Beograd (band)
Encyclopedia
Beograd was a Serbia
n and former Yugoslav synthpop
band, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav electronic music
scene.
) and Ljubodrag Bubalo "Ljuba" (bass guitar
, synthesizer), the latter being a former Uliks (the embryonic Zana
) and Rulet member, whom, influenced by Kraftwerk
and Ultravox
, decided to form a synth-oriented band. The two then invited the Električni Orgazam
keyboard player Ljubomir Đukić to join the band, but the deal eventually fell through. During the following year, the duo was joined by Ljubodrag's brother Milan Bubalo "Mića" (rhythm machine, electric drums) and Dejan Stanisavljević (synths, vocals). In the meantime, the band had recorded their newly written material on a four-channel Teac
cassette recorder.
Beograd had their first live performance at the Belgrade Dadov Theatre where they performed with an additional member whom had sequenced the rhythm machine behind the stage. On their latter live appearances, the band continued the trend of adding an additional member, usually the U Škripcu
drummer Miloš Obrenović, mainly performing in Dadov and KST. At the time, Stanić had left the band, and after a two month break, the band continued working as a trio. Intending to replace Stanić's playing with music samples, previously recorded by the band themselves, the band used the backing tracks on their live performances.
During the Spring of 1982, the band released the first former Yugoslav electronic music
single, "Sanjaš li u boji" ("Do You Dream In Color?") with the song "TV" as the B-side. The single, featuring Dejan Stanisavljević as the author of both music and lyrics, arranged and produced by Saša Habić, was released through Jugoton
. Because it had been released in 500 copies only, the single is today considered a rarity and a collector's item. The song "TV" also appeared on the Jugoton various artists compilation Vrući dani i vrele noći
(Hot Days and Hotter Nights) in 1982, and was later reissued on CD
in 1999 on the Croatia Records
compilation Rock 'n' Roll "Ravno do dna" i druge, više-manje, čudnovate pjesme (1980-1989) (Rock 'n' Roll "Right To The Bottom" and Other, More or Less, Strange Songs (1980-1989)).
From August until November 1982, the band had been recording the material for their debut album at the PGP RTB studio V. The following year, the label released their debut album Remek depo (a pun
for the term Remek delo which means A Masterpiece, here addressing the word Deposit), featuring a combination of synthpop
and brass instrument
-oriented soul
. The album was produced by Saša Habić and featured saxophonist Paul Pignon, trumpeter Stjepko Gut
and timpanist Borislav Pavićević "Bora Longa" as guest performers. The album reached the fourth position on the Džuboks magazine top ten Yugoslav rock albums list on March 1983, and remained on the top ten list for twelve weeks. After the album release, on mid-1983, Stanisavljević left the band and thus Beograd disbanded.
and Urbana Gerila
members, formed the band Berlinen Strasse, influenced by the British
post-punk
and gothic rock
scene and the German
krautrock
scene, performing songs with lyrics in German language
. As Berlinen Strasse, with the song "Maske" ("Masks"), the band appeared on the various artists compilation Ventilator 202 demo top 10 in 1983. The band also appeared in the movie Nešto između (Something In Between) performing the song "Achtung America" ("Attention America"), later covered by the Niš
band Margita je Mrtva.
Ljubodrag Bubalo made a guest appearance on the Berlinen Strasse song "Maske" as the rhythm machine sequencer. During the same year, he had also appeared as the rhythm machine sequencer on the U Škripcu
second studio album O, je! (Oh, Yeah!), on the track "Ples žutog lista" ("A Yellow Leaf Dance"). He formed a technopop band Haj'mo (C'mon) which released the 1984 EP Irina (Irene) before disbanding. Haj'mo also featured Milan Bubalo on drums and rhythm machine. The two brothers, signed as the Bubalo Bros, appeared on the Bebi Dol nationwide hit single "Rudi" ("Roody") as drum machine programmers.
Milan Bubalo joined the band Laki Pingvini
(The Easy Penguins), with whom he released the highly successful EP Šizika (Crazyca), released in 1983, and the studio albums, Muzika za mlade (Youth Music), released in 1984, and Striptiz (Striptease), released in 1985, before the band disbandment in 1989. He had reunited with Laki Pingvini in 1994 at the unplugged festival Bez Struje, organized at the Belgrade Sava Centar, from which the recording of the unplugged version of "Šizika" appeared on the festival compilation album Bez struje (Unplugged) released by MTS Records, as special guests at the Delča i Slkekovi concert on March 2006, and as an opening act for the Duran Duran
Belgrade concert held on October of the same year. He had made guest appearances as the drum machine programmer on the U Škripcu
second studio album O, je!, on the hit song "Siđi do reke" ("Come Down To The River"), on all the tracks of the VIA Talas
only studio album Perfektan dan za banana ribe
(A Perfect Day for Bananafish
), and the Jakarta
debut single "Amerika" ("America"), all released in 1983.
Dejan Stanisavljević had worked with Du-Du-A with whom he released the 1996 album Ritual, and appeared on the Bez struje compilation album with an unplugged version of the song "Era Vulgaris". He had appeared as the keyboard player on the Bebi Dol album Ruže i krv, released in 1984. Stanisavljević currently lives and works in Canada
as an Electronic Arts
animator.
In October 2011, it was announced that the German record label Anna Logue Records would release a 7" EP TV, featuring both tracks from the band's debut single, the song "Mrak" ("The Dark"), from the album Remek depo, as well as instrumental demo versions of the songs "TV" and "Mrak", recorded during the band's demo phase on ORWO
cassettes.
n alternative rock
band Dža ili Bu
covered the song "Opasne igre" ("Dangerous Games") for their compilation album Retrovizor (Rear-view Mirror). The recording also appeared as a bonus track on their 2007 studio album Ultra muk (Ultra Silence).
In 2006, the song "Opasne igre" was ranked #93 on the B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n and former Yugoslav 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...
band, notable as 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.
History
The band was formed in Belgrade on late 1980 by Slobodan Stanić "Gricko" (synthesizerSynthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
) and Ljubodrag Bubalo "Ljuba" (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, synthesizer), the latter being a former Uliks (the embryonic 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:...
) and Rulet member, whom, influenced by Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
and Ultravox
Ultravox
Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....
, decided to form a synth-oriented band. The two then invited the Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of New Wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed their style, becoming a mainstream rock act.- New Wave years :...
keyboard player Ljubomir Đukić to join the band, but the deal eventually fell through. During the following year, the duo was joined by Ljubodrag's brother Milan Bubalo "Mića" (rhythm machine, electric drums) and Dejan Stanisavljević (synths, vocals). In the meantime, the band had recorded their newly written material on a four-channel Teac
Teac
TEAC Corporation is an electronics company based in Japan. TEAC was founded in 1953 as the Tokyo Electro Acoustic Company. TEAC has four divisions:*TASCAM - consumer to professional audio products, mostly recording...
cassette recorder.
Beograd had their first live performance at the Belgrade Dadov Theatre where they performed with an additional member whom had sequenced the rhythm machine behind the stage. On their latter live appearances, the band continued the trend of adding an additional member, usually the 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 :...
drummer Miloš Obrenović, mainly performing in Dadov and KST. At the time, Stanić had left the band, and after a two month break, the band continued working as a trio. Intending to replace Stanić's playing with music samples, previously recorded by the band themselves, the band used the backing tracks on their live performances.
During the Spring of 1982, the band released the first 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...
single, "Sanjaš li u boji" ("Do You Dream In Color?") with the song "TV" as the B-side. The single, featuring Dejan Stanisavljević as the author of both music and lyrics, arranged and produced by Saša Habić, was released through 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...
. Because it had been released in 500 copies only, the single is today considered a rarity and a collector's item. The song "TV" also appeared on the Jugoton various artists compilation Vrući dani i vrele noći
Vruci dani i vrele noci
Vrući dani i vrele noći was a compilation album released by Jugoton in 1982 in the former SFR Yugoslavia....
(Hot Days and Hotter Nights) in 1982, and was later reissued on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in 1999 on the Croatia Records
Croatia Records
Croatia Records is the largest major record label in Croatia, based in Dubrava in Zagreb.-Summary:Croatia Records d.d. is a joint stock company currently led by the Chairman of the Board of directors Želimir Babogredac, a notable sound engineer...
compilation Rock 'n' Roll "Ravno do dna" i druge, više-manje, čudnovate pjesme (1980-1989) (Rock 'n' Roll "Right To The Bottom" and Other, More or Less, Strange Songs (1980-1989)).
From August until November 1982, the band had been recording the material for their debut album at the PGP RTB studio V. The following year, the label released their debut album Remek depo (a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
for the term Remek delo which means A Masterpiece, here addressing the word Deposit), featuring a combination of 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 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...
. The album was produced by Saša Habić and featured saxophonist Paul Pignon, trumpeter Stjepko Gut
Stjepko Gut
Stjepko Gut is a Belgrade-based jazz musician. Studied jazz trumpet at the Swiss Jazz School in Bern,Switzerland and at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. As a conductor, he won first place in the first Austrian Big Band Competition...
and timpanist Borislav Pavićević "Bora Longa" as guest performers. The album reached the fourth position on the Džuboks magazine top ten Yugoslav rock albums list on March 1983, and remained on the top ten list for twelve weeks. After the album release, on mid-1983, Stanisavljević left the band and thus Beograd disbanded.
Post-breakup
After the Beograd disbandment, the three members continued working in similar musical directions with other bands. Slobodan Stanić, with the Defektno EfektniDefektno 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 :...
and 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...
members, formed the band Berlinen Strasse, influenced by the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
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...
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...
scene and the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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...
scene, performing songs with lyrics in German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. As Berlinen Strasse, with the song "Maske" ("Masks"), the band appeared on the various artists compilation Ventilator 202 demo top 10 in 1983. The band also appeared in the movie Nešto između (Something In Between) performing the song "Achtung America" ("Attention America"), later covered by the 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,...
band Margita je Mrtva.
Ljubodrag Bubalo made a guest appearance on the Berlinen Strasse song "Maske" as the rhythm machine sequencer. During the same year, he had also appeared as the rhythm machine sequencer on the 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 :...
second studio album O, je! (Oh, Yeah!), on the track "Ples žutog lista" ("A Yellow Leaf Dance"). He formed a technopop band Haj'mo (C'mon) which released the 1984 EP Irina (Irene) before disbanding. Haj'mo also featured Milan Bubalo on drums and rhythm machine. The two brothers, signed as the Bubalo Bros, appeared on the Bebi Dol nationwide hit single "Rudi" ("Roody") as drum machine programmers.
Milan Bubalo joined the band 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 Easy Penguins), with whom he released the highly successful EP Šizika (Crazyca), released in 1983, and the studio albums, Muzika za mlade (Youth Music), released in 1984, and Striptiz (Striptease), released in 1985, before the band disbandment in 1989. He had reunited with Laki Pingvini in 1994 at the unplugged festival Bez Struje, organized at the Belgrade Sava Centar, from which the recording of the unplugged version of "Šizika" appeared on the festival compilation album Bez struje (Unplugged) released by MTS Records, as special guests at the Delča i Slkekovi concert on March 2006, and as an opening act for the 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...
Belgrade concert held on October of the same year. He had made guest appearances as the drum machine programmer on the 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 :...
second studio album O, je!, on the hit song "Siđi do reke" ("Come Down To The River"), on all the tracks of the 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...
only studio album Perfektan dan za banana ribe
Perfektan dan za banana ribe
- The band :* Bojan Pečar * Mira Mijatović - Additional musicians :* Dušan Gerzić * Milan Bubalo * Ivan Vdović Vd * Milan Mladenović...
(A Perfect Day for Bananafish
A Perfect Day for Bananafish
"A Perfect Day for Bananafish" is a short story by J. D. Salinger, originally published in the January 31, 1948 issue of The New Yorker. It was anthologized in 1949's 55 Short Stories from the New Yorker as well as in Salinger's 1953 collection, Nine Stories...
), and the 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...
debut single "Amerika" ("America"), all released in 1983.
Dejan Stanisavljević had worked with Du-Du-A with whom he released the 1996 album Ritual, and appeared on the Bez struje compilation album with an unplugged version of the song "Era Vulgaris". He had appeared as the keyboard player on the Bebi Dol album Ruže i krv, released in 1984. Stanisavljević currently lives and works in 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...
as an Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
animator.
In October 2011, it was announced that the German record label Anna Logue Records would release a 7" EP TV, featuring both tracks from the band's debut single, the song "Mrak" ("The Dark"), from the album Remek depo, as well as instrumental demo versions of the songs "TV" and "Mrak", recorded during the band's demo phase on ORWO
ORWO
ORWO was an East German manufacturer of photographic film and magnetic tape. The basis for ORWO was the Agfa Wolfen plant, where the first modern colour film with incorporated colour couplers, Agfacolor, was developed in 1936....
cassettes.
Legacy
In 2005, the SerbiaSerbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n 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 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...
covered the song "Opasne igre" ("Dangerous Games") for their compilation album Retrovizor (Rear-view Mirror). The recording also appeared as a bonus track on their 2007 studio album Ultra muk (Ultra Silence).
In 2006, the song "Opasne igre" was ranked #93 on the B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list.
Other appearances
- "TV" (Vrući dani i vrele noćiVruci dani i vrele nociVrući dani i vrele noći was a compilation album released by Jugoton in 1982 in the former SFR Yugoslavia....
; 1982) - "TV" (Rock 'n' Roll "Ravno do dna" i druge, više-manje, čudnovate pjesme (1980-1989); 1999)
External links
- Beograd at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Beograd at Rateyourmusic
- Beograd at YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Beograd at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
- Beograd at B92.fmB92B92 is a radio and television broadcaster with national coverage headquartered in Belgrade, Serbia. The network's key demographic is chiefly urban and young audience. Its programs, including the news cover topics with fairly liberal political painted attitudes...