Rock pioneers (late 1950s – late 1960s) The first rock acts emerged in the late 1950s. Influenced by the
rock and roll and
rockabilly acts, many 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, often considered the first Serbian or even Yugoslav rock and roll musician. He rose to fame at the dances he and his band Septet M organized at
Red Star basketball courts at
Kalemegdan. Although Lojpur did not make any recordings, he had a great influence on subsequent development of the scene. Another notable rock and roll artist was
Perica Stojančić from
Niš, whose debut single was released in 1961. The singer
Đorđe Marjanović became the first Yugoslav
superstar. Despite essentially being a
schlager singer, Marjanović also performed rock and roll songs. He is also notable as the first Yugoslav
popular music singer who had an energetic on-scene appearance. He was the first pop singer to walk off the stage into the audience and perform songs in theatrical manner. His popularity led to the release of his album in 1959, the first popular music solo album released by
PGP-RTB, the biggest Serbian record label. The media often promoted rivalry between Siluete and Elipse. Initially formed as a beat band, Elipse moved to
soul music and added a
brass section when they were joined by vocalist Edi Dekeng, an African student from
Congo, in 1967. 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 (1973), which became one of the best selling Yugoslav rock albums of the 1970s. The band continued to release 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 the second half of the 1970s, competitive with the band
Bijelo Dugme from
Sarajevo. Smak released several hit singles before releasing their
self-titled debut in 1975, considered to be one of the most successful debut albums in
former Yugoslavia. The band's later releases,
Satelit (1976),
Crna dama (1977) and
Stranice našeg vremena (1978), saw similar success, but the band disbanded in 1981 for the similar reasons like YU Grupa. The band reunited and disbanded several more times during the 1980s and 1990s, releasing albums that saw little commercial success, although the 2012 reunion of the band's default lineup saw large interest by the audience and covering in the media. 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 several 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 the legacy of the
Yugoslav Partisans 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 (1979) and
Odlazi cirkus (1980), before disbanding in 1981. With the release of the album
Pub (1982), Balašević started a very successful solo career, spanning up to the present, establishing himself as the most popular Serbian singer-songwriter. frontman
Bora Đorđević performing in 2009 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 (1985) the band, although still generally fitting into hard rock, started gradually turning towards softer sound, managing to sustain their popularity throughout the decade. 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 president
Slobodan Milošević and he demonstrated his attitude by writing a number of anti-government songs released on Riblja Čorba albums
Zbogom, Srbijo (1993),
Ostalo je ćutanje (1996) and
Nojeva barka (1999), and on his solo album
Njihovi dani (1996). 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 (1979). In 1984, she recorded a highly popular ballad "Princeza" with
Dado Topić. During the 1990s and 2000s, she experimented with various musical genres and her popularity heavily declined. Bebi Dol and Oliver Mandić both used simple
pop rock forms combined with
jazz,
synthpop and
folk music. Bebi Dol, born Dragana Šarić, with her debut single "Mustafa" (1981) quickly gained the public's attention. Her debut album
Ruže i krv (1983) gained positive reviews and good commercial reception. 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 (1995), her popularity declined and she withdrew from performing in the late 1990s, returning in the early 2000s. Oliver Mandić, though active in the 1970s as a member of various progressive rock bands, it was his debut album
Probaj me (1980) that brought him the nationwide popularity. With hits appearing on his albums
Zbog tebe bih tucao kamen (1982) and
Dođe mi da vrisnem tvoje ime (1985), controversial stage performance and clothing style, Mandić achieved large attention and high record sales. In the early 1990s he semi-retired, appearing occasionally only until today. 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 commercially most successful albums,
Distorzija (1986) and
Letim, sanjam, dišem (1988), the latter featuring 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! (1994) and
A um bum (1999). In 2007, Električni Orgazam performed as an opening act for
The Rolling Stones, on the concert held at the Belgrade
Ušće park.
Idoli, after releasing their debut
Odbrana i poslednji dani (1982), recorded their second studio album,
Čokolada (1983), which featured 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 (1985) in the 1960s pop rock manner, the band split up and
Vlada Divljan released his debut album
Tajni život A. P. Šandorova (1988), stylistically similar to the previous Idoli releases. The band
Zana, fronted by vocalist
Zana Nimani, after their early new wave works moved towards synthpop and pop rock, releasing successful albums
Dodirni mi kolena (1982) and
Natrag na voz (1983). After the departure of frontress Zana Nimani in 1984, the band changed several vocalists, gradually moving away from the rock scene towards pop music. The reformed
Piloti released the highly successful album
Kao ptica na mom dlanu in 1987. With the following albums,
Osmeh letnje noći (1988) and
Neka te bog čuva za mene (1990), the band maintained their popularity, which even increased in the 1990s with the
Zaboravljeni soundtrack album (1993). However, the band disbanded in 1997 and, in the meantime, Piloti frontman
Zoran "Kiki" Lesendrić released the album
Nedelja na Duhove (1995) 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
synthpop and pop rock) and
Laki Pingvini (which moved towards synthpop and
New Romantic). performing in 2009 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. Bajaga i Instruktori entered the 1990s as one of the most popular Serbian rock acts, managing to maintain the gained popularity through the 1990s. The mid-1980s pop rock bands
Amajlija,
Poslednja Igra Leptira,
Divlji Anđeli,
Slomljena Stakla,
Ruž,
Alisa,
Banana,
Jugosloveni,
Bel Tempo and
Vampiri had a vast number of album sales, however, the majority of them disbanded before reaching the 1990s, or at the very beginning of the decade. 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. Bel Tempo, formed in 1986 by brother and sister Vlada and
Suzana Petričević, released two pop rock albums with jazz elements before disbanding in 1992. Vampiri's 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. performing in 2016 Popular rock acts of the late 1980s and the 1990s were
Galija,
Partibrejkers and
Dejan Cukić. 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
garage/
punk rock band Partibrejkers gained large popularity with the albums
Partibrejkers I (1985),
Partibrejkers II (1988),
Partibrejkers III (1989) and
Kiselo i slatko (1994). 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). performing in 2007 Popular acts of the 1990s include
Del Arno Band,
Van Gogh,
Babe,
Prljavi Inspektor Blaža i Kljunovi,
Familija, and the Belgrade fraction of the band
Zabranjeno Pušenje. 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. in 2007 The 2000s featured popular bands
Negative,
Neverne Bebe and
Night Shift. The power pop band Negative, featuring the former
Tap 011 vocalist
Ivana Peters, formed in 1999, released several successful albums and had successful appearances on several musical festivals.
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 and featuring rerecorded versions of the band's old songs, after which they became one of the top mainstream acts of the Serbian scene. 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. Beside the mentioned bands, the veterans of the Serbian rock scene,
YU Grupa, with their comeback
Dugo znamo se (2005),
Đorđe Balašević, with the albums
Dnevnik starog momka (2001) and
Rani mraz (2004),
Riblja Čorba, with
Pišanje uz vetar (2001),
Ovde (2003),
Trilogija (2007) and
Minut sa njom (2009),
Bajaga i Instruktori, with
Zmaj od Noćaja (2001),
Šou počinje u ponoć (2005) and
Daljina, dim i prašina (2012),
Električni Orgazam with
Harmonajzer (2002) and
To što vidiš to i jeste (2010),
Galija with
Dobro jutro, to sam ja (2005) and
Mesto pored prozora (2010),
Partibrejkers, with
Gramzivost i pohlepa (2002) and
Sloboda ili ništa (2007), and
Van Gogh, with
DrUnder (2002),
Kolo (2006) and
Lavirint (2009), maintained their popularity throughout the 2000s and early 2010s.
Acoustic rock (late 1960 – mid-1970s, early 1990s – present) The Serbian 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 Hleba,
Vlada i Bajka,
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"). The pioneers of the Serbian acoustic rock scene were the bands Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba, Vlada i Bajka and S Vremena Na Vreme. Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba, which was also a theatre group, formed by Maja de Rado and
Jugoslav Vlahović in 1968, released their only album
Stvaranje in 1974, and disbanded in 1975. The duo Vlada i Bajka saw success with their early recordings, but disbanded in 1975. In 1993, the duo reunited, and recorded their first full-length album,
Ja nisam ja (1994), which featured the hit song "Beograd", recorded with singers
Bora Đorđević and
Dušan Prelević, and actors
Dragan Nikolić,
Nikola Kojo and
Dragan Bjelogrlić. Acoustic/
progressive rock band S Vremena Na Vreme, formed in 1972, were, beside being a pioneers of the acoustic scene, one of the 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. Lutajuća Srca, formed in 1970 in
Niš, released many 7-inch singles and four studio albums, and remains best known for their hits "Još malo", "Jefimija" and "Brod za sreću". DAG, formed in 1972, although a part of the Belgrade acoustic rock scene, used electric instruments on their only studio album
Sećanja (1974). One of the last acoustic rock bands, Suncokret, appeared in 1975, featuring
Bora Đorđević and Nenad Božić on acoustic guitars and vocals and two female vocalists,
Biljana Krstić and
Gorica Popović. The band started releasing
folk music-inspired singles and, in 1977, released their only album,
Moje bube. The following year, having written the song "
Lutka sa naslovne strane", which the band refused to perform, Đorđević, together with Krstić, left the band, moving to
Rani Mraz. 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 the singer-songwriter
Srđan Marjanović during the first several years of his career. 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 music in the following decade. Bora Đorđević's and
Arsen Dedić's 1987 unplugged performance in
Terazije Theatre, released on 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 more often. The first official unplugged live album was released by the
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 and
Garavi Sokak, all held in 1996, and
Love Hunters, held in 1998, were released on live albums throughout the late 1990s.
YU Grupa released only a part of their 1996 unplugged concert in Studio M, featuring
Kornelije Kovač on piano, on their 2007 album
Live. An unplugged album was also released by
Generacija 5 in 2002, but their unplugged concert, held in 1995, was not a 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 on 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 featured only a few notable releases. In 2000, Dejan Cukić recorded an acoustic
Bob Dylan tribute
Divlji med, featuring
Serbian language lyrics. In 2002,
Block Out leader
Nikola Vranjković released a solo album
Zaovdeilizaponeti, featuring lyrics from his 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 in 2010.
Singer-songwriters (early 1970s – present) performing in 2010 Serbian rock scene featured several notable singer-songwriters. One of the most important authors was
Đorđe Balašević. He started his career in the 1970s as a member of the band
Žetva and the leader of the band
Rani Mraz, before starting, with the release of the album
Pub (1982), a very successful solo career 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, with some of his works, like
Na posletku... (1996) and
Rani mraz (2004) being entirely
folk rock-oriented. Balašević's lyrics often dealt with humorous or political- and social-related themes. Other notable singer-songwriters are
Srđan Marjanović and
Nikola Čuturilo. Initially a part of the Belgrade acoustic rock scene, Srđan Marjanović released his debut album
Srđan Marjanović i prijatelji, which he recorded with members of
YU Grupa, in 1974. During his career he released twelve studio albums. Nikola Čuturilo rose to fame as the guitarist for
Riblja Čorba. He released his first solo album,
9 lakih komada (1988), while still a member of Riblja Čorba. He left the band in 1989, continuing his solo career which spans up to the present day.
Progressive and psychedelic rock (late 1960s – early 1980s) Progressive rock dominated the Serbian rock scene throughout the 1970s, with the acts such as
Dogovor iz 1804.,
Korni Grupa,
YU Grupa,
Smak,
Pop Mašina,
Dah,
S Vremena Na Vreme,
Opus,
Tako, and
Igra Staklenih Perli being the most notable representatives. With the emergence of the
new wave scene at the beginning of the 1980s, Serbian progressive rock bands saw the decline of popularity and most of them ceased to exist.
Dogovor iz 1804. was short-lived, but played a pioneering role on a Yugoslav progressive rock scene as one of the first bands to move away from the 1960s
rhythm and blues sound. They were followed by
Korni Grupa. Formed in 1968 by
Kornelije Kovač, the band had gone through many lineup changes and featured many famous musicians, including vocalists
Dušan Prelević,
Dalibor Brun,
Dado Topić,
Zdravko Čolić and
Zlatko Pejaković. 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 Kornelyans, 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. performing in 2007
YU Grupa, formed in 1970 by former
Džentlmeni members, brothers
Dragi and
Žika Jelić, were one of the pioneers in incorporating elements of
traditional music of the Balkans into rock, and achieved huge popularity with their fusion of progressive/
hard rock and folk found on their
7-inch singles. 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 by guitarist
Radomir Mihajlović Točak, often considered one of the top and most influential guitarist on the former Yugoslav rock scene, and drummer
Dejan Stojanović "Kepa", did not get a default lineup until 1975 by which time bassist
Zoran Milanović, vocalist
Boris Aranđelović and keyboard player
Laza Ristovski consisted the official band membership. Smak performed
jazz-influenced progressive rock, but also incorporated elements of folk,
blues and hard rock into their sound. The band achieved huge popularity in the 1970s, with their releases
Smak (1975),
Satelit (1976),
Crna dama (1977) and
Stranice našeg vremena (1978). However, the band's popularity heavily declined at the beginning of the 1980s. Smak disbanded in 1981, and reunited and disbanded several times since.
Pop Mašina, formed in 1971, performed progressive/hard rock, but their debut album
Kiselina (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. They were also one of the first former Yugoslav rock bands to incorporate folk music elements into their songs. The band's debut self-titled album, released in 1975, was widely praised by the critics. S Vremena Na Vreme disbanded in 1981, but reunited in 1993, and disbanded once again in 1997.
Dah, formed in 1972 and led by guitarist
Zlatko Manojlović, also combined progressive rock with folk. 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 (1976) and disbanded shortly after. In 1977, 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 by former YU Grupa organist Miodrag Okrugić. The band disbanded after releasing only one symphonic rock-oriented album,
Opus 1 (1975), with
Dušan Prelević on vocals. 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. 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 the 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 (decade) turned towards
pop rock sound.
Hard rock and heavy metal (early 1970s – present) Although some of the 1960s bands performed covers of songs by
hard rock pioneers like
Cream and
Jimi Hendrix Experience, hard rock gained large popularity in the early 1970s with the works of
progressive rock 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
rhythm and blues towards harder sound. Their sound featured
progressive, hard,
psychedelic and
acid rock elements. Pop Mašina disbanded in 1977. 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. Since their comeback album,
Od zlata jabuka (1987), their work has been mostly hard rock-oriented. Smak, formed in 1971, performed
jazz-influenced progressive rock, but their sound often featured hard rock,
blues and folk elements. The band moved towards more commercial hard rock at the beginning of the 1980s with the album
Rock cirkus, but the album saw little success and the band disbanded shortly after, having constant reunions disbandments throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The late 1970s featured the appearance of hard rock bands
Generacija 5 and
Riblja Čorba, the latter one becoming one of the most notable acts of Serbian and former Yugoslav rock scene. Generacija 5, formed in 1977, managed to gain a loyal fan base with their albums
Generacija 5 (1980) and
Dubler (1982), but disbanded in 1982. In 1985, the band's former leader, keyboardist
Dragan Ilić wrote the music for the song "
Za milion godina", which was recorded by a group of Yugoslav musicians (including former members of Generacija 5) as a contribution to
Live Aid. Generacija 5 reunited in 1992, but has released only two studio albums since. Their 2006 album
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 (1979) saw huge success, and the band became very popular in a few months period. The albums
Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti (1981),
Mrtva priroda (1981) and
Buvlja pijaca (1982), 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 (1984) was poorly received, and after its release Kojić and Bajagić were excluded from the band. However, the band triumphed with the following album,
Istina (1985), recorded with guitarists
Vidoja Božinović and
Nikola Čuturilo. 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. performing in 2011 The beginning of the 1980s saw the appearance of first
traditional heavy metal releases, most notably by
Gordi,
Rok Mašina and
Ratnici, and the new generation of hard rock bands, most notably
Kerber,
Griva and
Balkan. In 1981, progressive/hard rock band Gordi, formed in 1977, released 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. During the same year, former Pop Mašina members formed the short-lasting hard rock band Rok Mašina, which disbanded in 1982, after releasing only one
album. A part of the material the band intended to release on their second studio album was released in 1983 on the
heavy metal-oriented EP
Izrod na granici. 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 (1984), that launched them to fame. The band's melodic hard rock sound was well received, and their following two albums,
Seobe (1986) and
Ljudi i bogovi (1988), kept them on the top of Yugoslav hard rock scene. The band Osvajači released their debut glam metal-oriented album
Krv i led, which they recorded with
Laza Ristovski on keyboards, in 1990, while their second album
Sam (1995) 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. The late 1980s also saw the emergence of the first
extreme metal acts, which saw little mainstream popularity in Serbia and former Yugoslavia in general 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, moved to Belgrade after the beginning of the
Bosnian War, 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, with most of the bands being gathered around Belgrade
Radio 202. The most notable bands of the movement were 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 parodies
turbo folk combining it with heavy metal and humorous lyrics, gained popularity in the 2000s, despite being active since the early 1990s. Another notable acts of the 2000s and 2010s include
black metal bands
May Result and
The Stone,
gothic metal band
Abonos,
death/doom metal band
Rain Delay,
industrial/
alternative metal band
Trigger, and others. The 2000s also saw the revival of the hard rock scene. The hard rock band
Cactus Jack, influenced by the
1970s hard rock, was formed in 1998, but saw their commercial success in the 2000s. 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 second half of the decade featured the appearance of new hard rock acts, like
Atlantida,
Art Diler,
Death Saw, and others.
Blues-rock (late 1970s – present) performing in 2010 Despite the facts that many 1960s rock bands, such as
Crni Biseri,
Daltoni,
Elipse, and others performed
rhythm and blues, and many 1970s
progressive and
hard rock bands, such as
Pop Mašina,
YU Grupa,
Smak and
Riblja Čorba, incorporated
blues elements 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 many notable blues/
blues-rock bands 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
Hometown in 1998. In 1999, Ana Popović moved to
Netherlands and started a successful international career. The 2000s brought a new generation of blues rock bands:
Šinobusi (formed in 2001),
Texas Flood (formed in 2004),
Cotton Pickers (formed in 2004), and others.
Punk rock, post-punk and gothic rock (late 1970s – present) The development of
punk rock in Serbia started in
Novi Sad with the bands
Pekinška Patka and Gomila G, both formed in 1978. Pekinška Patka, formed by vocalist Nebojša Čonkić, 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 initially performed cover versions of
Ramones and
Sex Pistols songs, but soon started writing their own songs. 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
condoms on stage, made the media turn against the two bands, even asking for banning of their public appearances. 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 Festival Omladina 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 (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 (1982), and
Idoli, on their debut
Odbrana i poslednji dani (1982), and the
alternative rock band
Ekatarina Velika, firstly called Katarina II, on the albums
Katarina II (1984),
Ekatarina Velika (1985) and ''
S' vetrom uz lice'' (1986). performing in 2003 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-1980s the former vocalist of the punk rock band Radost Evrope, Velibor Miljković performed as a solo act using the pseudonym
Toni Montano, and his albums 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 the band
Trula Koalicija in 1986 with the vocalist Predrag "Skaki" Drčelić. performing in 2012 Punk rock continued to be popular in the 1990s with the appearance the bands
Atheist Rap and
Zbogom Brus Li 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 found on their studio albums
Maori i Crni Gonzales (1992),
Ja eventualno bih ako njega eliminišete (1996) and
II liga zapad (1998), was described by the band themselves as "happy punk". Zbogom Brus Li combined punk rock and
folk music of
Vojvodina into a style the band describes as "tamburaški punk" ("
tamburitza punk") on their albums
Penk Punk Pink Pank Ponk (1995) and
Zlobro (1997). 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
American 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, reuniting in 2010. 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 November in 2007, releasing a new album,
Radulizam in 2008. Džukele guitarist and vocalist Slobodan Vukosavljević formed the
garage rock band Nafta, which 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. The band announced the release of a cover album, featuring songs performed at the Yugoslav 1960s pop festivals.
New wave (late 1970s – early 1980s) performing in 2008 The origin of the
new wave 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, featuring guitarists
Milan Mladenović and
Dragomir Mihajlović "Gagi", performed
hard rock for two years, before adopting the new wave and
punk rock musical style on the arrival of the bassist
Dušan Kojić "Koja" and drummer
Ivan Vdović "VD". After 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 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 new wave and punk rock 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 notable new wave acts include Belgrade acts
Bulevar, fronted by later
Bajaga i Instruktori vocalist and solo singer
Dejan Cukić, which released two albums,
Loš i mlad (1981) and
Mala noćna panika (1982),
Piloti, which released albums
Piloti (1981) and
Dvadeset godina (1982) before disbanding, turning towards pop rock after their 1987 reunion, and
Kozmetika, which released only one album,
Kozmetika (1983), and Novi Sad act
Čista Proza, which released only one album,
Čista Proza (1983). Initial works of the bands
Laki Pingvini and
Zana were new wave-oriented, but these acts later moved towards more commercial pop rock and synthpop. During the early 1980s, new wave influences were present in the works of
Grupa I,
Du Du A,
Pekinška Patka,
Kontraritam,
Doktor Spira i Ljudska Bića,
La Strada,
Obojeni Program and
Gjurmët, as well as in the works of some acts that gained popularity in the 1970s, most notably
Slađana Milošević and
Laboratorija Zvuka.
Synthpop (early 1980s – mid-1980s) One of the first Serbian
synthpop 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, like
U Škripcu and
Zana, 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 (1982), featuring several hit songs, was followed by even more successful
O je! (1983) and the EP
Nove godine (1983). However, on their later releases, the band turned towards
electropop 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. In the 1990s, the band's vocalist
Milan Delčić "Delča" formed the
electronic rock band Delča & Sklekovi. Zana, named after the band's vocalist
Zana Nimani, having released their debut album (1981), made a shift towards radio-friendly
pop rock,
New Romantic and
synthpop sound with the release of their second album (1982). Despite the success of and the following album,
Natrag na voz (1983), vocalist Nimani left the band. The rest of the band continued performing as Zana, changing several vocalists and gradually turning towards pop music. Other notable synthpop acts include bands
Laki Pingvini,
D' Boys and
Jakarta. Laki Pingvini, 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, 1995 and 2006. The duo
D' Boys featuring a former
VIA Talas member Miško Petrović (also known as Miško Plavi) and a former West German
krautrock group
Jane member
Predrag Jovanović (also known as Peđa D'Boy), was formed in 1982. With the albums ''Ajd' se zezamo
(1984) and Muvanje'' (1985), the band became popular with humorous lyrical style, featuring
kitschy and frivolous motifs dealing with nightlife, parties and girls. The band disbanded in 1985, with Jovanović forming a short lived Peđa D'Boy Band and later pursuing a solo career, and Petrović joining
Piloti and then
Ekatarina Velika, and later taking up playing accordion and forming his Miško Plavi Band. The band
Jakarta, formed in 1981, released their
synth-funk-oriented debut album
Maske za dvoje in 1984, featuring several hits. However, the band moved towards
pop rock on their second album
Bomba u grudima (1986).
Funk rock (early 1980s – present) performing in 2007
Funk rock in Serbia appeared in the 1980s with the bands
Jakarta,
Heroina and
Oktobar 1864. Formed in 1981, Jakarta released their
synth-funk-oriented 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. The band Heroina, formed in 1982, featured
Zoran Janjetov, at the time already a well-known comic book artist, as vocalist. Their debut and only studio album,
Heroina, released in 1985, featured a mixture of funk and
art rock. Oktobar 1864, formed in 1984 and featuring the female vocalist
Tanja Jovićević, released 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. 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 and
Plejboj in the 1990s. Formed in 1988, Deca Loših Muzičara played a combination of funk and rock, found on their albums
Dobar dan (1992), and
Prolećni dan (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. Plejboj, formed in 1992, combined funk and
soul with
ska,
punk rock,
jazz fusion and
pop rock on their albums
Sviraj dečko (1994) and
Overdrive (1997).
Alternative rock (early 1980s–present) The alternative rock scene developed in the early 1980s with the decline of the
new wave scene, when 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 Sad 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, and the
girl band Boye whose debut album
Dosta! Dosta! Dosta! (1988) was the first Serbian
all-female release since the 1960s. leader
Dušan Kojijć "Koja" performing in 2000 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, in the initial period consisting only of Kojić and the drummer
Srđan "Žika" Todorović, combining influences from
punk rock,
funk,
jazz fusion,
motown,
jungle, and the works of
Jimi Hendrix. During the early 1990s, the band moved to London and changed the name to Discipline A Kitschme, performing with female vocalist, African-American singer Gofie Bebe, only to return to Serbia in the mid-2000s. Ekatarina Velika, 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 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. At the about same time, Subotić was closely associated with the work of the
art rock band
Heorina, which featured comic book artist
Zoran Janjetov on vocals. 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. in 2013 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 self-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). 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 combination of different musical styles, 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 featured the prominent alternative rock acts:
Dža ili Bu,
Darkwood Dub,
Presing,
Kanda, Kodža i Nebojša, and
Block Out from
Belgrade,
Obojeni Program from
Novi Sad 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 (1994) 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. Obojeni Program, although formed in 1980, released their debut album
Najvažnije je biti zdrav in 1990. 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, influenced by
Suicide, wrote plays and performed a combination of art exhibitions, theater plays and rock concerts. 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. The 2000s brought new alternative rock acts, large number of them usually denoted as Nova srpska scena (
New Serbian Scene).
Oi!, ska, hardcore and pop punk (late 1980s–present) performing in 2010 The late 1980s brought a variety of
punk rock 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 popularity. The Oi! scene, with
Ritam Nereda and
Direktori, quickly found the way to the fans 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 (1994) and
Overdrive (1997). Familija, formed in 1994, gained popularity with their ska/pop rock songs with humorous lyrics found on their albums
Narodno pozorište (1994) and
Seljačka buna (1998). However, despite the success of the releases, they disbanded in 1998. In 2003, the band's former vocalist Dejan Pejović formed the band
The Dibidus, whose albums
The Dibidus (2003) and
Trenerka i sako (2011) were stylistically similar to the works of Familija. 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 /2000) and later
Solid (2003), 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 (decade) with the work of the above-mentioned bands and the newly formed bands
Lude Krawe, formed in 1998,
Super s Karamelom, featuring two female vocalists, formed in 2003, and
Strip, initially a project by Serbian
graphic and comic book artists, which combines graphic art with
power pop and
pop punk, formed in 2005.
Industrial rock (late 1980s–present) Despite being a part of the developed Yugoslav
industrial rock scene, Serbian scene gave a small number of notable acts. One of the most notable acts was the band
VIVIsect from
Novi Sad, which was formed in 1989 and released two cassette albums. Early 1990s brought acts like Overdose from
Belgrade and also
Katarza from
Novi Sad, both whom combined industrial rock with elements of
alternative rock and
crossover. Another two notable 1990s acts were the bands
Retromind from
Kruševac and Pure from
Jagodina, both combining
Ministry-like
industrial metal with rock music. The late 1990s brought new industrial rock acts into the scene, such as
DreDDup and
Žexon 5 from
Novi Sad and
Klopka za Pionira from
Pančevo.
DreDDup released seven albums, did several European tours and also collaborated with cult Slovenian industrial group
Borghesia. The 2000s brought new bands to the scene:
Monolith from
Nis, Syphil from
Sombor, Figurative Theatre and Pornhouse from
Niš. Several notable acts incorporated industrial rock elements into their sound:
grindcore band
Urgh!, with their 2001 album
Sumo, alternative rock band
Dža ili Bu, with their 2007 album
Ultra muk, and alternative rock act,
Supernaut, drawing on many different musical influences, featured a kind of
experimental variant of industrial rock.
Grunge and post-grunge (early 1990s–present) performing in 2009 The bands
Block Out 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 (1994), 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 (1996) 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 (1998), the band moved from grunge sound towards
art rock and
alternative rock. Bjesovi released their debut
U osvit zadnjeg dana in 1991, but achieved success with the release of their second,
self-titled album (1994). 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 (2001). 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 critics, 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 released their debut album
Svaki trenutak ostaje... in 2007.
Britpop (early 1990s – present) performing in 2008
Britpop 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 released their debut album
Prisluškivanja in 1992. 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 American 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 album
Playback in 2011. In 2006, Glavaški, with a group of Serbian and Hungarian musicians formed his side project,
alternative country/
pop rock band
Rebel Star. Other notable representatives of the Serbian britpop scene are
Kristali,
Veliki Prezir,
Instant Karma and
Lutke.
Irish folk and Celtic rock (early 1990s – present) performing in 2008 The
Irish folk and
Celtic rock 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 (1994) and
The Celts Strike Again (1997), 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, performed a combination of Irish and
Serbian folk music with
punk rock, 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. Irish Stew of Sindidun, formed in 2003, having started as a cover band, 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.
New Serbian Scene (late 2000s – early 2010s) 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 released their albums through the record label Odličan Hrčak, the term was also often used to denote many young Serbian bands formed after 2000. were closely associated to the scene. The bands differed by genre: although a part of the bands were influenced by the
Yugoslav new wave and the contemporary
indie and
pop rock, not all the bands considered part of the scene were. The most notable bands which were 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,
Virvel,
Kralj Čačka 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 Croatian 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.
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. At the turn of the decades, the scene started to dissolve, as the band's started to set off towards their individual careers, with some of them, like S.A.R.S. and Zemlja Gruva, achieving large mainstream popularity and the others remaining popular in alternative rock circles only. In 2013, Popboks announced the end of its activity, publishing its final text on 25 August 2013. ==References==