Despite the reductive and strangely common view in the West that Yugoslavia was yet another Soviet Communist country, the relationship between SFRY and the USSR was a complex one, especially after 1948, when Tito was thrown out of the Comintern by Stalin. The USSR was undeniably key in the WWII liberation of Yugoslavia and victory of the Partisans, however Yugoslavia, since 1948, very much saw … Continue reading Rusploitation in Yugoslav Pop
Although the now globally ubiquitous charges of “cultural appropriation”, have been a staple of inter-ethnic relations in the Balkans since times immemorial (especially when nations insist on their protochronism), they have never stopped the willingness of local musicians to draw from foreign music to create local hits which became treated as local folk songs. This phenomenon was best described in a 2003 Bulgarian documentary, “Whose … Continue reading They don’t (re)make them like they used to: Yugoslav covers of foreign hits through the ages
I first listened to Lana while I was on a gap year, back home in Belgrade, after my studies in the UK. She was an obvious fit as I always liked over the top imagery and rich orchestration in pop (I am a die-hard Belle and Sebastian and Vampire Weekend fan), but what resonated was the honey dipped sense of gloom. „Born to die“ was … Continue reading Chemtrails, Country Clubs
In April 1929, Josephine Baker was the first African-American star to visit Belgrade, while she was on her tour around Central Europe on the Orient Express. The visit came during her peak popularity in Paris, just before she made her hit „J’ai deux Amours”, and while she was still shunned in her native US, despite entrancing everyone with her dance and skimpy exotic outfits. She … Continue reading An African-American Star in 1920s Yugoslavia
Opinion on Yugoslav pop music among Serbia’s intellectual elite oscillates between breathless adoration (in 1990s, when it was a sign of being “educated” against the onslaught of the ovelry maligned folk and turbofolk) to disgust (currently liking EKV, let alone Bijelo Dugme, is considered a sure sign of pseudointellectualism and/or smarm) and back to ironic appreciation (Zdravko Čolić and Bajaga). As Yugopop was the soundtrack … Continue reading VIS Idoli and Subversion in the 1980s SFRY
If there is something like a leitmotif to the last two Vampire Weekend albums it would be “I don’t want to live like this… but I don’t wanna die”. It first appeared in the middle of their relatively dark third album, Modern Vampires of the City, on the multi-layered, feverish “Finger Back” and then reappeared on the deceptively sunny, deeply political “Harmony Hall” the, lead … Continue reading Ezra Koenig and the Incredible Buffness of Being
As the cult indie night turns 10, Kisobran’s ‘informal leaders’ explain how it created a unique creative community in the city. Continue reading Kisobran: Belgrade Indie Kids and a ‘Bubble of Creativity’
Nataša Rašić je mecosopran u Narodnom Pozorištu u Beogradu, ali i diplomirana pravnica. Pričali smo, između ostalog, o tome kako izgleda bavljenje operom u 21. veku u Beogradu, kako je odlučila da se bavi umetnošću a ne pravom, i kako svako može da zavoli ovu prelepu umetnost. Beleške Operosa festival u Herceg Novom Gianni Schicchi u Narodnom Pozorištu u Beogradu Continue reading Pokretači #34 Nataša Rašić – mecosopran, Beograd
Gost je Miodrag Miki Ninić. Miki je jedan od pokretača VIS Limunada (bandcamp), meni izuzetno dragog i prilično jednistvenog sastava na regionalnoj muzicoj sceni koji ozivaljava zvuk 50ih i 60ih i dodvodi ga u novo vreme. Miki je takođe i jedan od pokretača Kulturforum ODKR, organizacije koja se kroz izložbe i druge sadržaje trudi da osnaži kulturnu scenu Beograda i Srbije. Pričali smo o tome zašto … Continue reading Pokretači 2.10 Miki Ninić – VIS Limunada, Kulturforum ODKR / Beograd
Whenever September is knocking on the door, it is the beginning of the end of the year, which means the beginning of end of year listicles. I mean, I am sure there is Christmas decoration being sold in some supermarket somewhere in the US or England. The summer for me was marked by going to Primavera Sound in Barcelona for the first time and the … Continue reading Top 7 songs of 2017 (so far)
Originally conceived as a festival to promote the fledgling institution of a brass band 1961, Guča Trumpet Festival (aka Dragačevo Fair) evolved in the past two decades into one of the most popular festivals in Serbia and a somewhat divisive cultural institution. For all but the musical purists, Guča is much much more than an ethno-music festival. Although the festival is devoted to preserving this … Continue reading Guča: Serbia’s Dionysian spectacle of trumpets, cabbage and beer
7 songs that capture the capital’s undoubtable, but even changing swag in the past 50 years 1963: Beograde – Đorđe Marjanović Đorđe Marjanović was the first post-war pop sensation. A trained pharmacist, he was the first Yugoslav star to gyrate around the stage and have a cult following by Đokisti, as his fans were called. Đokisti even started a minor riot in Belgrade after a … Continue reading Belgrade in 7 songs
With hours to go until Obama gives his leaving address in Chicago, it would be prudent to pay attention to Lady Gaga’s most recent hit, “Perfect Illusion”,as it deals with the questions of Obama’s legacy in a very veiled way. I decided to lift the veil and observe Gaga’s well placed criticism. It should be noted that Gaga’s career followed a similar trajectory to Obama’s. … Continue reading Perfect Illusion: Gaga’s take on Obama Legacy
If there is a definition of a crap time of year it would be November, more precisely late November, cold and grey, when you start with looking over what you’ve done (and not done) last year and existential despair starts sinking in. And if there was a definition of the crap time of the week, it would be Sunday afternoon, when you’ve already celebrated the … Continue reading The Mountain Goats: Soundtrack for Shit Times
If “Vampire Weekend” and “Contra” sounded like the best final year party you’ve been to, then “Modern Vampires of the City” is a lot like the day after: slow, meditative and a bit melancholy. After all, what is there to look forward to after uni parties with Cape Cod prepsters, campus romances, and disputes with overly serious drama students, but an inevitable down of a … Continue reading TNT Review: Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City
