin dim"....
, Trilogija
Trilogija
Trilogija is a compilation album from influential Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba. The album features all songs from three parts of Riblja Čorba trilogy, Trilogija 1: Nevinost bez zaštite, Trilogija 2: Devičanska ostrva and Trilogija 3: Ambasadori loše volje.-Tracks:#"Sponzori"...
and Minut sa njom
Minut sa njom
Minut sa njom is the eighteenth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba.The album features mostly love songs, and is the first Riblja Čorba album since their 1981 album Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti which does not feature any song with political-related...
, YU grupa
YU grupa
YU grupa is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. One of the pioneers in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU grupa is considered the longest-lasting rock band to come from Serbia....
with their comeback Dugo znamo se
Dugo znamo se
Dugo znamo se is the tenth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band YU grupa. It is the band's first album since the release of the album Rim 1994 in 1995.-Track listing:...
, Đorđe Balašević with Dnevnik starog momka
Dnevnik starog momka
Dnevnik starog momka is the eleventh studio album released by Serbian and former Yugoslav singer-songwriter Đorđe Balašević....
and Rani mraz
Rani mraz (album)
Rani mraz is the twelfth studio album released by Serbian and former Yugoslav singer-songwriter Đorđe Balašević. The title refers to Balašević's former band Rani Mraz....
, and 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...
, with DrUnder
DrUnder (Van Gogh)
DrUnder is the sixth studio album from Serbian rock band Van Gogh, released in 2002.-Track listing:#"DrUnder" – 4:36#"Bulldog" – 3:06#"Za godine tvoje" – 4:06#"Tanka nit" – 3:37#"Pupak" – 3:12#"Klupko" – 3:38#"Šta ako" – 4:17...
, Kolo
Kolo (Van Gogh)
Kolo is the seventh studio album by Serbian rock band Van Gogh, released in 2006. The album was recorded in Studio Sky and mastered in Sony Music Studios in New York City....
and Lavirint
Lavirint (Van Gogh)
Lavirint is the eighth studio album by Serbian rock band Van Gogh. The album was released in 2009 through Mobile Telephony of Serbia.-Track listing:# "Lavirint "# "Nek' te telo nosi"# "Tik-tak"# "Pipi"# "Aerodrom"...
, maintained their popularity throughout the 2000s.
Singer-songwriters
Serbian rock scene featured several notable singer-songwriterSinger-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
s. One of the most important authors is Đorđe Balašević from 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....
. He started his career in the 1970s as a member of the band Žetva and the leader of the band Rani Mraz
Rani Mraz
Rani Mraz were a former Yugoslav rock band from Novi Sad, formed in 1977 by former Žetva member Đorđe Balašević. During the initial period, the band went through several lineup changes, until Balašević and female singer Biljana Krstić remained the only official members of the band...
, before beginning a very successful solo career, in 1982, with the release of his first solo album Pub, spanning up to the present. Despite the fact that his work in Žetva and Rani Mraz was mainly pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
-oriented, in his later career he often used elements of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, while his lyrics often dealt with humorous or political- and social-related themes.
Another notable singer-songwriter was Srđan Marjanović. Marjanović released his debut album Srđan Marjanović i prijatelji, which he recorded with members of YU grupa
YU grupa
YU grupa is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. One of the pioneers in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU grupa is considered the longest-lasting rock band to come from Serbia....
, in 1974. During 1980s he released a number of albums before he semi-retired at the end of the 1990s.
Acoustic rock
The acoustic scene emerged in the late 1960s with the appearance of the hippie subculture in Serbia, but reached its peak in the early 1970s with the bands Porodična Manufaktura Crnog HlebaPorodicna Manufaktura Crnog Hleba
Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba were a former Yugoslav acoustic rock band and a theatre group and one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav acoustic rock scene....
, Lutajuća Srca, S Vremena Na Vreme
S Vremena Na Vreme
S Vremena Na Vreme was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade...
, DAG, and Suncokret
Suncokret
Suncokret was a former Yugoslav acoustic rock band from Belgrade.-Band history:The band was formed in 1975 by former Zajedno member Bora Đorđević , a former U Cvetu Mladosti member Nenad Božić and female singers Snežana Jandrlić and Vesna Rakočević...
, most of them being a part of the 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...
acoustic rock scene, naming themselves "akustičari" ("acousticans").
Porodićna Manufaktura Crnog Hleba, formed by Maja de Rado and Jugoslav Vlahović
Jugoslav Vlahović
Jugoslav Vlahović is a Serbian artist, illustrator, photographer and a former rock musician. Vlahović is known for his work on album covers...
in 1968, were one of the pioneers of the Serbian and former Yugoslav acoustic rock scene. The band, which was also a theatre group, organized happenings at the Belgrade Atelje 212
Atelje 212
Atelje 212 is a theatre in Belgrade, Serbia. It was officially founded on 12 November 1956 in the premises of the Borba building, in front of 212 chairs. The opening play was Faust, directed by Mira Trailović....
basement. Having released their only album Stvaranje in 1974, the band disbanded in 1975. Lutajuća Srca, formed in 1970 in Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
, were not a part of Belgrade acoustic rock scene. The band released a large number of 7" singles and four studio albums, but remained best known for their hit song "Jefimija". Acoustic/progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band S Vremena Na Vreme, formed in 1972, were also one of the pioneers of the Belgrade acoustic rock scene and one of first former Yugoslav bands to incorporate traditional music
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
elements into their music. The band's debut self-titled album, released in 1975, was widely praised by the critics. After releasing their third, electric
Electric instrument
An electric musical instrument is one in which the use of electric devices determines or affects the sound produced by an instrument. It is also known as an amplified musical instrument due to the common utilization of an electronic instrument amplifier to project the intended sound as determined...
-oriented album, Paviljon G in 1979, S Vremena Na Vreme disbanded. They reunited in 1993, releasing a studio and a live album, before disbanding once again in 1997. DAG, formed in 1972, although a part of the Belgrade acoustic rock scene, used electric instruments on their only studio album Sećanja, released in 1974. In 1975, appeared Suncokret, featuring Bora Đorđević and Nenad Božić on acoustic guitars and vocals and two female vocalists, Bilja Krstić
Bilja Krstic
Biljana "Bilja" Krstić is a Serbian singer. She was born on November 9, 1955 in Niš and brought up on the folk traditions of central Serbia. Biljana first studied music in Niš at the music school "Dr. Vojislav Vučković", after graduating she continued her education by travelling to Belgrade to...
and Gorica Popović
Gorica Popović
Gorica Popović is a Serbian theatre, television and film actress.-Selected filmography:*The Fall of Italy *The Dark Side of the Sun *Battle of Kosovo -External links:...
. The band started releasing folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
-inspired singles and, in 1977, the band released their only album Moje bube. The following year, having written the song "Lutka sa naslovne strane
Lutka sa naslovne strane
"Lutka sa naslovne strane" is the debut single from the influential Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba....
", which the band refused to perform, Đorđević left the band, forming Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
. Suncokret continued to perform with a changed lineup, led by female vocalist Snežana Jandrlić, until 1980 when they disbanded. Beside the mentioned bands, part of the Belgrade acoustic rock scene was also the singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Srđan Marjanović.
Throughout the 1980s, the acoustic scene did not exist, however, the appearance of the first 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...
concerts in the late 1980s introduced the popularity of acoustic rock in the following decade. In 1987, Bora Đorđević's and Arsen Dedić
Arsen Dedic
Arsen Dedić is a Croatian singer-songwriter who has been prominent in the Croatian as well as former Yugoslav music scene. Dedić writes and performs chansons as well as film music...
's unplugged performance in Terazije Theatre
Terazije Theatre
Theatre on Terazije is a Broadway-style theatre in the Terazije area of Belgrade, Serbia. It is the only theatre in Serbia which exclusively produces musicals and has produced the Serbian versions of Chicago, Kiss Me, Kate, and many more...
, released as the official bootleg album Arsen & Bora Čorba Unplugged `87
Arsen & Bora Čorba Unplugged `87
Arsen & Bora Čorba Unplugged `87 is the bootleg recording of the unplugged concert Croatian singer-songwriter Arsen Dedić and Serbian rock musician Bora Đorđević held in Terazije Theatre in Belgrade on March 6, 1987...
, was one of the first unplugged concerts in Serbia and former Yugoslavia. However, it was in the 1990s that the Serbian rock acts started performing unplugged concerts. The first official unplugged live album was released by the Bečej
Becej
Bečej is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District in Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 25,703, while Bečej municipality has 40,877 inhabitants. It is multiethnic town, with Hungarians and Serbs as largest ethnic groups...
britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
band Eva Braun
Eva Braun (band)
Eva Braun is a britpop/pop rock band from Bečej, Serbia, notable as one of the most important bands of the Vojvodina pop-rock scene of the 1990s...
in 1993, and in the following year the Music Television of Serbia organized an unplugged festival in Belgrade Sava Centar. The recordings of Eva Braun, 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...
, Laki Pingvini
Laki Pingvini
Laki Pingvini were a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. While initially being a New Wave act, throughout their later career, the band turned towards synthpop and pop rock....
, Babe, Dejan Cukić
Dejan Cukic
Dejan Cukić is a Serbian rock musician, journalist and writer.During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cukić was the frontman of the New Wave band Bulevar, releasing two albums with the band. After Bulevar disbanded in 1982, he retired from music...
, Milan Delčić, 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...
, 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:...
, Kazna Za Uši
Kazna Za Uši
Kazna Za Uši is a Serbian garage rock band from Belgrade.- Band formation, first releases :...
, and others appeared on the various artists compilation Bez struje
Bez struje
Bez struje is a various artists live album, released in 1994, recorded on the unplugged festival held in 1994 in Sava Centar, Belgrade, Serbia. The album features eighteen Serbian acts.-Track listing:-References:*...
in 1995. During the 1990s, the unplugged concerts in Serbia were mainly organized by the 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....
television station NS Plus in Novi Sad Studio M. Influenced by the already popular MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
, NS Plus Unplugged concerts of Dejan Cukić, Kerber
Kerber
Kerber is a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Niš.-1980s:The original members of Kerber were Goran Šepa "Gale" , Tomislav Nikolić , Branislav "Bane" Božinović , Zoran Stamenković and Zoran Madić . In 1981, formerly known as Top Kerber (Serbian Cyrillic: Кербер; trans. Cerberus) is a...
, S Vremena Na Vreme, 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 :...
, Vlada Divljan & Old Stars Band
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:...
, Garavi Sokak
Garavi Sokak
Garavi Sokak is a Serbian folk rock/pop band, formed in Novi Sad in 1982.-Late 1980s and 1990s:...
and YU grupa
YU grupa
YU grupa is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. One of the pioneers in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU grupa is considered the longest-lasting rock band to come from Serbia....
, performed in 1996, and Love Hunters
Love Hunters
-1987—2004:The band was formed in 1987 by Milan Mumin and Aleksandar Medan . The first lineup of the band also featured Lazar Malešević and Siniša Lučić . In the beginning, the band had several lineup changes, before the first consistent lineup was formed...
, in 1998, were released on live albums throughout the late 1990s. YU grupa released only a part of the performance, featuring Kornelije Kovač
Kornelije Kovac
Kornelije "Bata" Kovač is a famous Serbian composer. He is a father of Aleksandra Kovač and Kristina Kovač, both successful Serbian singers.-Early life:...
on piano, on their 2007 album Live
Live (YU grupa album)
Live is the first live album by Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band YU grupa.Although the band previously appeared on various artists live albums Kongres rock majstora and Legende YU Rocka , Live is their first official live album...
. An unplugged album was also released by Generacija 5
Generacija 5
Generacija 5 is a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Belgrade.-1977—1982:...
, but their 1995 unplugged performance, the recording of which was released in 2002, was not the part of the NS Plus Unplugged series.
The 1990s also featured several notable acoustic non-live releases. The folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band Garavi Sokak
Garavi Sokak
Garavi Sokak is a Serbian folk rock/pop band, formed in Novi Sad in 1982.-Late 1980s and 1990s:...
, after the release of their 1994 acoustic-oriented album Slova tvoga imena, started performing with acoustic instruments only and turned towards pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
sound. In 1996, the singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Đorđe Balašević released acoustic folk rock-oriented album Na posletku...
Na posletku...
Na posletku... is the ninth studio album released by Serbian and former Yugoslav singer-songwriter Đorđe Balašević. Featuring only acoustic instruments, Na posletku... is Balašević's first completely folk rock-oriented album...
.
During the 2000s the acoustic music lost its popularity and featured only a few notable releases. In 2000, Dejan Cukić recorded an acoustic Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
tribute Divlji med, featuring lyrics translated in Serbian language
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
. In 2002, 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...
leader Nikola Vranjković released a solo album Zaovdeilizaponeti, featuring acoustic songs and featuring lyrics written by him from the book of the same title released with the CD. In 2002, Đorđe Balašević released the album Rani mraz
Rani mraz (album)
Rani mraz is the twelfth studio album released by Serbian and former Yugoslav singer-songwriter Đorđe Balašević. The title refers to Balašević's former band Rani Mraz....
, stylistically similar to Na posletku.... In 2002, the reformed Griva
Griva
Griva was a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Novi Sad.-1982—1992:The band was formed in 1982 by former Ibn Tup members, Zlatko Karavla and Josip Sabo . The first lineup also featured Zoran Gogić , Laslo Novak , and Đorđe Jovanović...
held an unplugged concert in Studio M, the recording of which was released on the album Griva & Co. — Live.
Progressive, symphonic and psychedelic rock
Progressive rockProgressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
dominated the Serbian rock scene throughout the 1970s, with the acts such as Korni Grupa
Korni Grupa
Korni Grupa was a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. Korni Grupa was one of the first former Yugoslav rock bands to achieve major mainstream popularity. The band's first releases were commercial pop-oriented songs. Korni Grupa later turned towards progressive rock, continuing, however, to...
, YU grupa
YU grupa
YU grupa is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. One of the pioneers in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU grupa is considered the longest-lasting rock band to come from Serbia....
, Smak
Smak
Smak is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. The group reached the peak of popularity in the 1970s when it was one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene...
, Pop Mašina
Pop Mašina
Pop Mašina was a former Yugoslav progressive rock band from Belgrade. Pop Mašina was formed in 1972, and released two studio albums and one live album before disbanding in 1978...
, Dah
Dah (band)
Dah was a former Yugoslav/Belgian progressive rock band. Originally formed in Yugoslavia in 1972, the band, in 1975, moved to Belgium and changed the name to Land...
, S Vremena Na Vreme
S Vremena Na Vreme
S Vremena Na Vreme was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade...
, Opus
Opus (progressive rock band)
-Band history:The band was formed in Belgrade in 1973 by Miodrag "Mive" Okrugić , Miodrag "Bata" Kostić and Dušan Ćućuz . The band got their name after the song "Opus No...
, Tako
Tako (band)
Tako was a former Yugoslav symphonic rock band from Belgrade.-History:Tako was formed in 1974 by Dušan "Dule" Ćućuz , Đorđe Ilijin , Sava Bojić and Milan "Mića Žorž" Lolić...
, and Igra Staklenih Perli
Igra Staklenih Perli
Igra Staklenih Perli were a former Yugoslav progressive/psychedelic rock band from Belgrade.- 1976-1985:...
being the most notable representatives.
Korni Grupa
Korni Grupa
Korni Grupa was a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. Korni Grupa was one of the first former Yugoslav rock bands to achieve major mainstream popularity. The band's first releases were commercial pop-oriented songs. Korni Grupa later turned towards progressive rock, continuing, however, to...
was one of the first bands to move away from the 1960s rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
sound. Formed in 1968 by Kornelije Kovač
Kornelije Kovac
Kornelije "Bata" Kovač is a famous Serbian composer. He is a father of Aleksandra Kovač and Kristina Kovač, both successful Serbian singers.-Early life:...
, the band had gone through many lineup changes and featured a large number of famous musicians: vocalists Dušan Prelević, Dalibor Brun, 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...
, Zdravko Čolić
Zdravko Colic
Zdravko Čolić , is a pop singer popular across the entire area of former Yugoslavia. Originally from Sarajevo, since 1992 , his home is in Belgrade, Serbia...
and Zlatko Pejaković
Zlatko Pejakovic
Zlatko Pejaković is a Croatian singer. He has released over twenty five albums over a career of over thirty years.Pejaković was born in Osijek, and he started his music career in 1967, sang in Korni Grupa band from 1972 to 1974, and began a solo career in the second half of the 1970s.A notable hit...
, drummer Vladimir "Furda" Furduj, guitarist Josip Boček, and others. The band gained mainstream popularity with their simple pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-oriented songs, but moved towards progressive rock after they were joined by singer Dado Topić. Nevertheless, the band continued to record pop-oriented songs and represented Yugoslavia at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Moja generacija
Moja generacija
"Moja generacija" was the Yugoslavian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 1974, performed in Serbo-Croatian by veteran rock band Korni Grupa....
". In 1973 the band, under the name The Cornelians, released the symphonic rock
Symphonic rock
Symphonic rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental forms of progressive rock....
-oriented English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
album Not An Ordinary Life. Korni Grupa disbanded shortly after, but reunited in 1987 to perform at the Legende YU Rocka (Legends of YU Rock) concerts.
YU grupa
YU grupa
YU grupa is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. One of the pioneers in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU grupa is considered the longest-lasting rock band to come from Serbia....
, formed in 1970 by former Džentlmeni
Džentlmeni
Džentlmeni were a Serbian beat band from Belgrade.- Band formation and split :...
members, brothers Dragi
Dragi Jelić
Dragi Jelić is a Serbian rock musician, best known as a singer and guitarist for the band YU grupa, which he formed in 1970 with his brother Zika Jelić. During the 1960s, alongside his brother Žika, he was a member of the beat band Džentlmeni.-References:...
and Žika Jelić, were one of the pioneers in combining folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
elements with rock on the former Yugoslav rock scene, and achieved huge popularity with their fusion of progressive/hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and folk. Members of YU grupa performed as a support band for guitarists Bata Kostić, Vedran Božić, Josip Boček and Goran Bregović
Goran Bregovic
Goran Bregović is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Balkans. He currently splits his time between Paris and Belgrade, where he settled down during the Yugoslav Wars.Bregović has composed for such varied artists as Iggy Pop and Cesária Évora...
on the Kongres rock majstora (Congress of Rock Masters) concert and album. YU grupa disbanded in 1981, but reunited in 1987, continuing to record successful hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
-oriented releases throughout the late 1980s, 1990s and the 2000s.
Smak
Smak
Smak is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. The group reached the peak of popularity in the 1970s when it was one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene...
, formed in 1971 and led by guitarist Radomir Mihajlović Točak, often considered one of the top and most influential guitarist on the former Yugoslav rock scene, performed jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-influenced progressive rock. The band members also incorporated folk, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and hard rock elements into their sound. Smak achieved huge popularity in the 1970s, however, the band's popularity heavily declined at the beginning of 1980s due to the great popularity of New Wave bands. Smak disbanded in 1981, and reunited and disbanded several times since. The band's various lineups featured prominent musicians Boris Aranđelović, Slobodan "Kepa" Stojanović, Laza Ristovski
Laza Ristovski
Laza Ristovski was a Serbian and former Yugoslav keyboardist, best known for his involvement with Smak and Bijelo Dugme rock bands, as well as for his eclectic solo work that spawned many different musical genres.-Biography:Laza Ristovski was born in Novi Pazar as his father, a JNA officer, was...
, and others.
Pop Mašina
Pop Mašina
Pop Mašina was a former Yugoslav progressive rock band from Belgrade. Pop Mašina was formed in 1972, and released two studio albums and one live album before disbanding in 1978...
, formed in 1971, performed progressive/hard rock, but their debut album Kiselina
Kiselina
Kiselina is the 1973 debut album by former Yugoslav progressive rock band Pop Mašina.The album was polled in 1998 as the 60th on the list of 100 greatest Yugoslav rock and pop albums in the book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike .-Concept:In a 2011 interview, the band's former...
, released in 1973, also featured acid
Acid rock
Acid rock is a form of psychedelic rock, which is characterized with long instrumental solos, few lyrics and musical improvisation. Tom Wolfe describes the LSD-influenced music of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cream,...
and psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
elements. The band released the first former Yugoslav 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...
, Put ka Suncu in 1976, and disbanded the following year. In 1981, the band's former members, Robert Nemeček and brothers Vidoja
Vidoja Božinovic
Vidoja Božinović , also known as Džindžer , is a Serbian musician. He is best known as the guitarist for the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba.-Biography:...
and Zoran Božinović, formed the hard rock/heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Rok Mašina
Rok Mašina
Rok Mašina was a short-lasting former Yugoslav hard rock band from Belgrade. Rok Mašina was formed in 1980 by former members of the progressive/hard rock band Pop Mašina, and it is often considered a continuation of Pop Mašina.-1980 - 1982:The band was formed in 1980 by former Pop Mašina members...
.
S Vremena Na Vreme
S Vremena Na Vreme
S Vremena Na Vreme was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade...
, formed in 1972, were one of the pioneers of the Yugoslav acoustic rock scene, but also incorporated progressive rock elements into their music and often wrote and recorded music for stageplays. They were also one of the first former Yugoslav rock bands to incorporate folk music elements into their music. The band's debut self-titled album was widely praised by the critics. After releasing their third album, Paviljon G, S Vremena Na Vreme disbanded. The band reunited in 1993 but disbanded again in 1997. Dah
Dah (band)
Dah was a former Yugoslav/Belgian progressive rock band. Originally formed in Yugoslavia in 1972, the band, in 1975, moved to Belgium and changed the name to Land...
, formed in 1972 and led by guitarist Zlatko Manojlović, also combined folk and rock music elements. In 1975, Dah moved to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and started a short-lasting international career under the name Land. After returning to Yugoslavia, the band recorded the album Povratak and disbanded shortly after. Manojlović formed the progressive/hard rock band Gordi
Gordi
Gordi were a former Yugoslav heavy metal band from Belgrade. Although only their last two studio albums, Pakleni trio and Kraljica smrti, were truly heavy metal oriented, these are the albums for which Gordi are generally most remembered.-Band history:The band was formed in November 1977 by former...
, which made a shift towards heavy metal in the 1980s.
The band Opus
Opus (progressive rock band)
-Band history:The band was formed in Belgrade in 1973 by Miodrag "Mive" Okrugić , Miodrag "Bata" Kostić and Dušan Ćućuz . The band got their name after the song "Opus No...
was formed in 1973. The band disbanded after releasing only one symphonic rock
Symphonic rock
Symphonic rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental forms of progressive rock....
-oriented album, Opus 1 (1975). Another symphonic rock-oriented act was the band Tako
Tako (band)
Tako was a former Yugoslav symphonic rock band from Belgrade.-History:Tako was formed in 1974 by Dušan "Dule" Ćućuz , Đorđe Ilijin , Sava Bojić and Milan "Mića Žorž" Lolić...
, formed in 1974. Their two studio albums, Tako (1978) and U vreći za spavanje (1980) featured a fusion of symphonic and jazz rock.
Progressive/psychedelic rock band Igra Staklenih Perli
Igra Staklenih Perli
Igra Staklenih Perli were a former Yugoslav progressive/psychedelic rock band from Belgrade.- 1976-1985:...
was one of the rare Serbian and former Yugoslav psychedelic rock bands that rose to prominence. Influenced by Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
, early Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
and Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
, Igra Staklenih Perli were one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav psychedelic/space rock
Space rock
Space rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental...
scene. The band released two studio albums, Igra Staklenih Perli (1979) and Vrt svetlosti (1980), before disbanding in 1985.
Other notable bands that incorporated progressive rock elements into their music include Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba
Porodicna Manufaktura Crnog Hleba
Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba were a former Yugoslav acoustic rock band and a theatre group and one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav acoustic rock scene....
, DAG
DAG (former Yugoslav band)
DAG , also known as Trio DAG were a former Yugoslav acoustic rock band from Belgrade.-Band history:The band was formed in 1972 by Dragan Popović , and brothers Grujica and Aleksandar Milanović...
, Galija
Galija
Galija is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Niš. The central figures of the band are brothers Nenad Milosavljević and Predrag Milosavljević...
and Neverne Bebe
Neverne Bebe
Neverne Bebe are a Serbian rock band from Belgrade.- 1990s :The band was formed in 1993 by a former Nova Zemlja, Smak and Frenki keyboardist Milan Đurđević. The first lineup featured Vladan Đurđević , Bane Jelić , Čeda Macura and Billy King...
. Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba
Porodicna Manufaktura Crnog Hleba
Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba were a former Yugoslav acoustic rock band and a theatre group and one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav acoustic rock scene....
, formed in 1968, and DAG
DAG (former Yugoslav band)
DAG , also known as Trio DAG were a former Yugoslav acoustic rock band from Belgrade.-Band history:The band was formed in 1972 by Dragan Popović , and brothers Grujica and Aleksandar Milanović...
, formed in 1972, were acoustic rock bands, but, as S Vremena Na Vreme, also incorporated progressive elements into their music, both releasing only an album before disbanding. Galija, formed in 1977, released their debut, progressive rock-oriented album Prva plovidba
Prva plovidba
Prva plovidba is the debut studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Galija.Predrag Milosavljević, brother of the band frontman Nenad Milosavljević, appeared on the album on vocals, but was credited only as a guest...
in 1979. Although the band's several following releases featured similar progressive rock sound, the band started gradually turning towards mainstream rock, and reached their peak of popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Neverne Bebe, formed in 1993, in the initial period of their career incorporated progressive rock elements into their music, but in the 2000s turned towards pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
sound.
With the emergence of the Yugoslav New Wave scene most of Serbian progressive rock bands ceased to exist.
Hard rock and heavy metal
The pioneers of the Serbian hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
scene were the bands Pop Mašina
Pop Mašina
Pop Mašina was a former Yugoslav progressive rock band from Belgrade. Pop Mašina was formed in 1972, and released two studio albums and one live album before disbanding in 1978...
, YU grupa
YU grupa
YU grupa is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. One of the pioneers in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU grupa is considered the longest-lasting rock band to come from Serbia....
and Smak
Smak
Smak is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. The group reached the peak of popularity in the 1970s when it was one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene...
. Pop Mašina, formed in 1971, was one of the first Serbian and Yugoslav bands to move away from the 1960s rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
towards harder sound. Their sound featured progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, hard, psychedelic
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
and acid rock
Acid rock
Acid rock is a form of psychedelic rock, which is characterized with long instrumental solos, few lyrics and musical improvisation. Tom Wolfe describes the LSD-influenced music of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cream,...
elements. Pop Mašina disbanded in 1977, and in 1981, former Pop Mašina members formed the hard rock/heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Rok Mašina
Rok Mašina
Rok Mašina was a short-lasting former Yugoslav hard rock band from Belgrade. Rok Mašina was formed in 1980 by former members of the progressive/hard rock band Pop Mašina, and it is often considered a continuation of Pop Mašina.-1980 - 1982:The band was formed in 1980 by former Pop Mašina members...
, which disbanded after releasing only an album
Rok Mašina (album)
Rok Mašina is the 1981 debut album from former Yugoslav hard rock band Rok Mašina.Cover was designed by Jugoslav Vlahović.-Side One:#"Neću ti dati" – 3:25#"Zakon ulice" – 3:13#"Bilo mi je bolje" – 3:28#"Želim" – 5:37...
. YU grupa, formed in 1970, performed progressive/hard rock, and their songs often featured traditional music
Traditional music
Traditional music is the term increasingly used for folk music that is not contemporary folk music. More on this is at the terminology section of the World music article...
elements. The band disbanded in 1981, only to reunite in 1987, continuing to release well-accepted hard rock-oriented albums. Smak, formed in 1971, performed jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
-influenced progressive rock, but their sound often featured hard rock, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and folk elements. The band moved to more commercial hard rock at the beginning of 1980s, having, however, constant disbandments and reunions throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
The hard rock band Generacija 5
Generacija 5
Generacija 5 is a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Belgrade.-1977—1982:...
, formed in 1977, managed to gain a loyal fan base, but disbanded in 1982. The band reunited in 1992, but has released only two studio albums since. Their 2006 release Energija featured Smak frontman Dejan Najdanović as guest vocalist on the entire album.
In 1978, former Suncokret
Suncokret
Suncokret was a former Yugoslav acoustic rock band from Belgrade.-Band history:The band was formed in 1975 by former Zajedno member Bora Đorđević , a former U Cvetu Mladosti member Nenad Božić and female singers Snežana Jandrlić and Vesna Rakočević...
and Rani Mraz
Rani Mraz
Rani Mraz were a former Yugoslav rock band from Novi Sad, formed in 1977 by former Žetva member Đorđe Balašević. During the initial period, the band went through several lineup changes, until Balašević and female singer Biljana Krstić remained the only official members of the band...
member Bora Đorđević and SOS members Miša Aleksić
Miša Aleksic
Miroslav "Miša" Aleksić is a Serbian musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba.-Biography:...
, Rajko Kojić
Rajko Kojic
Radislav "Rajko" Kojić was a Serbian and former Yugoslav guitarist best known for his work with band Riblja Čorba.-Biography:...
and Vicko Milatović
Vicko Milatovic
Miroslav "Vicko" Milatović is a Serbian musician best known as the drummer for the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba.-Early career:...
formed the hard rock band Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
. After the recording of their debut hit single "Lutka sa naslovne strane
Lutka sa naslovne strane
"Lutka sa naslovne strane" is the debut single from the influential Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba....
" they were joined by guitarist Momčilo Bajagić
Momcilo Bajagic
Momčilo Bajagić "Bajaga" is a highly popular Serbian rock musician born in Bjelovar. He is best known as the leader of the Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Bajaga i Instruktori, as well as a former member of the hard rock band Riblja Čorba.-Early career:Bajagić started his musical career as a...
(who, having left Riblja Čorba in 1984, formed the highly successful pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
band Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori
Bajaga i Instruktori are a highly popular Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band...
). Riblja Čorba debut album Kost u grlu
Kost u grlu
Kost u grlu is the 1979 debut album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba.The album was polled in 1998 as the 16th on the list of 100 greatest Yugoslav rock and pop albums in the book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike .-Album cover:The album cover...
saw huge success, and the band became very popular in a few months period. The albums Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti
Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti
Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti is the second studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba, released in 1981....
, Mrtva priroda
Mrtva priroda
Mrtva priroda is the third studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba, released in 1981....
and Buvlja pijaca
Buvlja pijaca
Buvlja pijaca is the fourth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba, released in 1982.The album is the second Riblja Čorba album produced by John McCoy...
, the latter featuring softer sound than the band's first three releases, were also well received by fans and critics alike, and Ðorđević's provocative political- and social-related lyrics, caused him to become one of the most controversial musicians in Yugoslavia. The album Večeras vas zabavljaju muzičari koji piju
Veceras vas zabavljaju muzicari koji piju
Večeras vas zabavljaju muzičari koji piju is the fifth studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba....
was poorly received, but the band triumphed with the following album, Istina
Istina
Istina is the sixth studio album released by Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba....
, which featured one of the band's signature pieces, "Pogledaj dom svoj, anđele". Although more heavy metal-oriented than any of the band's previous works and often considered Riblja Čorba's magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
, Istina was also the album after which the band, although still generally fitting into hard rock, started turning towards softer sound. However, the band managed to sustain their popularity and remained one of the most popular acts of the Serbian rock scene until today. In 1982, Riblja Čorba drummer Vicko Milatović formed the heavy metal band Ratnici, which later changed the name to Warriors and, without Milatović, moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and recorded an album
Warriors (1984 album)
Warriors is the second studio and the second self-titled album from former Yugoslav/Canadian heavy metal band Warriors. It is the last Warriors release....
for the foreign market, but disbanded shortly after. In 1982, guitarist Aleksandar "Leki" Cvetković formed the hard rock band Balkan
Balkan (band)
Balkan was a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band.-Band history:Balkan was formed in 1982 in Novi Sad by the guitarist and vocalist Aleksandar Cvetković, a former Leki frontman...
, whose social-related lyrics were heavily influenced by the lyrics of Bora Ðordevic and Azra
Azra
Azra was a rock band from Zagreb that was popular across Yugoslavia in the 1980s. Azra was formed in 1977 by its frontman Branimir "Johnny" Štulić. The other two members of the original line-up were Mišo Hrnjak and Boris Leiner . The band is named after a verse from "Der Asra" by Heinrich Heine...
leader Branimir Štulić
Branimir Štulic
Branimir "Johnny" Štulić is a Yugoslav singer, songwriter, poet and a leader of the popular former Yugoslav rock group Azra...
.
In 1981, progressive/hard rock band Gordi
Gordi
Gordi were a former Yugoslav heavy metal band from Belgrade. Although only their last two studio albums, Pakleni trio and Kraljica smrti, were truly heavy metal oriented, these are the albums for which Gordi are generally most remembered.-Band history:The band was formed in November 1977 by former...
, formed in 1977, recorded the album Pakleni trio
Pakleni trio
Pakleni trio is the fourth studio album released by former Yugoslav heavy metal band Gordi....
which marked their shift towards heavy metal, making Gordi one of the first Serbian and former Yugoslav traditional heavy metal bands. Although only the last two Gordi albums, Pakleni trio and Kraljica smrti
Kraljica smrti
Kraljica smrti is the fifth and the last studio album released by former Yugoslav heavy metal band Gordi...
(1982), were heavy metal-oriented, these are generally considered the most notable Gordi releases and considered milestones on the Serbian and former Yugoslav heavy metal scenes.
Hard rock band Kerber
Kerber
Kerber is a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Niš.-1980s:The original members of Kerber were Goran Šepa "Gale" , Tomislav Nikolić , Branislav "Bane" Božinović , Zoran Stamenković and Zoran Madić . In 1981, formerly known as Top Kerber (Serbian Cyrillic: Кербер; trans. Cerberus) is a...
, formed in 1981, released their debut album Nebo je malo za sve
Nebo je malo za sve
Nebo je malo za sve is the debut album from Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band Kerber, released in 1983.-Track listing:All songs written by Kerber.#"Mezimac" – 3:35#"Heroji od staniola" – 4:20...
in 1983, but it was their second album, Ratne igre
Ratne igre
Ratne igre is the second studio album from Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band Kerber, released in 1985.The album featured more commercial sound than the band's previous album, Nebo je malo za sve, and the title track "Ratne igre" became major hit, and brought popularity to Kerber across...
that launched them to fame. The band's melodic hard rock sound was very well received and the band became one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav hard rock and heavy metal scene. However, in the late 1990s, the band went on hiatus. Hard rock band Griva
Griva
Griva was a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band from Novi Sad.-1982—1992:The band was formed in 1982 by former Ibn Tup members, Zlatko Karavla and Josip Sabo . The first lineup also featured Zoran Gogić , Laslo Novak , and Đorđe Jovanović...
, formed in 1982, saw big commercial success after the release of their third album Griva
Griva (album)
Griva, also known as Vojvodino, Vojvodino, što si tako ravna after its biggest hit, is the third studio album released by Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock band Griva, released in 1987....
(1987) which featured a combination of hard rock and glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
with the traditional music of Vojvodina. The band Love Hunters
Love Hunters
-1987—2004:The band was formed in 1987 by Milan Mumin and Aleksandar Medan . The first lineup of the band also featured Lazar Malešević and Siniša Lučić . In the beginning, the band had several lineup changes, before the first consistent lineup was formed...
, formed in 1987, initially performed punk blues
Punk blues
Punk blues denotes a fusion genre of punk rock and blues. Punk blues musicians and bands usually incorporate elements of related styles, such as protopunk and blues rock. Its origins lie strongly within the garage rock sound of the 1960s and 1970s.Punk blues can be said to favor the common...
, but later moved towards hard rock. As their songs featured English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
lyrics, during the first several years of existence the band did not manage to break through to mainstream media, but achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s.
Serbian glam metal
Glam metal
Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock and heavy metal that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States, particularly on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip music scene...
scene developed in the second half of the 1980s, but gave a small number of notable acts. The band Karizma, formed in 1985, won the Audience's Award at the 1988 Gitarijada festival
Gitarijada
Gitarijada is a musical festival held in Zaječar, Serbia in order to promote demo bands. Held since 1969, Gitarijada is one of the longest lasting festivals in Serbia and in South Eastern Europe and the largest festival of young and unsinged bands in South Eastern Europe...
and released two albums before disbanding at the beginning of 1990s. Female rock singer Viktorija
Viktorija
Snežana Mišković , better known by her stage name Viktorija , is a Serbian female rock singer known for her husky voice.-Biography:Snežana Mišković was born in Vučitrn. She came to Belgrade as a student in 1976, where she started performing with Society of Culture and Arts Branko Krsmanović and the...
, known for her husky voice, started her career as a member of the girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
Aska
Aska (group)
Aska came to prominence when they were chosen to represent Yugoslavia at the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, where their song "Halo, halo" only managed to achieve a lustreless 14th place out of 18 participants with 21 points, although having received the top mark of 12 points from the Swedish...
, starting her solo career in 1988. She combined pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
, hard rock and glam metal and saw huge popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before she semi-retired at the end of 1990s. The band Osvajači
Osvajaci
Osvajači were a Serbian and former Yugoslav hard rock/heavy metal band from Kragujevac.Osvajači were originally formed in 1990. They recorded two studio albums, Krv i led and Sam, and disbanded in 1997...
released their debut glam metal-oriented album Krv i led
Krv i led
Krv i led is the 1991 debut album from former Yugoslav and Serbian hard rock/heavy metal band Osvajači.Song "Jedna me devojka neće" is a cover of Uriah Heep song "Stealin'".-Track listing:...
in 1990, while their second album Sam
Sam (Osvajaci album)
Sam is the second studio album from former Yugoslav and Serbian hard rock/heavy metal band Osvajači.-Track listing:All the songs were written by Zvonko Pantović and Dragan Urošević ....
marked the band's slight shift towards heavier sound. Osvajači disbanded in 1997, and reunited in 1999 with the new vocalist, releasing the album Vrelina
Vrelina
Vrelina is the third studio album from former Yugoslav and Serbian hard rock/heavy metal band Osvajači...
, but disbanding a year later.
Extreme metal
Extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
saw little mainstream popularity in Serbia and former Yugoslavia during the 1980s. The thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band Heller
Heller (band)
Heller was a Serbian and former Yugoslav speed/thrash metal band from Belgrade, notable as one of the first Yugoslav thrash metal bands and one of the pioneers of former Yugoslav extreme metal...
, formed in 1985, released arguably the first thrash metal album in South-Eastern Europe
Heller (album)
Heller is the debut and the only studio album from former Yugoslav and Serbian thrash metal band Heller. The album was originally released in 1989 by Ghost House Records. In 2003 the album was reissued on CD by Rock Express Records. 2003 release featured four bonus tracks from Heller's 1993 demo...
and was one of the pioneers of Serbian and former Yugoslav extreme metal scene. Another pioneer of the former Yugoslav extreme metal scene, speed
Speed metal
Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
/thrash metal band Bombarder
Bombarder
Bombarder is a Serbian and former Yugoslav speed/thrash metal band. Originally formed in 1986 in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the time part of SFR Yugoslavia, the band, during the Bosnian War, during which guitarist Maho Šiljdedić lost his life, vocalist Nenad Kovačević moved to...
, originally based in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, after the beginning of the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
moved to Belgrade, where the band continued to record and perform.
The 1990s featured only several notable, mostly crossover thrash
Crossover thrash
__FORCETOC__Crossover thrash, often abbreviated to crossover, is a form of thrash metal that contains more hardcore punk elements than standard thrash. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and punk rock...
, metal acts: Sick Mother Fakers
Sick Mother Fakers
Sick Mother Fakers , also known as SMF for short, is a Serbian hardcore punk/crossover thrash band from Belgrade.- 1980s :...
, Dead Ideas
Dead Ideas
- History :The band was formed in 1990 by bassist and vocalist Darko Marković, however, after their first live appearance, the band disbanded. The following year, on January, with the female vocalist Jelena Komnenić and guitarist Nemanja Kojić, Marković reformed the band, soon being joined by the...
, and Svarog
Svarog (band)
Svarog was a Serbian sludge/doom metal band from Belgrade, notable as one of the first representatives of the genres in Serbia.- History :...
, the latter also being one of the pioneers of sludge
Sludge metal
Sludge metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that melds elements of doom metal and hardcore punk, and sometimes incorporates influences from southern rock, stoner rock and grunge. Sludge metal is typically abrasive; often featuring shouted vocals, heavily distorted instruments and sharply contrasting...
and doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
in Serbia. The 2000s saw the revival of the Serbian heavy metal scene and brought a variety of heavy metal genres: black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
(with The Stone
The Stone (band)
The Stone are a Serbian black metal band. They were originally known as Stone to Flesh and changed their name to The Stone in 1997.-History:...
and May Result being the most notable representatives), doom metal (with Tales of Dark...), gothic metal
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
(with Abonos
Abonos
Abonos is a Serbian gothic metal band from Belgrade.The guitarist Jakša Vlahović and a former keyboardist and vocalist Marta Vlahović are brother and sister and children of graphic artist and former Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba member Jugoslav Vlahović...
and Demether), power metal
Power metal
Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...
(with Dargoron
Dargoron
Dargoron is a Serbian power/progressive metal band.- Band history :Dargoron was formed in 2002 by Nikola Janković , Zlatko Nikolić , Aleksandar Jelenić and Darko Lazarević . They had their first performance at the Open Air festival in Smederevo on August 9, 2002...
), progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
(with Draconic), thrash metal (with Infest), most of the bands being gathered around Belgrade Radio 202
Radio Belgrade
Radio Belgrade is a state-owned and operated radio station in Belgrade, Serbia.The predecessor of Radio Beograd, Radio Beograd-Rakovica, started its program in 1924 and was a part of a state wireless telegraph station. Radio Beograd, AD started in March 1929...
. The most notable bands of the movement are the hard rock/heavy metal band Kraljevski Apartman
Kraljevski Apartman
Kraljevski Apartman is a Serbian heavy metal band from Belgrade.-Apartman 69:...
, formed in 1995, and progressive/power metal band Alogia
Alogia (band)
Alogia is a Serbian progressive/power metal band from Smederevo. Formed in 2000 by brothers Miroslav and Srđan Branković, Alogia is one of the top acts of the Serbian heavy metal scene.-History:...
, formed in 2000, both gaining a large fanbase. The band Pero Defformero
Pero Defformero
Pero Defformero are a Serbian band from Novi Sad. The band is known by its unique style, combining turbo-folk and progressive metal.- Formation and breakup :...
, which combine heavy metal with turbo folk and humorous lyrics, became popular with the release of their second album Undergrand (2009), despite being active since the early 1990s.
The 2000s also saw the revival of the hard rock scene. The hard rock band Cactus Jack
Cactus Jack (band)
-Band history:The band, originally named Caramba, was formed at the end of 1998 by Stevan Birak , Miodrag Krudulj , Vladimir Jezdimirović and Dušan Gnjidić ....
was formed in 1998, but saw their commercial success in the 2000s. Cactus Jack was influenced by the 1970s hard rock, mostly Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, which the band demonstrated by releasing the album Deep Purple Tribute
Deep Purple Tribute (album)
Deep Purple Tribute is a tribute and the second live album by Serbian hard rock band Cactus Jack. Two discs feature twelve cover songs originally released by British hard rock band Deep Purple...
in 2003. In 2005, the band, with the album Mainscream
Mainscream
Mainscream is the second studio album released by Serbian hard rock band Cactus Jack. With Mainscream Cactus Jack changed their classic hard rock style and included more pop rock elements into their sound.-Track listing:#"Koliko puta na dan"...
moved towards more pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-oriented sound. The post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
/hard rock band 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...
, even though formed in 1991, released their debut album Undercovers
Undercovers (Night Shift album)
- Night Shift :* Milan Šćepanović * Danijel Šćepanović * Marko Dacić - Additional personnel :* Mirko Vukomanović * Ivana Pavlović * Dejan Cukić - References :...
in 2002. The album, which featured covers of songs by various rock and pop artists, was well-received by the audience and the critics, and the band moved towards writing their own songs, releasing their second album Bez zaklona
Bez zaklona
- Night Shift :* Milan Šćepanović * Danijel Šćepanović * Branislav Vukobratović - Additional personnel :* Marko Dacić * Teodora Bojović * Intermezzo string quartet...
in 2009. The band Trigger
Trigger (band)
Trigger is a Serbian hard rock/heavy metal band from Belgrade.-History:The band was formed in 2005. During the same year, the band started working on the songs for their debut album, enetering the studio in 2006. The lineup changed several times during the work on the album, but became stable at...
, formed in 2005, gained media's attention with their debut, concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
Ljubav
Ljubav (Trigger album)
Ljubav is the debut studio album by the Serbian hard rock/heavy metal band Trigger, released in 2007. Ljubav is a concept album, featuring lyrics dealing with dark sides of love.-Tracklisting:All songs written by Dušan Svilokos Đurić...
, released in 2009.
Blues-rock
Despite the facts that the Serbian rock scene emerged in the late 1950s, that a large number of 1960s rock bands, such as Crni BiseriCrni Biseri
Crni Biseri was a former Yugoslav rock band, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.- 1963 - 1980 :...
, Daltoni
Daltoni
Daltoni was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Niš, notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.-1963 - 1970:...
, Elipse
Elipse (band)
Elipse were a former Yugoslav rock and soul group from Belgrade, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.- The beat years :...
, and others performed rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, and a large number of 1970s progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
bands, such as Pop Mašina
Pop Mašina
Pop Mašina was a former Yugoslav progressive rock band from Belgrade. Pop Mašina was formed in 1972, and released two studio albums and one live album before disbanding in 1978...
, YU grupa
YU grupa
YU grupa is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. One of the pioneers in combining rock music with the elements of the traditional music of the Balkans, YU grupa is considered the longest-lasting rock band to come from Serbia....
, Smak
Smak
Smak is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. The group reached the peak of popularity in the 1970s when it was one of the top acts of the former Yugoslav rock scene...
and Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
, incorporated blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
elemets into their music, the first Serbian blues band, Blues Kvintet, was formed in 1979. They held their first concert at Mašinac club in Belgrade in spring of 1981, which is considered the first blues concert by a Serbian band.
During the 1980s a large number of notable blues/blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
band was formed: Sirova Koža (also known internationally as Raw Hide), formed in 1982; Point Blank and Blues Trio, both formed in 1983; Zona B
Zona B
-History:Former Idoli bassist Zdenko Kolar and drummer Dušan Ristić "Rista" officially formed Zona B on November 29, 1986. After several personnel changes, the band got a default lineup featuring Jovan "Lole" Savić , Dušan "Duda" Bezuha , Tomislav "Toma" Rakijaš and Vladimir "Buca" Filipović...
, formed in 1987; Di Luna Blues Band, formed 1989. The band Hush, led by female guitarist Ana Popović
Ana Popovic
Ana Popović is a Serbian blues guitarist and singer.-Biography:Ana Popović's father first introduced her to the blues, through an extensive record collection and sessions hosted at the family home. Popović founded her first band at age nineteen...
, released their debut and only album Hush in 1998. In 1999, Ana Popović moved to Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and started a successful international career.
Punk rock, post-punk and gothic rock
The development of punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
in Serbia
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...
started 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....
. Vocalist Nebojša Čonkić (also known as Professor Čonta) who, having left for England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and seen the prominent punk rock acts of the time, returned to Yugoslavia and, with his former Trafo and Café Express bandmates, formed Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka is an eminent Serbian and former Yugoslav punk rock band from Novi Sad. Their debut album, Plitka poezija, released in 1980, is considered the first punk rock album by a band coming from Serbia...
in 1978. The band pronounced themselves "the first Orthodox
Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity comprises the Christian traditions and churches that developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Northeastern Africa, India and parts of the Far East over several centuries of religious antiquity. The term is generally used in Western Christianity to...
punk rock band", which was against the attitude of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia
League of Communists of Yugoslavia , before 1952 the Communist Party of Yugoslavia League of Communists of Yugoslavia (Serbo-Croatian: Savez komunista Jugoslavije/Савез комуниста Југославије, Slovene: Zveza komunistov Jugoslavije, Macedonian: Сојуз на комунистите на Југославија, Sojuz na...
, which promoted atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
. Another pioneer of punk rock in Serbia was the band Gomila G (this name being a censored version of Gomila Govana, trans. A Pile of Shit), also from Novi Sad. The band was formed during the early 1978, performing cover versions of Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
and Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, but, after the arrival of vocalist Dragan "Dragus" Radosavljević, they started writing their own material. Gomila G usually performed as an opening act for Pekinška Patka, and their appearance at the Celebration of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
liberation of Stepanovićevo
Stepanovicevo
Stepanovićevo is a village in Serbia. It is located in the Novi Sad municipality, in the South Bačka District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and a population of 2,214 people...
in 1979, where the band performed the song "God Save Martin Bormann
Martin Bormann
Martin Ludwig Bormann was a prominent Nazi official. He became head of the Party Chancellery and private secretary to Adolf Hitler...
" and Čonkić of Pekinška Patka blown condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s on stage, made the media turn against the two bands, even asking their banning of public appearance. Gomila G disbanded in 1980 as the band members, guitarist Žolt Horvat and drummer Robert Radić formed the first Serbian ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band Kontraritam
Kontraritam
Kontraritam was a New Wave band from Novi Sad, notable as the first 2 Tone/ska band in Serbia.- History :...
.
In the meantime, Pekinška Patka gained mainstream popularity and recorded their first releases. At the Subotica
Subotica
Subotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
Youth Festival, they won the Audience Award and their whole performance was broadcast on national television, which was the first TV appearance of any punk rock band in Yugoslavia. The popularity of the band then gave them the opportunity to release two singles, and then a studio album, Plitka poezija
Plitka poezija
- The band :* Boris Oslovčan "Bora" — bass, backing vocals* Laslo Pihler "Laci" — drums, backing vocals* Sreten Kovačević "Srele" — guitar, backing vocals* Nebojša Čonkić "Čonta" — vocals- Additional personnel :* Marko Pešić — photography...
, the first punk rock album by a Serbian band, released in 1980 by Jugoton
Jugoton
Jugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, Socialist Republic of Croatia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia the company continued to work in independent Republic of Croatia under the name Croatia...
. After the album release, the lineup changed, and the arrival of the young Zoran "Bale" Bulatović on guitar, brought the stylistic changes, firstly moving towards New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, and eventually to post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
. The band's second album Strah od monotonije
Strah od monotonije
- Personnel :* Mare — Marinko Vukmanović; bass, voice [hypnotic voices], backing vocals* Cila — Laslo Pihler; drums* Bale — Zoran Bulatović; guitar, keyboards, backing vocals* Čonta — Nebojša Čonkić; vocals, performer [Čontajzer]- References :*...
is considered the first post-punk release in Serbia and former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. After the album release, the band disbanded.
The appearance of the first post-punk album on the Serbian scene influenced appearance of post-punk and gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
bands and releases. Zoran "Bale" Bulatović (guitar) and Marko "Mare" Vukomanović (bass guitar), both from Pekinška Patka, with La Strada
La Strada (band)
La Strada was a Serbian and former Yugoslav New Wave/alternative rock band from Novi Sad.- New Wave era :The band was formed by Slobodan Tišma also known as "Deda" , a rock veteran and poet, and called it La Strada by the Federico Fellini movie La strada...
members Slobodan Tišma (vocals) and Ivan Fece Firchie (drums) formed the first gothic rock band in Serbia, Luna, releasing only one album, Nestvarne stvari
Nestvarne stvari
- Personnel :* Artur — vocals* Balder — guitar, backing vocals* Firchie — drums* Jasmina Mitrušić — synthesizer, backing vocals- Cover versions :...
in 1984. Beside Luna, the notable gothic rock act was also Trivalia
Trivalia
Trivalia was a Serbian and former Yugoslav gothic rock/industrial/ band from Niš.- 1980s :The band was formed during the summer of 1986 in Niš by vocalist Vladimir Žikić "Vlad-a-Mantis", also the songwriter as well as the rhythm machine sequencer, bass guitarist Boban Stojiljković "Bocko" and...
from Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
, formed in the second half of the 1980s. Gothic rock, however, saw little popularity in Serbia. Another Niš band, post-punk/darkwave
Darkwave
Dark Wave or darkwave is a music genre that began in the late 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of New Wave and post-punk. Building on those basic principles, dark wave added dark, introspective lyrics and an undertone of sorrow for some bands...
band Dobri Isak
Dobri Isak
Dobri Isak was a Serbian and former Yugoslav post-punk/darkwave band from Niš.- History :...
, released their only album Mi plačemo iza tamnih naočara
Mi plačemo iza tamnih naočara
- Sobna strana B :- CD reissue bonus tracks :- Dobri Isak :* Predrag Cvetičanin "Frodo" - guitar, vocals* Miloš Miladinović "Pacov" - bass guitar, backing vocals* Saša Marković "Markiz" - drums, backing vocals...
in 1983. The album, which was one of the first albums in Serbia released through an independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
, saw little success at a time of its release, but saw critical acclaim when it was rereleased in 2009. Other bands which featured the post-punk/gothic rock influences were the New Wave bands 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 :...
, on their second album Lišće prekriva Lisabon
Lišće prekriva Lisabon
Lišće prekriva Lisabon is the second studio album by Serbian/Yugoslavian New wave band Električni orgazam. It was released in 1982 by Jugoton.-"A" side:#"Pođimo"#"Alabama" #"Žuto"# "Sam"# "Glave"...
, and Idoli, on their debut Odbrana i poslednji dani
Odbrana i poslednji dani
Odbrana i poslednji dani is the first studio album by former Yugoslavn New Wave band Idoli released in 1982....
, and the alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika , sometimes referred to as EKV for short, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock group from Belgrade, being one of the most successful and influential music acts coming out of former Yugoslavia....
, firstly called Katarina II, on the albums Katarina II
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...
, 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....
and 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"...
.
The second generation of punk rock acts in Serbia featured Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers is a prominent Serbian rock band from Belgrade, as well as an acclaimed act of the former Yugoslav rock scene....
, Kazna Za Uši
Kazna Za Uši
Kazna Za Uši is a Serbian garage rock band from Belgrade.- Band formation, first releases :...
and Toni Montano
Toni Montano
Toni Montano , real name Velibor Miljković is a Serbian rock musician. One of pioneers of psychobilly on the former Yugoslav rock scene, Toni Montano is better known for his controversial statements.-Radost Evrope:Miljković started his career as a vocalist of the band Radost Evrope Toni Montano...
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...
. Serbian garage punk
Garage punk
Garage punk is a fusion of garage rock and punk rock. It is fast-paced lo-fi music characterized by a dirty, choppy guitar sound—usually played by bands who are on independent record labels or who are unsigned...
band Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers
Partibrejkers is a prominent Serbian rock band from Belgrade, as well as an acclaimed act of the former Yugoslav rock scene....
, formed in 1982, brought the public's attention to themselves with their live appearances and musical style, even as a demo act. The band was formed by former Urbana Gerila
Urbana gerila
Urbana Gerila was a former Yugoslav punk rock and New Wave band from Belgrade. The band is notable as the participant of the Artistička radna akcija project in 1981...
and Radnička Kontrola
Radnicka kontrola
Radnička Kontrola was a former Yugoslav punk rock/New Wave band from Belgrade, active in the late 1970s and early 1980s and notable for its appearance on the compilation album Artistička radna akcija.After the band ceased to exist, vocalist Zoran Kostić "Cane" rose to nationwide and popularity as...
frontman, Zoran Kostić "Cane" and guitarist Nebojša Antonijević "Anton", the two being the mainstay members of the band. By the time the band released their debut, self-titled album
Partibrejkers I
- Personnel :Partibrejkers* Goran Bulatović "Manzanera" — drums, percussion* Ljubiša Kostadinović "Ljuba" — guitar* Nebojša Antonijević "Anton" — organ, guitar, percussion, artwork by* Zoran Kostić "Cane" — vocals, percussionAdditional personnel...
, in 1985, they already gained much popularity, kept through their later successful releases Partibrejkers II
Partibrejkers II
- Personnel :Partibrejkers* Nebojša Antonijević "Anton" — arranged by, guitar, producer* Zoran Kostić "Cane" — lead vocals* Vlada Funtek — drums* Dime Todorov "Mune" — bassAdditional personnel* Milan Ćirić — producer, arranged by, recorded by...
(1988), Partibrejkers III
Partibrejkers III
- Personnel :Partibrejkers* Nebojša Antonijević "Anton" — guitar* Zoran Kostić "Cane" — vocals* Igor Borojević — drums, recorded by* Dime Todorov "Mune" — bassAdditional personnel* Milan Ćirić — producer* Vlada Negovanović — mixed by...
(1989), Kiselo i slatko
Kiselo i slatko
- Personnel :Partibrejkers* Nebojša Antonijević "Anton" — guitar* Zoran Kostić "Cane" — vocalsAdditional personnel* Vlada Negovanović — acoustic guitar, producer* Branka Katić — backing vocals* Srđan Gojković "Gile" — backing vocals...
(1994) and Ledeno doba
Ledeno doba
- Personnel :Partibrejkers* Nebojša Antonijević "Anton" — guitar, mixed by, producer* Zoran Kostić "Cane" — vocals* Gojko Ševar — bass* Srđan Graovac — guitar, backing vocals* Darko Kurjak — drumsAdditional personnel...
(1997), entering the 2000s as one of the top mainstream acts of the Serbian rock scene. In 1986, another prominent garage punk band was formed, Kazna Za Uši
Kazna Za Uši
Kazna Za Uši is a Serbian garage rock band from Belgrade.- Band formation, first releases :...
, but the band became prominent in the 1990s, winning the first place at Gitarijada festival in 1992 and releasing their debut Ispod zemlje in the same year. During the mid-eighties the former vocalist of the punk rock band Radost Evrope, Velibor Miljković performed as a solo act using the pseudonym Toni Montano
Toni Montano
Toni Montano , real name Velibor Miljković is a Serbian rock musician. One of pioneers of psychobilly on the former Yugoslav rock scene, Toni Montano is better known for his controversial statements.-Radost Evrope:Miljković started his career as a vocalist of the band Radost Evrope Toni Montano...
, and his self-titled debut album featured a combination of punk rock and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, also found on his future releases.
Other prominent representatives of the second generation of punk rock bands in Serbia featured Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...
bands KBO!
KBO!
KBO! is a Serbian punk rock band from Kragujevac. They are one of the first hardcore punk acts on the former Yugoslav punk scene. Since the very beginning, the band accepted the DIY ethic by forming their own record label KBO! Records, through which they have released all their official releases...
and Trula Koalicija
Trula Koalicija
Trula Koalicija are a Serbian punk rock supergroup from Kragujevac.- History :...
, both formed by Saša "Vuja" Vujić. Vujić formed KBO! in 1982, and their first recordings were released by foreign record labels, which was also the case with their first official studio album, Forever punk (1989). The band performed in many foreign countries, and also formed their own independent record label, KBO! Records, which released the band's demo recordings and studio albums. Vujić also formed a supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Trula Koalicija
Trula Koalicija
Trula Koalicija are a Serbian punk rock supergroup from Kragujevac.- History :...
with the vocalist Predrag "Skaki" Drčelić from Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 44.012691° North, 20.273572° East. Its name means "Upper Milanovac" while Milanovac stems from name "Milan" in the Serbian language. The population of town is 24,048.The city was founded in 1853...
.
Punk rock continued to be popular in the 1990s with the appearance the bands Atheist Rap
Atheist Rap
Atheist Rap is a Serbian punk rock band from Novi Sad.- 1980s :The idea of forming Atheist Rap came to vocalists Aleksandar Popov, also known as "Dr. Pop", and Vladimir Kozbašić, also known as "Pećinko" at the Rambo Amadeus concert, which took place on November 29, 1988 at the local club Mašinac,...
from 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....
, Goblini
Goblini
Goblini are a Serbian punk rock band from Šabac.- Formation, rise to prominence :...
from Šabac
Šabac
Šabac is a city and municipality in western Serbia, along the Sava river, in the historic region of Mačva. It is the administrative center of the Mačva District. The city has a population of 52,822 , while population of the municipality is 115,347...
, Džukele
Džukele
Džukele were a Serbian punk rock band from Subotica.- History :The band Phoenix was formed in 1991 by Dragan Neorčić , Slobodan Vukosavljević , and Rudolf Aleksijević...
from Subotica
Subotica
Subotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
, and Novembar
Novembar
Novembar is a Serbian punk rock band from Niš.- Studeni Studeni, band formation :...
from Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
. Atheist Rap's sound, a combination of punk rock with humorous lyrics describing every day accounts found on their studio albums Maori i Crni Gonzales
Maori i Crni Gonzales
- Bonus tracks on the 1996 reissue :- Personnel :* Zare * Acke * Goja * Radule * Dr...
(1992), Ja eventualno bih ako njega eliminišete
Ja eventualno bih ako njega eliminišete
- 1998 reissue tracklisting :- Atheist Rap :* Zare * Acke * Goja * Radule * Dr...
(1996) and II liga zapad
II liga zapad
- Personnel :* Leki * Acke * Goja * Radule * Dr. Pop * Pećinko - External references :...
(1998), is described by the band themselves as "happy punk". The band Goblini was formed in 1992, and with the release of their first two studio albums, Goblini
Goblini (album)
Goblini is the debut album by the Serbian punk rock band Goblini released by Music YUser independent record label in 1994...
(1994) and Istinite priče I deo
Istinite priče I deo
- Bonus tracks on the 1998 CD reissue :- Personnel :* Vlada Kokotović — bass, backing vocals* Nedeljko Nedić "Meketa" — drums, backing vocals* Nenad Divnić "Kića" — drums * Alen Jovanović — guitar, backing vocals...
(1994), the band had become a live attraction, performing in Serbia and abroad. On their third studio album U magnovenju
U magnovenju
- Personnel :* Vlada Kokotović — bass, backing vocals* Zoran Jević "Fric" — drums* Alen Jovanović — guitar, backing vocals* Leo Fon Punkerstain — guitar, backing vocals* Branko Golubović "Golub" — vocals* Aleksandar Radosavljević — producer- References :*...
(1996), the band was joined by Leonid Pilipović from the band Džukele. After the album release, Pilipović returned to his own band which, having released their debut Gledajući u mrak
Gledajući u mrak
- Personnel :* Leo fon Punkerstein * Dragan Neorčić "Draža" * Rudolf Aleksić "Rudi" * Nenad Drašković * Leonid Pilipović "Leo" * Slobodan Vukosavljević "Bane"...
in 1994 and the second album Zubato Sunce
Zubato Sunce
- Personnel :* Leo fon Punkerstein * "Draža" * Prndža * Nenad Drašković * Leo...
in 1998, disbanded. Punk rock band Novembar released three studio albums, Deguelo (1994), Blues južne pruge (1997), and Licem prema zemlji in (2000), featuring the band's combination of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n guitar oriented rock sound combined with punk rock, pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
and New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
influences.
The 2000s featured disbandment and reunions of many punk rock groups. In 2001, Goblini disbanded, in 2003 Goblini guitarist Alen Jovanović formed Starfuckers, and, in 2010 Goblini made a brief reunion, reuniting again in 2011. In 2002, Džukele, Novembar and Trula Koalicija disbanded, but the latter two reformed a few years later, Trula Koalicija with a new lineup in 2005, and Novembar in 2007, releasing a new album, Radulizam in 2008. Džukele guitarist and vocalist Slobodan Vukosavljević formed the band garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
Nafta, and released the albums Samo senke prolaze (2008) and Alternator (2011). In 2004, at the EXIT festival
EXIT (festival)
Exit is an annual summer music festival in the Petrovaradin Fortress of Novi Sad, Serbia. It is staged annually since 2000 and usually lasts four days ....
, gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
band Luna
Luna (Novi Sad band)
Luna was a Serbian and former Yugoslav post-punk/gothic rock band from Novi Sad.Formed on the ashes of the New Wave band La Strada and getting the name by the Bernardo Bertolucci film La Luna, Luna quickly gained the public's attention and established a cult status...
reunited in the original lineup, and, four years later at the same festival, the original Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka is an eminent Serbian and former Yugoslav punk rock band from Novi Sad. Their debut album, Plitka poezija, released in 1980, is considered the first punk rock album by a band coming from Serbia...
lineup reunited to perform at the festival main stage, alongside Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
. In 2010, the band held several concerts. The band announced the release of a cover album, featuring songs performed at the Yugoslav 1960s pop festivals.
New Wave
The origin of the New WaveNew Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
scene in Serbia can be found 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...
1970s bands Zvuk Ulice, Limunovo Drvo and Hipnotisano Pile. The three bands featured the future members of the Serbian New Wave bands Idoli, Šarlo Akrobata
Šarlo 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...
and 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 :...
. Zvuk Ulice member 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:...
, with two friends, Nebojša Krstić
Nebojša Krstic
Nebojša Krstić is an Advisor of the President of Serbia for public relations appointed by Boris Tadić. He was also a member of the Serbian rock band Idoli.- Biography :...
and Srđan Šaper formed a conceptual band VIS Dečaci in 1979, whose photographs appeared in the Vidici youth magazine and attracted media's attention. The band soon included bassist Zdenko Kolar
Zdenko Kolar
Zdenko Kolar is a Serbian bass guitarist, most notable as the member of Idoli and Zona B.-Biography:Kolar was born in Zemun in 1956 where he lived until 1963 when he moved to inner town in Belgrade. He moved to a building where two of his future bandmates lived, Vlada Divljan and Boža Jovanović...
, also from Zvuk Ulice, and drummer Boža Jovanović
Boža Jovanovic
Boža Jovanović was the first drummer of the Serbian rock band Idoli. He was the band member until 1982 and released two singles and one EP with the band.- Biography :...
and was renamed to Idoli, in 1980. Limunovo Drvo, a progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
/hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band, featuring guitarists 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:...
and 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,...
, performed for two years, until they realized they were headed nowhere. On the arrival of the bassist Dušan Kojić "Koja"
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 :...
and drummer 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....
, the band adopted the New Wave and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
musical style, and, after performing as an opening act for Pankrti
Pankrti
Pankrti were a punk rock band from Ljubljana, Slovenia, active in the late 1970s and during the 1980s. They were known for provocative and politically engaged songs and billed themselves "The First Punk Band Behind The Iron Curtain"...
, and the departure of Mihajlović, the band was renamed to Šarlo Akrobata
Šarlo 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...
. 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 :...
was formed as an ad hoc
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
band of the melodic hard rock band Hipnotisano Pile. The band was formed in order to perform at the 1980 Palilula Culture Olympics as an opening act for Hipnotisano Pile. Guitarist Ljubomir Jovanović "Jovec" was to play the drums and the drummer Srđan Gojković "Gile" was to play guitar and sing lead vocals. The band gained the public's attention at the performances and, soon after, the band ended their activity as Hipnotisano Pile and continued as Električni Orgazam.
Idoli, Šarlo Akrobata and Električni Orgazam had their first recordings released on the compilation Paket aranžman
Paket aranžman
Paket aranžman is a New Wave music compilation album released in 1980 by Jugoton and its one of the most important and influential records ever made in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It features the eminent Belgrade artists: Šarlo Akrobata, Električni Orgazam and Idoli...
, today considered one of the most prominent Serbian and Yugoslav rock releases, and by the time the compilation was released, the bands had already started working on their debut albums. The promotional video for Idoli song "Maljčiki
Maljciki
"Maljčiki" is the second single by the Serbian and former Yugoslav New Wave music band Idoli. It also appeared on the Yugoslav New Wave compilation Paket aranžman which is one of the most important Yugoslav rock releases.- History :Vlada Divljan, the member of Idoli wanted to create a song which...
" which followed the release of the compilation featured a parody of soc-realist
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
iconography. It was broadcast for the first time at the New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
on the then-popular Rokenroler show on the national television, and the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
embassy sent a protest note to the TV and radio stations which broadcast the song and some of them banned it. During the same show, for the first time were broadcast the promotional videos for Električni Orgazam's "Krokodili dolaze" and Šarlo Akrobata's "Niko kao ja", all three appearing on the compilation. Idoli released their self titled EP
VIS Idoli (EP)
VIS Idoli was the first and only EP by the Serbian new wave band Idoli. The cover of the EP is the Red Nude, an act by Amedeo Modigliani.- History :...
in 1981 and Odbrana i poslednji dani
Odbrana i poslednji dani
Odbrana i poslednji dani is the first studio album by former Yugoslavn New Wave band Idoli released in 1982....
in 1982, the latter polled in 1998 as the greatest Yugoslav popular music album in 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...
, Električni Orgazam released their self titled debut
Električni orgazam (album)
-Personnel:*Marina Vulić — bass guitar*Mango — drums*Ljubomir Jovanović — guitar*Srđan Gojković — guitar, vocals*Ljubomir Đukić — organ, piano, vocals*Mladen Škalec — engineer...
in 1981 and post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
oriented Lišće prekriva Lisabon
Lišće prekriva Lisabon
Lišće prekriva Lisabon is the second studio album by Serbian/Yugoslavian New wave band Električni orgazam. It was released in 1982 by Jugoton.-"A" side:#"Pođimo"#"Alabama" #"Žuto"# "Sam"# "Glave"...
in 1982, and Šarlo Akrobata released their only album, Bistriji ili tuplji čovek biva kad...
Bistriji ili tuplji covek biva kad...
-Personnel:*Milan Mladenović - guitar, vocals*Dušan Kojić - bass guitar, vocals*Ivan Vdović - drums, vocals-Legacy:The album was polled in 1998 as the 11th on the list of 100 greatest Yugoslav rock and pop albums in the book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike .-External links:*...
in 1981. Električni Orgazam and Šarlo Akrobata also had short tours in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
bands recorded a tribute to the Yugoslav rock bands, including cover versions of Idoli and Električni Orgazam songs, released on the 2001 album Yugoton
Yugoton
Yugoton is a tribute album to the former Yugoslav rock scene released in Poland by ZIC ZAC Music Company and BMG Poland in 2001.It features cover versions of eminent ex-Yugoslav artists performed in Polish language by the cover band named Yugoton, composed of several notable Polish...
. By 1983, Idoli and Električni Orgazam had moved towards mainstream pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and rock, and Šarlo Akrobata disbanded.
Due to the success of Paket aranžman, Jugoton
Jugoton
Jugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, Socialist Republic of Croatia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia the company continued to work in independent Republic of Croatia under the name Croatia...
wanted to release another compilation featuring the new punk rock and New Wave acts from Belgrade. The compilation Artistička radna akcija
Artisticka radna akcija
Artistička radna akcija is a new wave and punk rock compilation album released in late 1981 by Jugoton in SFR Yugoslavia...
, released in 1981, featured Radnička Kontrola
Radnicka kontrola
Radnička Kontrola was a former Yugoslav punk rock/New Wave band from Belgrade, active in the late 1970s and early 1980s and notable for its appearance on the compilation album Artistička radna akcija.After the band ceased to exist, vocalist Zoran Kostić "Cane" rose to nationwide and popularity as...
, Bezobrazno Zeleno
Bezobrazno Zeleno
Bezobrazno Zeleno were a former Yugoslav New Wave/pop rock band from Belgrade. The band was notable as the participant of the Artistička radna akcija project as well as for their later works....
, Profili Profili
Profili Profili
Profili Profili was a Serbian and former Yugoslav New Wave / experimental music duo from Belgrade, notable as the participant of the Artistička radna akcija project in 1981...
, Defektno Efektni
Defektno Efektni
Defektno Efektni were a Serbian New Wave/punk rock band from Belgrade, notable as the participant of the Artistička Radna Akcija project in 1981.- History :...
, Urbana Gerila
Urbana gerila
Urbana Gerila was a former Yugoslav punk rock and New Wave band from Belgrade. The band is notable as the participant of the Artistička radna akcija project in 1981...
, Petar i Zli Vuci
Petar i Zli Vuci
Petar i Zli Vuci were a former Yugoslav New Wave/ska band from Belgrade, notable as the participant of the Artistička radna akcija project.- History :...
, 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 :...
, Pasta ZZ
Pasta ZZ
Pasta ZZ was a former Yugoslav New Wave band from Belgrade, notable as the paricipant of the Artistička Radna Akcija project in 1981.- History :...
, 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...
and TV Moroni
TV Moroni
TV Moroni was a Serbian New Wave/punk rock band from Belgrade, notable as the participant of the Artistička radna akcija project in 1981.- History :...
, each with two songs, but it did not repeat the success of the previous compilation. Half of the bands did not release any other recordings except the ones on the compilation. Bezobrazno Zeleno released two pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
-oriented studio albums, Profili Profili released a split album
Kazimirov Kazneni Korpus / Profili Profili
Kazimirov kazneni korpus / Profili profili is the first and only studio release by the Serbian minimalist / experimental music bands Profili Profili and Kazimirov Kazneni Korpus, recorded and released on March 1982...
with Kazimirov Kazneni Korpus, Petar i Zli Vuci released two singles, U Škripcu released several studio albums and gained mainstream popularity moving to synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
and pop rock, and VIA Talas released one studio album
Perfektan dan za banana ribe
- The band :* Bojan Pečar * Mira Mijatović - Additional musicians :* Dušan Gerzić * Milan Bubalo * Ivan Vdović Vd * Milan Mladenović...
before disbanding in 1982.
Other bands which were the part of the Serbian New Wave scene include the 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...
acts Slađana Milošević, Bulevar
Bulevar (band)
Bulevar were a Serbian and former Yugoslav New Wave band from Belgrade.-Band formation:The band history dates from the days of the group Tilt consisting of young highschool attendants Dejan Cukić , Nenad Stamatović , Dušan Bezuha , Miroslav Cvetković and drummers at different times,...
, 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 :...
, Kozmetika
Kozmetika
Kozmetika were a Serbian New Wave/art rock band from Belgrade, notable as one of the pioneers and promoters of New Wave music and culture in Yugoslavia through their youth magazine Izgled.- History :...
, Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića
Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića
Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića was a Serbian New Wave/alternative rock band from Belgrade.- Mira i Spira, band formation :...
, and the initial periods in the Laki Pingvini
Laki Pingvini
Laki Pingvini were a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. While initially being a New Wave act, throughout their later career, the band turned towards synthpop and pop rock....
, Piloti
Piloti (band)
Piloti is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Formed in 1981, and initially immersed in the Yugoslav New Wave scene, the band later moved towards mainstream pop rock, they came to prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s as one of the leading pop rock acts in former Yugoslavia...
and Zana
Zana (band)
Zana is a popular music group from Belgrade, Serbia, which was especially successful during the 1980s in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Early years:...
works, the latter three later moving to more commercial pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
(Piloti) and synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
(Laki Pingvini, Zana), and the 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....
acts Čista Proza
Čista Proza
Čista Proza was a former Yugoslav New Wave band from Novi Sad, founded by the well-known Serbian producer and sound engineer Milan Ćirić.- History :...
, Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka is an eminent Serbian and former Yugoslav punk rock band from Novi Sad. Their debut album, Plitka poezija, released in 1980, is considered the first punk rock album by a band coming from Serbia...
, Kontraritam
Kontraritam
Kontraritam was a New Wave band from Novi Sad, notable as the first 2 Tone/ska band in Serbia.- History :...
, the early works of La Strada
La Strada (band)
La Strada was a Serbian and former Yugoslav New Wave/alternative rock band from Novi Sad.- New Wave era :The band was formed by Slobodan Tišma also known as "Deda" , a rock veteran and poet, and called it La Strada by the Federico Fellini movie La strada...
and Obojeni Program
Obojeni Program
Obojeni Program is a Serbian alternative rock band from Novi Sad. The band are pioneers of the Serbian alternative rock scene. The band is also famous for giving strange names to their albums, which is explained by the fact that the first letters of all the studio albums form an acronym of their...
, and some works by Laboratorija Zvuka
Laboratorija Zvuka
Laboratorija Zvuka , sometimes credited as Laboratorija only, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band...
, the latter three bands becoming the pioneers of the Serbian alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
scene.
Synthpop
One of the first Serbian synthpopSynthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
acts was the band Beograd
Beograd (band)
Beograd was a Serbian and former Yugoslav synthpop band, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav electronic music scene.- History :...
, which were also one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
scene. The band was formed in 1981, and in 1983 released their only album Remek depo, which featured a combination of synthpop and brass instrument
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
-oriented soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
.
With the decline of the New Wave scene around 1982, some New Wave bands moved towards synthpop. Artistička radna akcija
Artisticka radna akcija
Artistička radna akcija is a new wave and punk rock compilation album released in late 1981 by Jugoton in SFR Yugoslavia...
participant 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 :...
, having started as a conceptual New Wave band in 1980, moved towards synth music. The band's debut album Godine ljubavi, featuring several hit songs, was followed by even more successful O je!, and the EP Nove godine. However, on their later releases, the band turned towards electro pop sound, which, having proved unsuccessful, led them to disband. Despite two reunion comeback albums (in 1987 and 1990), the band could not repeat the early success. The band's vocalist Milan Delčić formed the electro rock
Electro rock
Electronic rock, also commonly referred to as synthrock, electro rock or digital rock, is rock music generated with electronic instruments...
band Delča & Sklekovi in the 1990s. Another band successful within the synthpop genre was Laki Pingvini
Laki Pingvini
Laki Pingvini were a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. While initially being a New Wave act, throughout their later career, the band turned towards synthpop and pop rock....
. The band, despite working occasionally and with an unsteady lineup since 1979, gained mainstream popularity in 1983 with the debut EP Šizika. Their debut album Muzika za mlade (1984) was also successful, however, their later releases did not repeat the previous success. The band disbanded in 1989, but had short reunions in 1994 and 1995. In 2006, the band reunited to perform as an opening act on Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
concert in Belgrade.
Belgrade New Wave band Zana
Zana (band)
Zana is a popular music group from Belgrade, Serbia, which was especially successful during the 1980s in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Early years:...
, named after the band's vocalist Zana Nimani
Zana Nimani
Zana Nimani is a former singer from Serbia. She is an ethnic Albanian born in Belgrade. Throughout her carrier she sang in Serbian language and resided in Belgrade, and she was the first frontress of the prominent Yugoslav band Zana from 1980 to 1985 as well as a successful solo artist...
, having released their debut album Loše vesti uz rege za pivsku flašu, made a shift towards radio-friendly power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
, New Romantic
New Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
and synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
sound with the release of their second album Dodirni mi kolena, and became one of the most popular bands of the 1980s. The singles "Dodirni mi kolena" and "Jabuke i vino", the latter recorded with Željko Bebek
Željko Bebek
Želimir "Željko" Bebek is a popular Bosnian Croat singer most notable for being the lead vocalist of Bijelo dugme from 1974 to 1984....
for their next album Nazad na voz (1985), became major hits, but, despite the success of the releases, vocalist Nimani left the band. The rest of the band continued performing as Zana, often changing vocalists and turning to folk-pop
Balkan pop
Balkan Pop is a mixture of traditional east European folk music and western dance music.-See also:*Chalga*Laïko*Manele*Turbo-Folk*Arabesque*Filmi...
sound in the late 1990s. The duo 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...
, featuring 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...
member Miško Petrović (also known as Miško Plavi) and Predrag Jovanović (also known as Peđa D'Boy, a former West German krautrock
Krautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
group Jane member), was formed in 1982. With the albums Ajd' se zezamo (1984) and Muvanje (1985), the band became popular with humorous lyrical style, featuring kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
y and frivolous motifs dealing with nightlife, parties and girls, flavoured with humorous slang, camp value and party image. The band disbanded in 1985, with Jovanović forming a short lived Peđa D'Boy Band and pursuing a solo career, and Petrović who, having firstly joined 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...
and then Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika , sometimes referred to as EKV for short, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock group from Belgrade, being one of the most successful and influential music acts coming out of former Yugoslavia....
, took up playing accordion and formed his Miško Plavi Band.
Funk rock
Funk rockFunk rock
Funk rock is a music genre that fuses funk and rock elements. Its earliest incarnation was heard in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s by acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience , Eric Burdon and War, Trapeze, Parliament-Funkadelic, Betty Davis and Mother's Finest. The 1990s were known for acts...
in Serbia appeared in the 1980s with the bands Jakarta
Jakarta (band)
-Band history:The band was formed in 1981 in Belgrade. During the initial period the band went through numerous lineup changes, before original members Igor Popović and Jane Parđovski started performing with Rade Bulatović , Miloš Petrović and Ivan Fece .They released their debut album Maske za...
and 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...
, both 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...
. Formed in 1981, Jakarta released their debut album Maske za dvoje in 1984, featuring several hits. However, despite the success of the first album, the band moved towards pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
on their second album Bomba u grudima, which was not well received by the fans, and the band ceased to exist in 1986. During the same year, 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...
, formed in 1984 and featuring the female vocalist Tanja Jovićević, won the Debut Act of the Year Award at the MESAM Festival, after which they started recording their debut self-titled album
Oktobar 1864 (album)
- Personnel :* Tanja Jovićević - vocals* Goran Tomanović - guitar* Dean Krmpotić - keyboards* Željko Mitrović - bass* Ivan Zečević - drums* Marko Lalić - saxophone* Nebojša Mrvaljević - trombone* Branko Baćović - trumpet-Guests:* Saša Habić - keyboards...
, released in 1987, featuring several hit songs. On their two following albums Igra bojama
Igra bojama
- Personnel :* Tanja Jovićević - vocals* Goran Tomanović - guitar* Dejan Abadić - keyboards* Željko Mitrović - bass* Ivan Zečević - drums* Marko Lalić - saxophone* Vuk Dinić - trombone* Branko Baćović - trumpet...
(1988), and Crni ples
Crni ples
- Personnel :* Tanja Jovićević - vocals* Goran Tomanović - guitar* Dejan Abadić - keyboards* Ljuba Tomanović - bass* Ivan Zečević - drums* Slobodan Andrić - saxophone* Vuk Dinić - trombone* Branko Baćović - trumpet* Dragan Kozarčić - trumpet...
(1990), they successfully combined funk rock with jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
elements, making immediate hits and having high album sales and well attended concerts. Despite the successful career, they disbanded in 1992 and Tanja Jovićević pursued a solo career as a jazz and funk musician. In 2005, she started collaborating with the funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
band Rich Bitch and with them, in 2008, released the album 10. During the 1980s, funk influences could also be found in the works of Idoli and 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...
.
In the following decades funk rock was again popularized in Serbia with the appearance of Deca Loših Muzičara
Deca Loših Muzičara
Deca Loših Muzičara , often abbreviated to DLM, are a funk rock band from Belgrade. They were one of most popular Serbian bands in the early 1990s...
in the 1990s. Formed in 1988, Deca Loših Muzičara played a combination of funk and rock on their albums, Dobar dan, released in 1992, and Prolećni dan, released in 1995. In 1998, the band wrote music for the Virus theater play, in which the main character was played by the actor Ivan Jevtović, who, after the release of their 2005 studio album ...gde cveta Samsung žut, joined the band as a new vocalist, replacing Aleksandar Siljanovski. The band performed for four years without intending to release any new material and announced their disbandment in 2009.
Oi!, ska, hardcore and pop punk
The late 1980s brought a variety of punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bands and genres on the Serbian scene and the Oi!
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
, ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
, hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
and pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
bands emerged from the local demo scenes to the major record labels and nationwide popluarity.
The Oi! scene, with Ritam Nereda
Ritam Nereda
Ritam Nereda is a Serbian and former Yugoslav oi!/punk rock band from Novi Sad.- 1980s :...
and 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"...
, quickly found the way to the fans across the country with their political-related lyrics, aggressive music and effective live performances. Direktori, unlike Ritam Nereda, were also turned towards ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
music, which became very popular on the Serbian scene. Even though ska appeared in the early 1980s with the band Kontraritam
Kontraritam
Kontraritam was a New Wave band from Novi Sad, notable as the first 2 Tone/ska band in Serbia.- History :...
, formed in 1980, which released only one album
Kontraritam (album)
- Personnel :* Boris Oslovčan — bass guitar* Dimitrije Radulović — bass guitar, backing vocals -* Robert Radić — drums* Horvat Žolt — guitar* Sreten Kovačević — producer, alto saxophone, guitar, backing vocals* Jan Pavlov — vocals, organ...
before disbanding in 1983, it was only with the bands like Plejboj
Plejboj
Plejboj was a Serbian punk rock/ska band from Belgrade.- Formation, rise to prominence :...
and Familija
Familija
Familija was a Serbian rock supergroup from Belgrade, consisting of Vampiri, Košava and U Škripcu members...
that it gained a vast number of fans. Plejboj, formed in 1992, gained popularity with their combination of punk rock, ska, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
, and pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
, found on their albums Sviraj dečko and Overdrive. The band disbanded in 1999, but reunited in 2006, in order to perform as an opening act for the Belgrade concert of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, however, the concert was canceled and the band appeared at the EXIT festival, and in 2007, once again reunited to perform at the Jelen Pivo Live
Jelen Pivo Live
Jelen Pivo Live is a musical festival held since 2006 in order to promote the Apatin brewery brand Jelen pivo. The organizers had the idea gather the finest Serbian rock bands at one place, but the following year beside Serbian bands, foreign acts were also included in the festival lineups.- 2006...
festival. Familija, formed in 1994, gained popularity with their ska/pop rock songs found on their albums Narodno pozorište
Narodno pozorište
Narodno pozorište is the debut album of the Serbian rock supergroup Familija, released in 1995.- Background :The album was the result of the collaboration of U Škripcu and Košava members Aleksandar "Vasa" Vasiljević and Aleksandar "Luka" Lukić with former Vampiri members Dejan "Peja" Pejović ,...
and Seljačka buna
Seljačka buna
Seljačka buna is the second and last album by the Serbian rock supergroup Familija, released in 1997.- Background :The band's second album featured the same style the band had on the debut. The album, like the previous, was produced by Đorđe Petrović, and featured fourteen songs, including "Brate...
. However, they disbanded in 1998.
Hardcore punk scene, founded in the late 1980s, gained the mainstream popularity in the 1990s with the bands Sick Mother Fakers
Sick Mother Fakers
Sick Mother Fakers , also known as SMF for short, is a Serbian hardcore punk/crossover thrash band from Belgrade.- 1980s :...
from Belgrade, which were one of the pioneers of the genre in Serbia, Ništa Ali Logopedi
Ništa Ali Logopedi
Ništa Ali Logopedi were a Serbian alternative rock band from Šabac.- History :...
from Šabac
Šabac
Šabac is a city and municipality in western Serbia, along the Sava river, in the historic region of Mačva. It is the administrative center of the Mačva District. The city has a population of 52,822 , while population of the municipality is 115,347...
, which featured accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
-oriented Serbian folk music combined with hardcore punk, the rapcore
Rapcore
Rapcore is a subgenre of rap rock fusing vocal and sometimes instrumental elements of hip hop with punk rock .-History:...
band Sunshine
Sunshine (Serbian band)
- 1990s :The band was formed in 1993 by the vocalist Branko Bojović "Bane", also known as Gumbrowski, who, having previously worked in the Novi Beograd band Green Cool Posse, formed Sunshine with vocalist Đorđe Radivojević, also known as Đole Ramirez...
from Belgrade, which combined rap and hardcore punk with sexually overt lyrics, and the hardcore punk/metalcore
Metalcore
Metalcore is a subgenre of heavy metal combining various elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. The name is a portmanteau of the names of the two genres. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands such as Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity...
band Overdrive
Overdrive (band)
- History :The band was formed in 1992 by Dragan Midorović . The band performed as a cover band with various band lineups until the arrival of Damir Milutinov and Aleksandar Midorović , when they started writing their own material. The band released their debut album No More Words through the...
from Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin is a city and municipality located in the eastern part of Serbian province of Vojvodina. It is the administrative centre of the Central Banat District of Serbia...
. One of the most popular bands of the genre was Eyesburn
Eyesburn
Eyesburn is a Serbian hardcore punk/crossover thrash band with influences of reggae music.- 1990s :The band was formed in 1994, and the original line-up featured former Dead Ideas guitarist Nemanja "Kojot" Kojić , who simultaneously worked as trombonist in Del Arno Band and bass guitarist in...
, a brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
-oriented combination of hardcore punk and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
music. The band's growing popularity with the releases of Fool Control and later Solid, gave them the opportunity to tour Europe with Soulfly
Soulfly
Soulfly is a heavy metal band formed in 1997 based in Phoenix, Arizona. The original lyrical content revolved around spirituality and religious themes, with later albums encompassing other themes including war, violence, aggression, hatred and anger. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max...
. The band disbanded in 2005, but reunited in 2011.
Pop punk scene in Serbia mainly developed in the 1990s, due to the popularity of the bands Oružjem Protivu Otmičara
Oružjem Protivu Otmičara
Oružjem Protivu Otmičara is a Serbian pop punk/power pop band from Zrenjanin.- 1990s :...
, Six Pack
Six Pack (band)
- 1990s :The band was formed in early 1993 by Branko Mitrović , Milan Radojević , Dragan Bojić "Bojke" , Saša Bogdanović "Bogda" , Miloš Novaković and Vladimir Čupić "Čupa" , and got the name by the Black Flag song of the same name.The band recorded their first eight-song demo during the late...
and Čovek Bez Sluha
Covek Bez Sluha
- 1990s :The band was formed in late 1994 by Mikica Zdravković and Aleksandar Marković "Coa" with Željko Maksimović "Maks" and Radomir Mirković . The band was soon joined by the former Van Gogh bassist Dejan Ilić "Cvika"...
. Oružjem Protivu Otmičara from Zrenjanin are one of the pioneers of the genre in Serbia
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...
and their 1996 album BarbieCue became one of the most popular releases of the 1990s. Six Pack
Six Pack (band)
- 1990s :The band was formed in early 1993 by Branko Mitrović , Milan Radojević , Dragan Bojić "Bojke" , Saša Bogdanović "Bogda" , Miloš Novaković and Vladimir Čupić "Čupa" , and got the name by the Black Flag song of the same name.The band recorded their first eight-song demo during the late...
and Čovek Bez Sluha
Covek Bez Sluha
- 1990s :The band was formed in late 1994 by Mikica Zdravković and Aleksandar Marković "Coa" with Željko Maksimović "Maks" and Radomir Mirković . The band was soon joined by the former Van Gogh bassist Dejan Ilić "Cvika"...
, the two bands currently having the same vocalist Milan "Miki" Radojević, the former from Smederevska Palanka
Smederevska Palanka
Smederevska Palanka is a town and municipality located in Central Serbia. According to the preliminary results of the 2011 census, the municipality had a total population of 50,078, while the town proper has 23,152 inhabitants.-Geography:Smederevska Palanka lies in Pan-European Corridor X , just...
, and the latter from Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...
, moved from local prominence to performing abroad and having their recordings released by foreign record labels. The popularity of the genre continued in the 2000s with the work of the above mentioned bands and the newly formed bands Lude Krawe, formed in 1998, and Super s Karamelom
Super S Karamelom
Super s Karamelom is a Serbian pop-punk band from Bečej, Serbia. The band was originally known as Infrakt Super s Karamelom (Serbian Cyrillic: Супер с Карамелом, trans. Super with Caramel) is a Serbian pop-punk band from Bečej, Serbia. The band was originally known as Infrakt Super s Karamelom...
, featuring two female vocalists, formed in 2003.
Alternative rock
The alternative rock scene developed in the early 1980s with the decline of the New Wave scene and a part of the New Wave scene became the base of the future Serbian alternative rock scene. The pioneers of alternative rock can be found in Novi SadNovi 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....
bands Laboratorija Zvuka
Laboratorija Zvuka
Laboratorija Zvuka , sometimes credited as Laboratorija only, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band...
, with their eccentric style, erotic lyrics, unusual line ups and bizarre circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
-inspired stage performances, La Strada
La Strada (band)
La Strada was a Serbian and former Yugoslav New Wave/alternative rock band from Novi Sad.- New Wave era :The band was formed by Slobodan Tišma also known as "Deda" , a rock veteran and poet, and called it La Strada by the Federico Fellini movie La strada...
, featuring the poet Slobodan Tišma on guitar and vocals, Obojeni Program
Obojeni Program
Obojeni Program is a Serbian alternative rock band from Novi Sad. The band are pioneers of the Serbian alternative rock scene. The band is also famous for giving strange names to their albums, which is explained by the fact that the first letters of all the studio albums form an acronym of their...
, featuring former Urbana Gerila
Urbana gerila
Urbana Gerila was a former Yugoslav punk rock and New Wave band from Belgrade. The band is notable as the participant of the Artistička radna akcija project in 1981...
vocalist Branislav "Kebra" Babić
Branislav Babić
Branislav "Kebra" Babić is a Serbian rock vocalist and the founding member of the band Obojeni Program...
, which, despite being formed 1980, released their debut album Najvažnije je biti zdrav in 1990, and the all-female band Boye
Boye (band)
Boye were a Serbian New Wave/alternative rock band from Novi Sad. Until the late 1980s Boye were an all-female band, but later lineups also featured male members.- 1980s :...
whose debut album Dosta! Dosta! Dosta! (1988) was the first Serbian all-female release since the 1960s.
In Belgrade, former Šarlo Akrobata
Šarlo 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...
members 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 :...
and 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:...
formed two of the most notable bands of the alternative rock scene in Serbia, 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...
and Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika , sometimes referred to as EKV for short, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock group from Belgrade, being one of the most successful and influential music acts coming out of former Yugoslavia....
. Former Šarlo Akrobata bassist and vocalist Dušan Kojić Koja, formed the band 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...
in 1982. The band, combining influences from punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
, motown, jungle
Oldschool jungle
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that incorporates influences from genres including breakbeat hardcore, and reggae/dub/dancehall. There is debate as to whether jungle is a separate genre from drum and bass as many use the terms interchangeably...
, and the works of Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, soon gained popularity. During the early 1990s, the band moved 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...
and changed the name to Disciplin A Kitschme, performing with female vocalist, African-American singer Gofie Bebe, only to return to Serbia during the mid-2000s. The band was competitive with another Šarlo Akrobata associated act, Ekatarina Velika, which, having at first called Katarina II, featured former Šarlo Akrobata and Limunovo Drvo guitarists Milan Mladenović and Dragomir Mihajlović
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,...
. Having released their post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
influenced records, the band moved to a more guitar-oriented alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, found on their future releases Ljubav
Ljubav (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
Samo par godina za nas
Samo par godina za nas is the fifth studio album by the Serbian rock band Ekatarina Velika, released in 1989. It is the last one recorded with Bojan Pečar as a bassist. The album was produced by Mitar "Suba" Subotić, Theodore Yanni and Ekatarina Velika, with Suba and Yanni also included as guest...
(1989), and 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...
(1991). Another prominent figure of the Serbian alternative rock scene, Mitar Subotić, also known as Rex Illusivi, a composer, producer and one of the pioneers of electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
in Serbia, was closely associated with the works of Ekatarina Velika. In 1985, Subotić, Mladenović and Goran Vejvoda
Goran Vejvoda
Goran Vejvoda is an English-born, French-based, media artist ....
started the short-lived project Dah Anđela. In 1990, Subotić moved to São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, 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 as a musician and producer. In 1994, Subotić and Mladenović, with a group of Brazilian musicians, reactivated the project as Angel's Breath
Angel's Breath
Angel's Breath was a project of Serbian musicians Milan Mladenović and Mitar Subotić "Suba". Initially named Dah Anđela and founded in 1985 by the two musicians with the guitarist Goran Vejvoda, the project was reactivated in São Paulo, Brazil, where Subotić had moved to live in the early 1990s,...
, releasing the album Angel's Breath in 1994.
The second half of the 1980s brought the formation of the prominent alternative rock acts which gained the mainstream popularity with their works during the 1990s, 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...
and 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...
. Despite the fact that Van Gogh, formed by guitarist Zvonimir Đukić "Đule", released their debut slef-titled album in 1986, which was also the year of their formation, it was in the early 1990s that the band which, having disbanded, and reformed in 1990, became successful with the albums Svet je moj (1991), Strast (1993), Hodi (1996), and Opasan ples (1999). However, in the 2000s the band moved towards more commercial sound, and established themselves as one of the top mainstream acts on the Serbian rock scene. The 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...
-based Montenegrin
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
singer-songwriter Antonije Pušić, who works under the pseudonym Rambo Amadeus, with his debut album O tugo jesenja
O tugo jesenja
- Personnel :*Accordion — Saša Marković-Meksikanac*Bass, vocals, synthesizer , sampler — Vladimir Perić*keyboards — Aleksandar Habić*Synthesizer , tambourine, handclaps — Miroslav Miša Savić*Vocals — Aleksandar Vasiljević...
(1988), created the unique combiantion of different musical syles, including jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, which he called "turbo folk". The term was later used for the subgenere of the folk music from the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. Pušić continued in the same manner on his later releases also making influence on the Serbian hip hop scene with the albums Hoćemo gusle
Hocemo gusle
Hoćemo gusle is the second studio album released in 1989 by Montenegrin-Serbian musician Rambo Amadeus.The track "Amerika i Engleska " was originally supposed to be named "Kataklizma komunizma" but powers that be wouldn't allow it...
(1989) and Psihološko propagandni komplet M-91
Psihološko propagandni komplet M-91
Psihološko propagandni komplet M-91 is the third studio album released in 1991 by Montenegrin-Serbian musician Rambo Amadeus....
(1991).
The beginning of the 1990s had already featured the prominent alternative rock acts: Dža ili Bu
Dža ili Bu
Dža ili Bu are a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade.- 1980s :The band was officially formed on May 1, 1987 by guitarist Nebojša Simeunović, bassist Duško Milojević, drummer Dejan Milojević and guitarist and vocalist Stojan Radičević...
, 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,...
, Presing
Presing
Presing is a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade. Formed in 1990 and named after pressure defense in basketball , Presing were, together with Darkwood Dub and Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša, representatives of the so-called NeoBeo sound, alternative, guitar-based rock music produced in Belgrade in...
, Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša
Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša
Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša is a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade.- Formation, first releases :...
, and 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...
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...
, and Bjesovi
Bjesovi
Bjesovi are a Serbian grunge/alternative rock band from Gornji Milanovac.- Formation and breakup :...
from Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 44.012691° North, 20.273572° East. Its name means "Upper Milanovac" while Milanovac stems from name "Milan" in the Serbian language. The population of town is 24,048.The city was founded in 1853...
. Dža ili Bu, formed in 1987, featuring a combination hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, with their 1992 album Hej mornari presented the political situation in the country with their ironical lyrical style. Darkwood Dub, formed in 1988, performed a combination of electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
and rock. Presing
Presing
Presing is a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade. Formed in 1990 and named after pressure defense in basketball , Presing were, together with Darkwood Dub and Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša, representatives of the so-called NeoBeo sound, alternative, guitar-based rock music produced in Belgrade in...
, formed in 1990, combined post rock, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
and krautrock
Krautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
. Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša
Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša
Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša is a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade.- Formation, first releases :...
, formed in 1991, performed a combination of rock, jazz and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
. Block Out, formed in 1991, initially inspired by various diverse bands and grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
/hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
-oriented, after the release of Crno, belo i srebrno
Crno, belo i srebrno
Crno, belo i srebrno is the debut album by the Serbian alternative rock band Block Out, released by ITV Melomarket records in 1994...
started to move towards a darker, heavier atmosphere and sound under Nikola Vranjković's songwriting, combining elements of doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
, psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, hard rock and punk rock with social-related lyrics. Bjesovi, formed in 1989, combining grunge, hard rock, psychedelic rock and doom metal, released their debut U osvit zadnjeg dana
U osvit zadnjeg dana
U osvit zadnjeg dana is the debut album by the Serbian rock band Bjesovi, released in 1991.- Tracklisting :All tracks by Goran Marić and Zoran Marinković except where noted....
in 1991, but achieved success with the release of their second, self-titled album
Bjesovi (album)
Bjesovi is the self-titled and second album of the Serbian rock band Bjesovi released in 1994.- Tracklising :All tracks written by Goran Marić and Zoran Marinković, except where noted.# "Vraćam se dole" – 2:45# "Ime – 4:50# "Gavran" – 6:57...
, released in 1992.
The mid-1990s featured the disbandment of Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika , sometimes referred to as EKV for short, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock group from Belgrade, being one of the most successful and influential music acts coming out of former Yugoslavia....
, and the formation of the bands Supernaut
Supernaut (Serbian band)
- 1990s :Having performed as DDT, formed in 1989 by former Šarlo Akrobata member Ivan Vdović "VD" , with Srđan Marković "Đile" and Miodrag Stojanović "Čeza" , the band changed the name to Supernaut, after Vdović's death in 1992...
, 357, 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,...
, Kristali
Kristali
Kristali are a Serbian britpop/pop rock band from Belgrade.- 1990s :The band was formed on January 1993, by bassist and vocalist Dejan Gvozden and guitarist Željko Markuš, whom, having performed blues and rock standards in Belgrade cafes, were joined by drummer Dejan Kostić...
and E-Play
E-Play
- History :The band was formed in 1997, initially having several lineup changes before the lineup consisting of Biljana Todorovski , Maja Cvetković and Jarboli member Nemanja Aćimović became the default one. The band also had a semi-official band member Sonja Lončar who played an analogous...
. The band Supernaut, featuring former Radnička Kontrola
Radnicka kontrola
Radnička Kontrola was a former Yugoslav punk rock/New Wave band from Belgrade, active in the late 1970s and early 1980s and notable for its appearance on the compilation album Artistička radna akcija.After the band ceased to exist, vocalist Zoran Kostić "Cane" rose to nationwide and popularity as...
member Srđan Marković, which, influenced by Suicide
Suicide (band)
Suicide is an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active since 1970 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on synthesizers and drum machines. They are an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo....
, wrote plays and performed a combination of art exhibition, theater play and rock concert. 357 performed a combination of hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, rap rock
Rap rock
Rap rock is a cross-genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock is often confused with rap metal and rapcore, subgenres that include heavy metal-oriented and hardcore punk-oriented bands, respectively....
, Serbian folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, combined with socially critical lyrical style. Jarboli, a guitar-oriented club band formed in 1993, independently released the prominent album Čizmanoga, but after the album release, moved to a more softer rock sound, found on their later releases. Kristali, like Jarboli, were formed in 1993, and combined the simple pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
song structures backed with brass sections, making a communicative musical performance found on their releases Kristali and Dolina ljubavi. E-Play, featuring a majority of female members, combined alternative rock with various electronic music genres.
Industrial rock
Despite being a part of the developed Yugoslav industrial rockIndustrial rock
Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...
scene, Serbian scene gave a small number of notable acts. One of the most notable acts was the band Katarza from 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....
, formed in 1989, which, combining industrial rock with elements of alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
, released two studio albums before disbanding in 1996. Another notable act was the band Retromind from Kruševac
Kruševac
Kruševac is a city and municipality, and the administrative center of the Rasina District, in central Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the municipality has a population of 127,429, while the town has 57,627....
, which combined industrial rock with industrial
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
and alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
, releasing two studio albums. The band DreDDup
DreDDup
dreDDup is a Serbian industrial rock/crossover band.-History:dreDDup was formed in 1997 in Novi Sad. The band's first official release was Abnormal Waltz from 1998, the soundtrack for the movie Noir that was never finished...
released 4 studio albums and did several European tours. The 2000s brought new acts into the scene, such as Syphil, Klopka za Pionira
Klopka Za Pionira
Klopka Za Pionira is a noise-rock band from Serbia. Their music is built on improvisation, lyrics written by the band's vocalist Mileta Mijatović...
, Youth A.D., Pornhouse, and others.
Alternative rock band Dža ili Bu
Dža ili Bu
Dža ili Bu are a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade.- 1980s :The band was officially formed on May 1, 1987 by guitarist Nebojša Simeunović, bassist Duško Milojević, drummer Dejan Milojević and guitarist and vocalist Stojan Radičević...
, with the release of their 2007 album Ultra muk, incorporated industrial rock combined with nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
into their sound. Another alternative rock act, Supernaut
Supernaut (Serbian band)
- 1990s :Having performed as DDT, formed in 1989 by former Šarlo Akrobata member Ivan Vdović "VD" , with Srđan Marković "Đile" and Miodrag Stojanović "Čeza" , the band changed the name to Supernaut, after Vdović's death in 1992...
, drawing on many different musical influences, featured a kind of experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
variant of industrial rock.
Grunge and post-grunge
The bands Block OutBlock 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...
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...
and Bjesovi
Bjesovi
Bjesovi are a Serbian grunge/alternative rock band from Gornji Milanovac.- Formation and breakup :...
from Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac
Gornji Milanovac is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 44.012691° North, 20.273572° East. Its name means "Upper Milanovac" while Milanovac stems from name "Milan" in the Serbian language. The population of town is 24,048.The city was founded in 1853...
were the representatives of grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
on the Serbian rock scene. After their debut album Crno, belo i srebrno
Crno, belo i srebrno
Crno, belo i srebrno is the debut album by the Serbian alternative rock band Block Out, released by ITV Melomarket records in 1994...
, the early hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
concept of Block Out started to move towards a darker, heavier atmosphere and sound under Nikola Vranjković's songwriting. The followup Godina sirotinjske zabave
Godina sirotinjske zabave
Godina sirotinjske zabave is the second album by the Serbian alternative rock / grunge band Block Out...
featured the material written during the six years of the band existence, and the lyrical themes were mainly oriented around the end of socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
in Serbia. With the release of the next album, San koji srećan sanjaš sam
San koji srećan sanjaš sam
San koji srećan sanjaš sam is the third album by the Serbian alternative rock band Block Out, released by Metropolis Records in 1998. Considered to be one of best Serbian rock albums ever...
, in 1998, the band moved from grunge sound towards art rock
Art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
. Gornji Milanovac band Bjesovi released their debut U osvit zadnjeg dana
U osvit zadnjeg dana
U osvit zadnjeg dana is the debut album by the Serbian rock band Bjesovi, released in 1991.- Tracklisting :All tracks by Goran Marić and Zoran Marinković except where noted....
in 1991, but achieved success with the release of their second, self-titled album
Bjesovi (album)
Bjesovi is the self-titled and second album of the Serbian rock band Bjesovi released in 1994.- Tracklising :All tracks written by Goran Marić and Zoran Marinković, except where noted.# "Vraćam se dole" – 2:45# "Ime – 4:50# "Gavran" – 6:57...
, which featured heavy riffs, dark ambient, pessimism and unique vocals on the tracks. Achieving success with the album, the band turned towards religiously oriented lyrics and music on their following album Sve što vidim i sve što znam
Sve što vidim i sve što znam
Sve što vidim i sve što znam is the third album by the Serbian rock band Bjesovi, released in 1997.- Tracklisting :...
(1997). After the album release, Bjesovi disbanded, after which the band member Goran Marić became one of the originators of the Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
project Pesme iznad istoka i zapada
Pesme iznad istoka i zapada
-Personnel:*Dragutin Aleksandrić - guitar*Nebojša Antonijević - guitar*Julija Boroš - vocals*Zoran Cvetković - trumpet*Nebojša Čanković - guitar*Dragan Ćurković - guitar*Marko Dacić - bass guitar...
. The band reformed with a new lineup in 2000 and released Bolje ti
Bolje ti
Bolje ti is the fourth studio album by the Serbian rock band Bjesovi, released in 2009.- Tracklisting :# "Ako te neko zna" # "Besan pas"...
in 2009.
The 2000s featured three notable post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
bands, 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...
, Euforia, and Broken Strings. Night Shift, even though formed in 1991, released their debut album Undercovers
Undercovers (Night Shift album)
- Night Shift :* Milan Šćepanović * Danijel Šćepanović * Marko Dacić - Additional personnel :* Mirko Vukomanović * Ivana Pavlović * Dejan Cukić - References :...
in 2002. The album, which featured covers of songs by various rock and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
artists, was well-accepted by the audience and the crirtics, and the band moved towards writing their own songs, releasing their second album Bez zaklona
Bez zaklona
- Night Shift :* Milan Šćepanović * Danijel Šćepanović * Branislav Vukobratović - Additional personnel :* Marko Dacić * Teodora Bojović * Intermezzo string quartet...
in 2009. Euforia, formed in 1999 and mainly influenced by Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, released their debut, self-titled album in 2005. The band single "Blokovi" was pronounced the Single of the Year 2005 on the B92
B92
B92 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...
annual singles top list. The band continued performing, and in 2008 released their second album 2. Broken Strings, starting as a Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
tribute band, moved towards writing their own material. Winning the 39th Gitarijada festival in Zaječar
Zajecar
Zaječar is a city and municipality in the eastern part of Serbia. According to the 2011 census the town has a population of 36,830, and its coordinates are 43.91° North, 22.30° East...
, the band got the opportunity to sign a major record label, PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS is a major record label based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is a successor of PGP-RTB which was established in 1958 in Belgrade, then capital of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
, which released their debut album Svaki trenutak ostaje... in 2007.
Britpop
BritpopBritpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
appeared in Serbia with the band Eva Braun
Eva Braun (band)
Eva Braun is a britpop/pop rock band from Bečej, Serbia, notable as one of the most important bands of the Vojvodina pop-rock scene of the 1990s...
from Bečej
Becej
Bečej is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District in Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 25,703, while Bečej municipality has 40,877 inhabitants. It is multiethnic town, with Hungarians and Serbs as largest ethnic groups...
, and the band's faction Popcycle
Popcycle
Popcycle was a Serbian britpop band from Bečej, formed as a faction of the popular Serbian britpop band Eva Braun.- Formation, rise to prominence :...
. Eva Braun was formed in 1990 by Goran Vasović, Petar Dolinka and Milan Glavaški. Influenced by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, and the Serbian band Idoli, the band started writing their own material, released in 1992 on their debut album Prisluškivanja. The album had minor hits, but the single "Sasvim običan dan" found on the band's second album Pop music, released in 1995, had drawn the public's attention to the band's work. The Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
review of the album described the album as "the best Brit-pop album never to come out of the UK". Despite the success of the release, the internal conflicts lead to the disbandment of the band. Part of the band moved to their newly formed band Popcycle, while Vasović, with a new lineup reformed Eva Braun. The band's third album Heart Core repeated the success of the previous release, and the band, having performed at the International Pop Overthrow
International Pop Overthrow
The International Pop Overthrow is an American-originated music festival devoted to power pop music and related genres.Taking its name from Material Issue's 1991 album of the same name, the festival began in 1998, and has been held annually in the LA area since then...
, also gained the opportunity to release an album for the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n market with the release of Nowhere Land. In 2000, the band started working on an ambitious project which came out as Everest in 2001, however, after the album release, the band disbanded. Popcycle, formed by former Eva Braun members Petar Dolinka and Milan Glavaški, released their debut album Orbitalna putovanja in 1996, and Popcyclopedia in 1997. The band disbanded in 1999, and Dolinka and Glavaški reunited with the rest of the original Eva Braun lineup in 2007, releasing the single "Evergrin" and the compilation Off The Record in 2008.
Other notable representatives of the Serbian britpop scene are Kristali
Kristali
Kristali are a Serbian britpop/pop rock band from Belgrade.- 1990s :The band was formed on January 1993, by bassist and vocalist Dejan Gvozden and guitarist Željko Markuš, whom, having performed blues and rock standards in Belgrade cafes, were joined by drummer Dejan Kostić...
, Veliki Prezir
Veliki Prezir
Veliki Prezir is a Serbian britpop/alternative rock band from Vrbas.- 1990s :...
, Instant Karma and Lutke
Lutke
Lutke is a Serbian britpop/power pop band from Belgrade.- 1980s :The band was formed in 1987 by high-school friends Nenad Jovanović , Dejan Radovanović , Zlatko Šetvić and Zoran Aković...
.
Irish folk and Celtic rock
The Irish folk and Celtic rockCeltic rock
Celtic rock is a genre of folk rock and a form of Celtic fusion which incorporates Celtic music, instrumentation and themes into a rock music context...
scene appeared in Serbia
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...
with the works of Orthodox Celts
Orthodox Celts
Orthodox Celts is a Serbian band which plays Irish folk music combined with rock elements. Despite their unusual sound the band is one of the top acts of the Serbian rock scene and has influenced several younger bands, most notably Tir na n'Og and Irish Stew of Sindidun.The band started their...
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...
. During the mid 1980s, Dušan Živanović, the drummer of the pub rock band Roze Poze, wanted to form a band which would perform cover versions of Irish folk songs, and the influence of the idea was partially achieved through the works of Roze Poze. However, it was in 1992 that Živanović formed the first Serbian Irish folk band called Orthodox Celts with the vocalist Aleksandar "Aca Celtic" Petrović and violinist Ana Đokić. The band, having released their first two albums, Orthodox Celts
Orthodox Celts (album)
Orthodox Celts is the debut album by the Serbian Irish folk/Celtic rock band Orthodox Celts released in 1994. It is the only Orthodox Celts album which features only covers of Irish traditional songs.The album was reissued in 1999.- Tracklist :...
and The Celts Strike Again
The Celts Strike Again
The Celts Strike Again is the second studio album by the Serbian Irish folk/Celtic rock band Orthodox Celts released in 1997. Besides covers of traditional Irish songs, the album features two songs written by the members of the band, "Drinking Song" and "Blue"....
, which mainly featured cover versions of Irish folk songs, started writing their own material. Since the release of Green Roses
Green Roses
Green Roses is the third studio album by the Serbian Irish folk/Celtic rock band Orthodox Celts released in 1999.- Tracklist :# "St. Patrick Was A Gentleman" - 02:19# "Sindidun" - 03:42# "Green Roses" Green Roses is the third studio album by the Serbian Irish folk/Celtic rock band Orthodox Celts...
in 1999, the band centered on writing and recording their own songs. The traditional performances for Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...
and at the Belgrade Beer Fest
Belgrade Beer Fest
Belgrade Beer Fest is an annual festival of beer in Belgrade, Serbia. Started in 2003, the festival is held annually over 4 to 5 days as a showcase event for various beer producers. In addition to domestic and foreign brews, the festival features live music performances each evening...
made the band become a live attraction, having well-visited live appearances in Serbia and abroad.
During the early 2000s, appeared two bands, Tir na n'Og and Irish Stew of Sindidun
Irish Stew of Sindidun
Irish Stew of Sindidun is a Celtic rock band from Belgrade, Serbia. While initially playing Irish folk music, the band later made a shift towards light punk rock, inspired by Irish folk music and other genres...
, both from Belgrade, inspired by the works of Orthodox Celts. Tir na n'Og, formed in 2000, and featuring female vocalist Jovana Vujnović, performed a combination of Irish and Serbian folk music
Serbian folk music
List of Serbian folk songs:*'Ajd' d' idemo, Rado*'Ajde Jano*'Ajde Kato*Četir' konja debela*Crven fesić*Čuješ, seko*'Ej, čija frula*Igrale se delije*Bože pravde *Imam jednu želju *Mila Majko*Moj Milane*Na te mislim*Ne vredi plakati...
with punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
. The band wrote the song lyrics both in Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
and English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and their debut album Tir na n'Og
Tir na n'Og (album)
Tir na n'Og is the debut album of the Serbian Irish folk/Celtic rock band Tir na n'Og released in 2006.- Track listing :# "Danny Boy" - 03:12# "Put" - 04:39# "River" - 03:37...
was released in 2006. However, in 2008, the band changed the name to Alfapop and moved towards power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
sound. In the meantime, in 2003, having started as a cover band, Irish Stew of Sindidun started writing their own material. The band recorded their debut album So Many Words...
So Many Words...
So Many Words... is the debut album of the Serbian Irish folk/Celtic rock band Irish Stew of Sindidun, released in 2005.Having won the audience reward on Demo Masters Tournament organized by radio Belgrade 202 and an award of the Demo Maraton in 2004 organized by the Belgrade Youth Center, the band...
in 2005. In 2011, they released New Tomorrow
New Tomorrow (album)
New Tomorrow is the third studio album by the Serbian Irish folk/Celtic rock band Irish Stew of Sindidun, released in 2011.The album was released on October 6, available both on CD, released by One Records, and in a form of multimedia application, available for free download from the band's...
, their first album not to feature any covers of Irish folk songs.
New Serbian Scene
The term Nova srpska scena (New Serbian Scene) was coined in the second half of the 2000s by the web magazine Popboks, which was initially one of the main promoters of the scene. Although the term was mostly used to denote bands promoted in Popboks and which released their albums through the record label Odličan Hrčak, the term is also often used to denote a large number of young Serbian bands. Also, some of the bands active in the 1990s, most notably the alternative rockAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Goribor
Goribor
Goribor is a Serbian alternative rock band from Bor. Having performed as a teenage band called Projekat from 1988 until 1992, after a four-year hiatus, the band was reformed in 1996 by the founding members, the vocalist Aleksandar Stojković "St" and guitarist Željko Ljubić "Pity" with the...
, are closely associated to the scene. The bands differ by genre: although a part of the bands are influenced by the Yugoslav New Wave
Yugoslav New Wave
New Wave in Yugoslavia was the New Wave music scene of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
and the contemporary indie
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
and pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
, not all the bands which are considered part of the scene are. The most notable bands which are associated with the scene include Klopka Za Pionira
Klopka Za Pionira
Klopka Za Pionira is a noise-rock band from Serbia. Their music is built on improvisation, lyrics written by the band's vocalist Mileta Mijatović...
, Multietnička Atrakcija, The Mothership Orchestra, Nežni Dalibor
Nežni Dalibor
Nežni Dalibor |Dalibor]]) are a Serbian alternative rock band from Vranje of the so-called New Serbian Scene.- 2000s :Formed in Vranje in 1995, and having performed as a highschool five-piece band for three years, the band Nežni Dalibor was reformed in...
, Repetitor
Repetitor
Repetitor is a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade. The band is one of the most prominent bands of the so-called New Serbian Scene.- 2000s :...
, Petrol, S.A.R.S.
S.A.R.S.
Sveže Amputirana Ruka Satrijanija , or S.A.R.S. for short, are a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade...
, Stuttgart Online, Svi Na Pod!, Zemlja Gruva, ŽeneKese, and others,
In 2007, PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS is a major record label based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is a successor of PGP-RTB which was established in 1958 in Belgrade, then capital of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
, in cooperation with Popboks, released the compilation album Jutro će promeniti sve?, which featured songs by sixteen bands associated with the scene. By the end of the decade, the most notable representatives of the scene released their debut albums. Goribor
Goribor
Goribor is a Serbian alternative rock band from Bor. Having performed as a teenage band called Projekat from 1988 until 1992, after a four-year hiatus, the band was reformed in 1996 by the founding members, the vocalist Aleksandar Stojković "St" and guitarist Željko Ljubić "Pity" with the...
, formed in 1996, gained popularity in the 2000s with their demo recordings officially released through the 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 label Slušaj Najglasnije!, releasing their first studio album, Goribor
Goribor (album)
- Personnel :Goribor* Aleksandar Stojković "St" — vocals* Željko Ljubić "Pity" — guitar* Predrag Marković "Peđa" — guitar* Milan Stošić "Žaba" — samples and effectsAdditional personnel* Edi Cukerić — producer...
, in 2007. Petrol, formed in 2003, released their debut album, Nezgodno vreme opasni dani, in 2008. Nežni Dalibor
Nežni Dalibor
Nežni Dalibor |Dalibor]]) are a Serbian alternative rock band from Vranje of the so-called New Serbian Scene.- 2000s :Formed in Vranje in 1995, and having performed as a highschool five-piece band for three years, the band Nežni Dalibor was reformed in...
, active in the 1990s and reformed in 2000, released their debut album, Sredstva i veštine, in 2008, and their second album, Normalan život, in 2011. Repetitor
Repetitor
Repetitor is a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade. The band is one of the most prominent bands of the so-called New Serbian Scene.- 2000s :...
, formed in 2005, released their debut album, Sve što vidim je prvi put
Sve što vidim je prvi put
- Personnel :Repetitor* Boris Vlastelica — guitar, vocals* Ana-Marija Cupin — bass, vocals* Milena Milutinović — drumsAdditional personnel* Katarina Šoškić — artwork by [design]* Boris Mladenović — recorded by* Goran Crevar — recorded by...
, in 2009. S.A.R.S.
S.A.R.S.
Sveže Amputirana Ruka Satrijanija , or S.A.R.S. for short, are a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade...
, which gained nationwide popularity with the hit song "Buđav lebac", released their debut, self-titled album in 2009, and their second album, Perspektiva, in 2010.
See also
- Music of SerbiaMusic of SerbiaSerbs and Serbia has a variety of traditional music, which is part of the wider Balkan tradition, with its own distinctive sound and characteristics.-History:...
- Popular music in the Socialist Federal Republic of YugoslaviaPopular music in the Socialist Federal Republic of YugoslaviaSFR Yugoslav pop and rock scene includes the pop and rock music of SFR Yugoslavia , including all their genres and sub-genres. The scene included the constituent republics: SR Slovenia, SR Croatia, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SR Montenegro, SR Macedonia and SR Serbia and its subunits: SAP Vojvodina...
- New Wave in Yugoslavia
- Punk in YugoslaviaPunk in YugoslaviaPunk in Yugoslavia was the punk subculture of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a state which existed until 1991. The most developed punk scenes across the federation existed in Socialist Republic of Slovenia, the Adriatic coast of Socialist Republic of Croatia, the Socialist Autonomous...
- YU Rock MisijaYU Rock MisijaYU Rock Misija was the contribution of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the famous Bob Geldof's Band Aid famine relief campaign which culminated with the historical Live Aid concert on July 13, 1985.Beside the British "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and the corresponding USA...