Beograd (band)

Beograd

Beograd in 1982
Background information
Origin Belgrade, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Genres Synthpop, electronic music, minimal music, experimental music
Years active 1980 – 1983
2012 – present
Labels Jugoton, PGP-RTB, Croatia Records, Anna Logue Records
Associated acts Berliner Strasse, Dža ili Bu, Du-Du-A, Laki Pingvini, U Škripcu
Members Dejan Stanisavljević
Milan Bubalo
Sana Garić
Igor Panić
Miroslav Ćatić
Past members Aleksandar Rodić
Ljubodrag Bubalo
Slobodan Stanić

Beograd (Serbian Cyrillic: Београд, trans. Belgrade) is a Serbian and former Yugoslav synthpop band, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav electronic music scene.

History

Early career (1980-1981)

The band was formed in Belgrade on late 1980 by Slobodan Stanić "Gricko" (synthesizer) and Ljubodrag Bubalo "Ljuba" (bass guitar, synthesizer), the latter being a former member of Uliks (the embryonic Zana) and Rulet, whom, influenced by Kraftwerk and Ultravox, decided to form a synth-oriented band.[1] The two then invited the Električni Orgazam keyboard player Ljubomir Đukić to join the band, but the deal eventually fell through.[1] During the following year, the duo was joined by Ljubodrag's brother Milan Bubalo "Mića" (rhythm machine, electric drums) and Dejan Stanisavljević (synths, vocals).[1] In the meantime, the band had recorded their newly written material on a four-channel Teac cassette recorder.[1]

Beograd had their first live performance at the Belgrade Dadov Theatre where they performed with an additional member who had sequenced the rhythm machine behind the stage.[1] On their latter live appearances, the band continued the trend of adding another 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.[1]

Success and breakup (1982-1983)

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.[2] Because it had been released in 500 copies only, the single is today considered a rarity and a collector's item.[3] The song "TV" also appeared on the Jugoton various artists compilation Vrući dani i vrele noći (Hot Days and Hotter Nights) in 1982,[4] 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)).[5]

From August until November 1982, the band had been recording the material for their debut album at the PGP RTB studio V.[6] 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.[6] The album reached the fourth position on the Džuboks magazine top ten Yugoslav rock albums list on March 1983,[7] and remained on the top ten list for twelve weeks.[8] After the album release, on mid-1983, Stanisavljević left the band and thus Beograd disbanded.

Post-breakup (1983-2011)

After the Beograd disbandment, the three members continued working in similar musical directions with other bands. Slobodan Stanić, with the Defektno Efektni 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.[9] As Berlinen Strasse, with the song "Maske" ("Masks"), the band appeared on the various artists compilation Ventilator 202 demo top 10 in 1983.[10] 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.[9]

Ljubodrag Bubalo made a guest appearance on the Berlinen Strasse song "Maske" as the rhythm machine sequencer.[10] 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").[11] 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.[12] The two brothers, signed as the Bubalo Bros, appeared on the Bebi Dol nationwide hit single "Rudi" ("Roody") as drum machine programmers.[13]

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,[14] 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.[15] 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"),[11] on all the tracks of the VIA Talas only studio album Perfektan dan za banana ribe (A Perfect Day for Bananafish),[16] and the Jakarta debut single "Amerika" ("America"),[17] 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".[18] He had appeared as the keyboard player on the Bebi Dol album Ruže i krv, released in 1984.[19] Stanisavljević currently lives and works in Canada as an Electronic Arts animator.[20]

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.[21]

Reunion (2012-present)

In August, 2012, the band, consisting of the original members Dejan Stanisavljević (synthesizer, vocals) and Milan Bubalo (Ableton Live sequencer), with the new members, Sana Garić (synth, vocal), Igor Panić "Ziggy" (guitar, pedals) and Miroslav Ćatić (drums), reunited, holding their first performance at the Belgrade club 20/44 on September 9, 2012. The band performed, beside their own songs, several songs by Garić's band Xanax.[22]

In March 2013, the band released their comeback single "Percepcija" ("Perception"), alongside an accompanying video for it, directed by Stanisavljević.[23] In November of the same year, the band released the single "Zrnca prašine" ("Grains of Dust"). The song featured samples of the traditional music of Hopi people.[24] In April 2015, the band's new album, entitled Pola/Pola (Fifty/Fifty), was announced.[25]

Legacy

In 2005, the Serbian alternative rock band Dža ili Bu covered the song "Opasne igre" ("Dangerous Games") for their compilation album Retrovizor (Rear-view Mirror).[26] In 2011, at the Belgrade Mixer festival, the New Serbian Scene band Svi na Pod! performed the album Remek depo in its entirety.[27] In 2012, Serbian hard rock/heavy metal band Trigger released a cover of "Opasne igre" on their cover album EX.[28]

In 2006, the song "Opasne igre" was polled No. 93 on the B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list.[29]

The "Opasne igre" lyrics were featured in Petar Janjatović's book Pesme bratstva, detinjstva & potomstva: Antologija ex YU rok poezije 1967 - 2007 (Songs of Brotherhood, Childhood & Offspring: Anthology of Ex YU Rock Poetry 1967 - 2007).[30]

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Extended plays

Other appearances

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 ""Sanjaš li u boji" - Beograd intervju" (Press release) (in Serbo-Croatian). Džuboks magazine No. 131. January 1, 1982.
  2. ↑ "Sanjaš li u boji?" / "TV" at Discogs
  3. ↑ B2 Collective / b2collective.com. "Beograd at". Minimal-wave.org. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  4. ↑ "''Vrući dani i vrele noći'' at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  5. ↑ "''Rock 'n' Roll "Ravno do dna" i druge, više-manje, čudnovate pjesme (1980-1989)'' at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "''Remek depo'' at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  7. ↑ "Top liste - Jugoslavia" (Press release) (in Serbo-Croatian). Džuboks magazine No. 159. March 28, 1983.
  8. ↑ "Top liste - Jugoslavia" (Press release) (in Serbo-Croatian). Džuboks magazine No. June 24, 1983.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "coldtrinity.com". coldtrinity.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "''Ventilator 202 Demo Top 10'' at Dicsogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "''O, je!'' at Discogs". Discogs.com. 1983-05-07. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  12. ↑ "Haj'mo at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  13. ↑ ""Rudi" at Discogs". Discogs.com. 1983-03-28. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  14. ↑ "''Bez struje'' at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  15. ↑ "DURAN DURAN, Beograd, Sajam, 17. listopad". Dopmagazin.com. 2006-10-19. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  16. ↑ "''Perfektan dan za banana ribe'' at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  17. ↑ ""Amerika" at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  18. ↑ "Dejan Stanisavljević at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  19. ↑ "''Ruže i krv'' at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  20. ↑ "Beograd at". Yumetal.net. 2011-10-18. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  21. ↑ Ivan Antunović. "Anna Logue Records reizdaje radove grupe Beograd". Muzika.hr. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  22. ↑ "Reunion Beograda u nedelju", popboks.com
  23. ↑ "Povratnička pesma grupe Beograd", timemachinemusic.org
  24. ↑ "Kultna grupa Beograd objavila novi video singl", timemachinemusic.org
  25. ↑ "Koncert grupe Beograd u KC Grad", b92.net
  26. ↑ "''Retrovizor'' at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
  27. ↑ http://www.b92.fm/_player/flash/B92FMPlayer.php?uid=null&playlist_id=78474&playlist_type=7
  28. ↑ "Trigger: Novi talas u metalnom pakovanju", timemachinemusic.org
  29. ↑ The B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list at B92 official site
  30. ↑ Janjatović, Petar (2008). Pesme bratstva, detinjstva & potomstva: Antologija ex YU rok poezije 1967 - 2007. Belgrade: Vega media.

External links