| Mitar Subotić | |
|---|---|
Subotić in 1985 |
|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Rex Ilusivii, Suba |
| Born | June 23, 1961 Novi Sad, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Died | November 2, 1999 (aged 38) São Paulo, Brazil |
| Genres | Experimental rock, ambient, minimalism, electronic, art rock, latin rock, bossanova |
| Occupations | Producer, musician |
| Instruments | Keyboards, piano, synthesizer |
| Years active | 1982 – 1999 |
| Associated acts | Angel's Breath, Bebel Gilberto, Ekatarina Velika, Haustor, La Strada, Oktobar 1864 |
Mitar "Suba" Subotić a.k.a Rex Illusivi (June 23, 1961 in Novi Sad, Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia – November 2, 1999 in São Paulo, Brazil) was a Serbian-born musician and composer who was set to become one of Brazil's most prominent producers when he died in November 1999.[1]
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Born Mitar Subotić, he obtained a university degree in his hometown from the University of Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia, before continuing the electronic music studies in Belgrade. He studied music theory, piano and accordion playing, and composition. He was a pioneer of electronic music in all of the ex-Yu countries, since he mixed and produced a number of celebrated albums of Yugoslav New Wave musicians and bands (Ekatarina Velika, Haustor, Bolero, Marina Perazić...) in the course of the '80s.
In 1986, his fusion of electronica and Yugoslav folk lullabies, In The Mooncage was awarded the International Fund for Promotion of Culture from UNESCO, which included a three-month scholarship to research Afro-Brazilian rhythms in Brazil. Falling in love with the country and its music, he emigrated to São Paulo in the '90s, where his fruitful production began and ended. During that time he produced Milan Mladenović's last project Angel's Breath (1994), and recorded his famous album São Paulo Confessions.
On November 2, 1999, he was working on the postproduction of the album of his newfound diva, Bebel Gilberto, when his studio caught fire. Overcome by smoke, he died trying to rescue the newly recorded material with her.
Suba died just a few days after the release of his now-legendary album São Paulo Confessions, and shortly before the completion of Bebel Gilberto's acclaimed Tanto Tempo, the biggest selling Brazilian album outside Brazil.[2] Suba's label Ziriguiboom/Crammed Discs alongside his closest musical associates (vocalists Cibelle, Taciana, Katia B and percussionist João Parahyba) prepared a tribute album.
After Subotić's death, 2000, a non-profit organization The Suba Institute was founded in his honor in Brazil.[3] In 2002, a group of musicians from Brazil and the United Kingdom, including Cibelle, Trio Mocotó member João Parahyba, Marina Lima, Phil Asher and Juryman, recorded the Suba tribute album Tributo.[4] His album São Paulo Confessions was included in the musical reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, edited by Robert Dimery and published in 2005.[5] During the same year, the Rex Ilusivii In Vitro / Suba Within Us ballet based on Subotić's life was written by the choreograph Aleksandra Ketig. The soundtrack for the play was released on the album of the same name.[6] During the '80s Mitar Subotic published demo recordings with well-known guest - stars, like Milan Mladenović, Massimo Savić, Branko Prčić (New Media Center Group), Marina Perazić, Igor Popović and many others, appeared on the 66th place on the B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list, polled by the listeners of the Serbian Radio B92.[7] Since 2008, the Novi Sad Exit festival world music stage was named Suba Stage.[8]
As Rex Ilusivii
As Suba