Elipse (band)
Encyclopedia
Elipse were a former Yugoslav rock
and soul
group from Belgrade
, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.
), Radomir Dmitrović "Đura" (guitar) and Minja Tasić (vocals), as a part of the Society for Culture and Arts Gradimir Mihajlović. The first live appearance the band had was at the at the Belgrade club Euridika on June 21, 1963, performing cover versions of The Shadows
. On Autumn of the same year, the drummer
Vladimir "Furda" Furduj joined the band, bringing along Zoran Simjanović
(keyboards
) who was also the member of his former band Siluete
. At the time, beside Radovanović and Dmitrović, the lineup also featured Božidar Knežević (vocals), Kosta Ignjatović "Gule" (saxophone
), and Bojan Hreljac (bass guitar
). However, it did not last long and the new vocalist became Slobodan "Skaka" Skakić, Ignjatović left the band and Dmitović was replaced by Simeon "Simica" Vuković (solo guitar). On the departure of Skakić, the band decided to turn to polyphonic vocals with all the members doing vocals beside their instrumental duties. For a while, the band member was also the director Aleksandar Mandić (backing vocals, tambourine
).
Elipse often performed live as a backing band for the, at the time, popular singers Ivanka Pavlović, Đorđe Marjanović, Dragan Stojnić and Miki Jevremović. With the singer Miodrag Marković, the band recorded an extended play
featuring the songs "Predaću tugu zvezdama" ("I Will Hand My Grief to the Stars"), "Ne reci sad" ("Do Not Say Now"), "Ne, nemoj nikad plakati" ("No, Do Not You Ever Cry"), and "Zaboravi me" ("Forget Me"), released by PGP-RTB
in 1965. At the time, the band had become increasingly popular, with the media propagating a rivalry with Siluete, resulting in a competition held at the Belgrade Dom Omladine, where the audience was to poll the winner. The competition, consisting of a musical performance, caricature drawing and poetry presentation, was won by Elipse with 146 votes advantage. Despite this fact, PGP-RTB did not find it as a token for good record sales, resulting in a split EP
release with the popular Niš
rock and roll singer Perica Stojančić. The EP featured Elipse and the vocal group Korali as Stojančić's backing band, and on the B-side, Elipse recorded the instrumental tracks "Signal Evrovizije" ("Eurovision Signal") and "Plaža" ("The Beach").
The success of the EP release resulted in their winning the 1966 Sajmište Guitar festival, their appearance at the Ponoćna zvona (Midnight Bells) concert held in Belgrade in front of two thousand people, and the recording of a short television movie, made at the Belgrade Zoo
. During the same year, the band released their second EP, featuring the songs "Pogledaj kroz prozor" ("Look Through The Window"), a cover version of the song "Look Through Any Window
" by The Hollies
, "Reci da me voliš" ("Say That You Love Me"), a cover version of The Beatles
song "Tell Me What You See
"), and the censored song "Maja" ("Maya"), originally entitled "Naga Maja" ("Naked Maja"). After the EP release, on April of the following year, both Siluete and Elipse had performed as the opening acts on The Searchers
concerts in Belgrade and Zrenjanin
. Soon after, due to the obligations at the architecture studies, guitarist Vuković left Elipse.
, joined the group as the new vocalist. On the arrival of Dekeng, a former member of Crni Panteri founded by the students from Congo, the band moved towards soul
music, ading a brass
section consisting of Nikola Zembić (trumpet
), Dragan Kuprijanov (saxophone) and Zoran Jurkić (saxophone, flute
). The new lineup had their first live appearance at the Belgrade Dom Sindikata, performing as an opening act for The Hollies
, getting positive reactions from both the audience and the critics. During the same year, the new lineup also released an EP, featuring the songs "Za one što na licu nose bore" ("To the Ones Who Have Wrinkles on Their Faces"), written by Vlada Kanić, and "Le Telephone" ("The Telephone"), a cover version of the French
soul singer Nino Ferrer
, and performed as an opening act for the Italian
singer Rita Pavone
concert held at Tašmajdan.
On August 1968, Elipse and Mladi Levi, as the representatives of Yugoslavia, performed at the Sofia
Peace Festival. Since the two bands had similar musical directions, they decided to have a joint performance at a park situated in the city centrum. As soon as the performance had started, the audience started clapping their hands to the rhythm of the music, which provoked the police to stop the Elipse performance after ten minutes and brutally attack the audience. Despite the indecent, Elipse got the silver medal for the second best festival performance. By the end of the same year, due to the decision of the band members to focus more on their studies, Elise disbanded.
Elipse had musically participated in the movies Nemirni (The Unrested), directed by Kokan Rakonjac, and Buđenje pacova (The Rat Molding), directed by Žika Pavlović. The material released on the singles along with the unreleased material appeared on the compilation album Elipse za prijatelje (1963-1968) (Elipse for Friends), released by Simjanović through his own independent record label
Simke Music in 1999.
, vocals), with Radomir Dmitović (guitar), Nenad Nedić (bass guitar) and Milenko Kašanin (drums), formed the band Nove Elipse (The New Elipsis). However, they did not achieve any success and in 1969, Skakić moved to England
, where he currently resides. He had been a keyboard player and vocalist in a band called Ici-la until 1987, when he had an accident in which he injured his arm. After the disbandment of Elipse in 1968, Furduj and Hreljac joined Korni Grupa
. Dekeng went to Germany
before moving to the USA where he works as a physician. The saxophonist Zoran Jurkić moved to Denmark
where he started working at a Porche service.
Zoran Simjanović
started working as a composer, recording music for theatre and film. He wrote an autobiographical book called Kako sam postao (i prestao da budem) roker (How I Started (and Stopped) Being a Rocker), released by Narodna Knjiga in 2004. The promotion of the book also included a concert held on November 22, 2004, at the Belgrade Dom Sindikata, where both the Siluete and Elipse members appeared as performers. Guest appearances also featured Seka Kojadinović, Janez Bončina, and the group Valjevski Dečaci.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
group from Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, notable as one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.
The beat years (1962-1967)
The band was formed in 1962 by Momčilo "Moma" Radovanović (guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
), Radomir Dmitrović "Đura" (guitar) and Minja Tasić (vocals), as a part of the Society for Culture and Arts Gradimir Mihajlović. The first live appearance the band had was at the at the Belgrade club Euridika on June 21, 1963, performing cover versions of The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
. On Autumn of the same year, the drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Vladimir "Furda" Furduj joined the band, bringing along Zoran Simjanović
Zoran Simjanovic
Zoran Simjanović , was born in Belgrade on 11 May 1946. At the age of six he learned the piano, then went to the Mokranjac music school and then to the Belgrade music academy. Since 1961 he founded and played in some of the most popular rock'n'roll groups in Yugoslavia and abroad...
(keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
) who was also the member of his former band Siluete
Siluete
Siluete was a former Yugoslav and Serbian rock band from Belgrade, notable for being one of the pioneers of the former Yugoslav rock scene.-1961 - 1971:...
. At the time, beside Radovanović and Dmitrović, the lineup also featured Božidar Knežević (vocals), Kosta Ignjatović "Gule" (saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
), and Bojan Hreljac (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
). However, it did not last long and the new vocalist became Slobodan "Skaka" Skakić, Ignjatović left the band and Dmitović was replaced by Simeon "Simica" Vuković (solo guitar). On the departure of Skakić, the band decided to turn to polyphonic vocals with all the members doing vocals beside their instrumental duties. For a while, the band member was also the director Aleksandar Mandić (backing vocals, tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
).
Elipse often performed live as a backing band for the, at the time, popular singers Ivanka Pavlović, Đorđe Marjanović, Dragan Stojnić and Miki Jevremović. With the singer Miodrag Marković, the band recorded an extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
featuring the songs "Predaću tugu zvezdama" ("I Will Hand My Grief to the Stars"), "Ne reci sad" ("Do Not Say Now"), "Ne, nemoj nikad plakati" ("No, Do Not You Ever Cry"), and "Zaboravi me" ("Forget Me"), released by PGP-RTB
PGP-RTB
PGP-RTB was a major record label and chain record store in the former SFR Yugoslavia based in Belgrade, Socialist Republic of Serbia. PGP-RTB was established in 1958...
in 1965. At the time, the band had become increasingly popular, with the media propagating a rivalry with Siluete, resulting in a competition held at the Belgrade Dom Omladine, where the audience was to poll the winner. The competition, consisting of a musical performance, caricature drawing and poetry presentation, was won by Elipse with 146 votes advantage. Despite this fact, PGP-RTB did not find it as a token for good record sales, resulting in a split EP
Split album
A split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs released in the same nature, which can be referred to as split singles and split EPs respectively...
release with the popular Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
rock and roll singer Perica Stojančić. The EP featured Elipse and the vocal group Korali as Stojančić's backing band, and on the B-side, Elipse recorded the instrumental tracks "Signal Evrovizije" ("Eurovision Signal") and "Plaža" ("The Beach").
The success of the EP release resulted in their winning the 1966 Sajmište Guitar festival, their appearance at the Ponoćna zvona (Midnight Bells) concert held in Belgrade in front of two thousand people, and the recording of a short television movie, made at the Belgrade Zoo
Belgrade Zoo
Belgrade Good Hope Garden is the zoo in Belgrade situated at the very center of the city, in the Kalemegdan park. It was founded in 1936.It covers an area of , and has 2,000 animals of 270 species, and beside wild animals it abounds in domestic animals too....
. During the same year, the band released their second EP, featuring the songs "Pogledaj kroz prozor" ("Look Through The Window"), a cover version of the song "Look Through Any Window
Look Through Any Window
"Look Through Any Window" is a song by British Beat group the Hollies. It was the first American Top-40 hit for them, peaking at #32 in January 1966. It reached #4 in their homeland...
" by The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
, "Reci da me voliš" ("Say That You Love Me"), a cover version of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
song "Tell Me What You See
Tell Me What You See
"Tell Me What You See" is a Beatles song that first appeared on their United Kingdom album Help! and the United States album Beatles VI. As with all Beatles compositions by either of the two, the song is credited to Lennon–McCartney, and according to Paul McCartney it was written 60% by him, 40% by...
"), and the censored song "Maja" ("Maya"), originally entitled "Naga Maja" ("Naked Maja"). After the EP release, on April of the following year, both Siluete and Elipse had performed as the opening acts on The Searchers
The Searchers
The Searchers may refer to:* The Searchers , a 1956 American movie** The novel it was based on, by Alan Le May* The Searchers , a music group* The Searchers , a 2009 Iranian television show* A comic from Caliber Comics...
concerts in Belgrade and Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin is a city and municipality located in the eastern part of Serbian province of Vojvodina. It is the administrative centre of the Central Banat District of Serbia...
. Soon after, due to the obligations at the architecture studies, guitarist Vuković left Elipse.
The soul years (1967-1968)
After Vuković's departure, on the Spring of 1967, Edi Dekeng, a foreign student from CongoCongo Basin
The Congo Basin is the sedimentary basin that is the drainage of the Congo River of west equatorial Africa. The basin begins in the highlands of the East African Rift system with input from the Chambeshi River, the Uele and Ubangi Rivers in the upper reaches and the Lualaba River draining wetlands...
, joined the group as the new vocalist. On the arrival of Dekeng, a former member of Crni Panteri founded by the students from Congo, the band moved towards soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
music, ading a brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
section consisting of Nikola Zembić (trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
), Dragan Kuprijanov (saxophone) and Zoran Jurkić (saxophone, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
). The new lineup had their first live appearance at the Belgrade Dom Sindikata, performing as an opening act for The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
, getting positive reactions from both the audience and the critics. During the same year, the new lineup also released an EP, featuring the songs "Za one što na licu nose bore" ("To the Ones Who Have Wrinkles on Their Faces"), written by Vlada Kanić, and "Le Telephone" ("The Telephone"), a cover version of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
soul singer Nino Ferrer
Nino Ferrer
Nino Ferrer was a famous French – Italian singer, actor and jazz musician.- From prehistory to jazz :...
, and performed as an opening act for the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
singer Rita Pavone
Rita Pavone
Rita Pavone is an Italian ballad and rock singer who enjoyed success through the 1960s. Pavone is also an actress.-Singing career:...
concert held at Tašmajdan.
On August 1968, Elipse and Mladi Levi, as the representatives of Yugoslavia, performed at the Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
Peace Festival. Since the two bands had similar musical directions, they decided to have a joint performance at a park situated in the city centrum. As soon as the performance had started, the audience started clapping their hands to the rhythm of the music, which provoked the police to stop the Elipse performance after ten minutes and brutally attack the audience. Despite the indecent, Elipse got the silver medal for the second best festival performance. By the end of the same year, due to the decision of the band members to focus more on their studies, Elise disbanded.
Elipse had musically participated in the movies Nemirni (The Unrested), directed by Kokan Rakonjac, and Buđenje pacova (The Rat Molding), directed by Žika Pavlović. The material released on the singles along with the unreleased material appeared on the compilation album Elipse za prijatelje (1963-1968) (Elipse for Friends), released by Simjanović through his own independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
Simke Music in 1999.
Post-breakup
On Autumn of 1967, Slobodan Skakić (organOrgan (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, vocals), with Radomir Dmitović (guitar), Nenad Nedić (bass guitar) and Milenko Kašanin (drums), formed the band Nove Elipse (The New Elipsis). However, they did not achieve any success and in 1969, Skakić moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he currently resides. He had been a keyboard player and vocalist in a band called Ici-la until 1987, when he had an accident in which he injured his arm. After the disbandment of Elipse in 1968, Furduj and Hreljac joined Korni Grupa
Korni Grupa
Korni Grupa was a former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade. Korni Grupa was one of the first former Yugoslav rock bands to achieve major mainstream popularity. The band's first releases were commercial pop-oriented songs. Korni Grupa later turned towards progressive rock, continuing, however, to...
. Dekeng went to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
before moving to the USA where he works as a physician. The saxophonist Zoran Jurkić moved to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
where he started working at a Porche service.
Zoran Simjanović
Zoran Simjanovic
Zoran Simjanović , was born in Belgrade on 11 May 1946. At the age of six he learned the piano, then went to the Mokranjac music school and then to the Belgrade music academy. Since 1961 he founded and played in some of the most popular rock'n'roll groups in Yugoslavia and abroad...
started working as a composer, recording music for theatre and film. He wrote an autobiographical book called Kako sam postao (i prestao da budem) roker (How I Started (and Stopped) Being a Rocker), released by Narodna Knjiga in 2004. The promotion of the book also included a concert held on November 22, 2004, at the Belgrade Dom Sindikata, where both the Siluete and Elipse members appeared as performers. Guest appearances also featured Seka Kojadinović, Janez Bončina, and the group Valjevski Dečaci.
External links
- Elipse at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
- Elipse at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Elipse at YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Elipse at Rateyourmusic
- Elipse in the TV show TV lica kao sav normalan svet, rts.rs