Igra Staklenih Perli
Encyclopedia
Igra Staklenih Perli were a former Yugoslav progressive
/psychedelic rock
band from Belgrade
.
) and his old school friends Vojkan Rakić (guitar
) and Predrag Vuković (percussion). After visiting Germany
and getting interested in the Secrets of the Oriental Pillgrims (from Hermann Hesse
's book The Glass Bead Game
, after which the band was named), Lakić decided to form a band with musical influences by Can
, early Pink Floyd
, Hawkwind
, Tangerine Dream
and Holgar Czukay. Until the arrival of the bass guitar
ist Draško "Dracula" Nikodijević, the band did not appear live.
Their first live appearances were at the Amateur Theatre Tokovi festival in Voždovac
and in the Dadov Theatre. In 1977, drummer
Dragan Šoć was included into the lineup. Having played numerous free concerts at Belgrade
's SKC
and Belgrade's Block 45, the band established cult status and was offered to record an album. In 1978 they entered the studio and recorded their debut album which featured the tracks "Gušterov trg", "Solarni modus", "Putovanje u plavo", "Pečurka" and "Majestetski kraj". They described their music as "the music of the sub-conscious". The cover was designed by Vuković. By then, the group was appearing with Goran Cvetić, a disk jockey and a journalist
, who was in charge of the light show
, slide shows and film projections during the performance. Their appearance at the Belgrade
's College of Dentistry was bootlegged by Cvetić on a simple tape recorder for his personal archive.
Following the release of the album, Draško Nikodijević left the band and was replaced by Slobodan Trbojević who was a Džuboks magazine journalist. The second album was recorded from August 1979 until January 1980. Vrt svetlosti (The Garden Of Light) was produced by Aleksandar Pilipenka. Cover art was designed by Vuković and designer Dejan Popov, but the first version of the cover was refused by PGP-RTB
. The album featured five tracks: "Igrač", "Čarobnjaci", "Vrt svetlosti", "Lunarni Modus" and "Sanjaš". After the release, Vojkan Rakić was replaced by Ivan Pajević. This lineup did not last long and the band stopped performing. Their last public appearance was in 1985, in the Sava Center
Concert Hall in Belgrade, on the occasion of the group concert dedicated to the anniversary of the music magazine ITD. Recordings for the third album with the work title ISP III were never released, but can be heard on the band's official MySpace (tracks "Amsterdam" and "Serbian Reageae").
drummer Ivan Fece, former Luna
and Pekinška Patka
guitarist Zoran "Bale" Bulatović, Električni Orgazam
keyboard player Ljubomir Ðukić formed the super group Collateral Damage.
During the summer of 1991, the remaining members, with Thomas Werner, the owner of Kalemegdan Disk record label, released three Igra Stalkenih Perli LPs. The first one, Soft Explosion Live, was Cvetić's recording of the Belgrade's College of Dentistry bootleg which features tracks from the first album. In 1993, the album was re-released, reproduced and the some of the tracks were shortened and the track "Majestic End" was replaced by "Soft Explosion". The next release was Inner Flow which featured unreleased material from 1976 until 1979. The third and final German
release was Drives, which featured recordings from a four hours session recorded in April 1977, backed with rerecordings made by Rakić, Vuković and keyboard player Zoran Zagorčić (from the band Du Du A
). Most of the album covers were designed by Vuković.
In 2007 remastered editions of both LPs
appeared in Serbia and Germany. PGP-RTS
label Retrologija, under which remastered LPs were released, published both studio albums on one CD entitled Igra Svetlosti (The Game Of Light). German label Second Harvest remastered and expanded both albums on separate CDs. The first LP was expanded with live tracks from Soft Explosion Live, while Vrt svetlosti was expanded with the recordings from Inner Flow.
musicians of that time played with the band as guests. Out of the regular team, the following took part: guitar players such as Goran Vejvoda
, Ivan Pajević, Aleksandar Žikić (well-known rock critic), guitar player and poet Boyan Kveder, keyboard player Zoran Zagorčić (from Električni Orgazam
), and drummer Ivica Vdović Vd (from Šarlo Akrobata
). The only female vocal as guest, on the second Igra Staklenih Perli album Vrt svetlosti, was Dragana Šarić, later known as Bebi Dol (this was her debut studio recording). There were also many others who directly supported the band like photographers Goran Grbić (later well known TV lighting designer) and Gordan Skondrić.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
/psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band 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...
.
1976-1985
The band was formed in 1976 by Zoran Lakić (keyboardsKeyboard 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...
) and his old school friends Vojkan Rakić (guitar
Electric 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...
) and Predrag Vuković (percussion). After visiting 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...
and getting interested in the Secrets of the Oriental Pillgrims (from Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature...
's book The Glass Bead Game
The Glass Bead Game
The Glass Bead Game is the last full-length novel and magnum opus of the German author Hermann Hesse. Begun in 1931 and published in Switzerland in 1943, after being rejected for publication in Germany, the book was mentioned in Hesse's citation for the 1946 Nobel Prize for Literature."Glass Bead...
, after which the band was named), Lakić decided to form a band with musical influences by Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
, early Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
and Holgar Czukay. Until the arrival of the bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist Draško "Dracula" Nikodijević, the band did not appear live.
Their first live appearances were at the Amateur Theatre Tokovi festival in Voždovac
Voždovac
Voždovac is an urban neighborhood and one of 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.- Location :...
and in the Dadov Theatre. In 1977, drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Dragan Šoć was included into the lineup. Having played numerous free concerts at 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...
's SKC
Studentski kulturni centar
Studentski Kulturni Centar , abbreviated as "SKC", is a cultural centre in Belgrade, Serbia.The center opened in 1971 in the building that had up to that point been used by state security agency UDBA. The opening of SKC was seen by many as the communist regime's concession to the youth of Belgrade...
and Belgrade's Block 45, the band established cult status and was offered to record an album. In 1978 they entered the studio and recorded their debut album which featured the tracks "Gušterov trg", "Solarni modus", "Putovanje u plavo", "Pečurka" and "Majestetski kraj". They described their music as "the music of the sub-conscious". The cover was designed by Vuković. By then, the group was appearing with Goran Cvetić, a disk jockey and a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, who was in charge of the light show
Light show
Light show may refer to:*Aaron Landes* Laser lighting display * Liquid light shows* Christmas lights* Meteor shower* Wizards in Winter Christmas light show...
, slide shows and film projections during the performance. Their appearance at the 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...
's College of Dentistry was bootlegged by Cvetić on a simple tape recorder for his personal archive.
Following the release of the album, Draško Nikodijević left the band and was replaced by Slobodan Trbojević who was a Džuboks magazine journalist. The second album was recorded from August 1979 until January 1980. Vrt svetlosti (The Garden Of Light) was produced by Aleksandar Pilipenka. Cover art was designed by Vuković and designer Dejan Popov, but the first version of the cover was refused 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...
. The album featured five tracks: "Igrač", "Čarobnjaci", "Vrt svetlosti", "Lunarni Modus" and "Sanjaš". After the release, Vojkan Rakić was replaced by Ivan Pajević. This lineup did not last long and the band stopped performing. Their last public appearance was in 1985, in the Sava Center
Sava Center
For the former UK supermarket see Sainsbury's SavacentreSava Centar is an international congress, cultural and business centre of various multi-functional activities located in New Belgrade, Serbia. It is the largest audience hall in the country and entire former Yugoslavia...
Concert Hall in Belgrade, on the occasion of the group concert dedicated to the anniversary of the music magazine ITD. Recordings for the third album with the work title ISP III were never released, but can be heard on the band's official MySpace (tracks "Amsterdam" and "Serbian Reageae").
Post breakup
Nikodijević formed The White Rabbit Band and in the late 1980s moved to United States of America where his band was renamed to White Rabbit Cult. Nikodijević, with Ekatarina VelikaEkatarina Velika
Ekatarina Velika , sometimes referred to as EKV for short, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock group from Belgrade, being one of the most successful and influential music acts coming out of former Yugoslavia....
drummer Ivan Fece, former Luna
Luna (Novi Sad band)
Luna was a Serbian and former Yugoslav post-punk/gothic rock band from Novi Sad.Formed on the ashes of the New Wave band La Strada and getting the name by the Bernardo Bertolucci film La Luna, Luna quickly gained the public's attention and established a cult status...
and Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka
Pekinška Patka is an eminent Serbian and former Yugoslav punk rock band from Novi Sad. Their debut album, Plitka poezija, released in 1980, is considered the first punk rock album by a band coming from Serbia...
guitarist Zoran "Bale" Bulatović, Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of New Wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed their style, becoming a mainstream rock act.- New Wave years :...
keyboard player Ljubomir Ðukić formed the super group Collateral Damage.
During the summer of 1991, the remaining members, with Thomas Werner, the owner of Kalemegdan Disk record label, released three Igra Stalkenih Perli LPs. The first one, Soft Explosion Live, was Cvetić's recording of the Belgrade's College of Dentistry bootleg which features tracks from the first album. In 1993, the album was re-released, reproduced and the some of the tracks were shortened and the track "Majestic End" was replaced by "Soft Explosion". The next release was Inner Flow which featured unreleased material from 1976 until 1979. The third and final German
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...
release was Drives, which featured recordings from a four hours session recorded in April 1977, backed with rerecordings made by Rakić, Vuković and keyboard player Zoran Zagorčić (from the band Du Du A
Du Du A
Du Du A is a Serbian alternative rock band from Belgrade.- History :Du Du A was formed in 1981 by the former Grupa I member Dejan Kostić and the former VIA Talas member Vuk Vujačić. The two started writing material which featured a combination of funk, reggae and dance music...
). Most of the album covers were designed by Vuković.
In 2007 remastered editions of both LPs
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
appeared in Serbia and Germany. PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS
PGP-RTS is a major record label based in Belgrade, Serbia. It is a successor of PGP-RTB which was established in 1958 in Belgrade, then capital of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
label Retrologija, under which remastered LPs were released, published both studio albums on one CD entitled Igra Svetlosti (The Game Of Light). German label Second Harvest remastered and expanded both albums on separate CDs. The first LP was expanded with live tracks from Soft Explosion Live, while Vrt svetlosti was expanded with the recordings from Inner Flow.
Collaborations
Many BelgradeBelgrade
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...
musicians of that time played with the band as guests. Out of the regular team, the following took part: guitar players such as Goran Vejvoda
Goran Vejvoda
Goran Vejvoda is an English-born, French-based, media artist ....
, Ivan Pajević, Aleksandar Žikić (well-known rock critic), guitar player and poet Boyan Kveder, keyboard player Zoran Zagorčić (from Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of New Wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed their style, becoming a mainstream rock act.- New Wave years :...
), and drummer Ivica Vdović Vd (from Šarlo Akrobata
Šarlo Akrobata
Šarlo Akrobata were a seminal Yugoslav rock band often categorized as late punk or New Wave, particularly art-oriented. Short-lived but extremely influential, in addition to being one of the most important acts of the Yugoslav New Wave scene, the three piece left an indelible mark on the entire...
). The only female vocal as guest, on the second Igra Staklenih Perli album Vrt svetlosti, was Dragana Šarić, later known as Bebi Dol (this was her debut studio recording). There were also many others who directly supported the band like photographers Goran Grbić (later well known TV lighting designer) and Gordan Skondrić.