Kontraritam
Encyclopedia
Kontraritam was a New Wave
band from Novi Sad
, notable as the first 2 Tone
/ska
band in Serbia
.
), Robert "Robi" Radić (drums
), Jan Pavlov (keyboards
, vocals), Dimitrije "Mita" Radulović (bass guitar
, vocals). The band also featured guitarist Sreten "Srele" Kovačević who left his former band Pekinška Patka
after the release of their debut album Plitka poezija
. Beside the guitar, Kovačević played saxophone
, which he took up playing a few months before joining the band. After a few club appearances and with the help of Vitomir "Vita" Simurdić, the band managed to appear on the Subotica
Youth Festival. Even though the band did not win the festival, it got positive reactions from the audience and critics.
In December 1980, the band appeared at the Grok Festival, held at the Novi Sad
fair. They also played as an opening act for Haustor
, Prljavo Kazalište
and Idoli. With the help of the producer Aleksandar "Aca" Pražić, the band recorded a few songs, which provided the media presentation of the band. The following year, after the performance at the Hipodrom Festival, Radulović, who went to serve the Yugoslav People's Army
, was replaced by Boris "Bora" Oslovčan, Kovačević's former Pekinška Patka bandmate. Soon after, the band signed a contract with the Beograd Disk record label, but the material recorded for the debut album was released by Jugoton
in June 1982. Kontraritam
was recorded in the "Meta Sound" studio and featured the recordings of both Radulović and Oslovčan on bass. The recording of the track "Zdravo, kako si" ("Hello, How Are You") which the band recorded did not appear on the album and has remained unreleased until today.
In the meantime, the band changed several lineups, but frequently performed live. Their appearance with Obojeni Program
and Grad at Dadov in Belgrade
during September 1981 was one of their best performances with the band having three encore calls. During the early 1982 the band performed mainly in Novi Sad
, but at the time the lineup changed, as Horvat and Oslovčan went to serve the army, and the new band member had become Luna
drummer Ivan Fece "Firchie" as the new guitarist. Soon after, the band ceased to exist. The band was reformed by Kovačević, Pavlov, Radulović and the new drummer Predrag "Buca" Janičić and together they performed in local clubs until the Spring of 1983, when Kovačević went to serve the army and the band split up.
, Pavlov moved to Canada
and Oslovčan moved to Russia
, working as a chef in a restaurant in Moscow
. Radić played with La Strada
and Love Hunters
and is currently the Veliki Prezir
drummer. Radulović works in Elektrovojvodina and Kovačević formed his own company Audiokonstruktor. In 2008, Kovačević and Oslovčan performed a reunion show with their former band Pekinška Patka
at Exit festival.
The song "Sretne noge" ("Happy Legs") appeared on the third place of Studio B
Diskomer top ten list and the song "Žožo, vrati se" ("Žoža, come back") appeared on the Vrući dani i vrele noći
various artists compilation. In 1994, the song "Sretne noge" appeared on the various artists compilation Niko kao ja - jugoslovenski novi talas. This is the only Kontraritam song released in compact disc
format as the self-titled album was never rereleased on CD.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band from Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, notable as the first 2 Tone
2 Tone
2 Tone is a music genre created in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae, and New Wave. It was called 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to 2 Tone Records at some point. Other labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff...
/ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
.
History
The band was formed in Autumn 1980 by former Gomila G members Žolt Horvat (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...
), Robert "Robi" Radić (drums
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 ....
), Jan Pavlov (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...
, vocals), Dimitrije "Mita" Radulović (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals). The band also featured guitarist Sreten "Srele" Kovačević who left his former band 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...
after the release of their debut album Plitka poezija
Plitka poezija
- The band :* Boris Oslovčan "Bora" — bass, backing vocals* Laslo Pihler "Laci" — drums, backing vocals* Sreten Kovačević "Srele" — guitar, backing vocals* Nebojša Čonkić "Čonta" — vocals- Additional personnel :* Marko Pešić — photography...
. Beside the guitar, Kovačević played 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...
, which he took up playing a few months before joining the band. After a few club appearances and with the help of Vitomir "Vita" Simurdić, the band managed to appear on the Subotica
Subotica
Subotica is a city and municipality in northern Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina...
Youth Festival. Even though the band did not win the festival, it got positive reactions from the audience and critics.
In December 1980, the band appeared at the Grok Festival, held at the Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
fair. They also played as an opening act for Haustor
Haustor
Haustor was a rock band from Zagreb, SR Croatia, a member of the Novi val movement, and an important act of the former Yugoslav Rock scene.- Biography :...
, Prljavo Kazalište
Prljavo kazalište
Prljavo kazalište is a rock and roll band from Zagreb, Croatia. Since its formation in 1977, the group changed several music styles and line ups but remained one of the top acts of both the Croatian and the former Yugoslav rock scenes.-Beginnings:Prljavo kazalište was formed in 1977 in Dubrava,...
and Idoli. With the help of the producer Aleksandar "Aca" Pražić, the band recorded a few songs, which provided the media presentation of the band. The following year, after the performance at the Hipodrom Festival, Radulović, who went to serve the Yugoslav People's Army
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
, was replaced by Boris "Bora" Oslovčan, Kovačević's former Pekinška Patka bandmate. Soon after, the band signed a contract with the Beograd Disk record label, but the material recorded for the debut album was released by Jugoton
Jugoton
Jugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, Socialist Republic of Croatia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia the company continued to work in independent Republic of Croatia under the name Croatia...
in June 1982. Kontraritam
Kontraritam (album)
- Personnel :* Boris Oslovčan — bass guitar* Dimitrije Radulović — bass guitar, backing vocals -* Robert Radić — drums* Horvat Žolt — guitar* Sreten Kovačević — producer, alto saxophone, guitar, backing vocals* Jan Pavlov — vocals, organ...
was recorded in the "Meta Sound" studio and featured the recordings of both Radulović and Oslovčan on bass. The recording of the track "Zdravo, kako si" ("Hello, How Are You") which the band recorded did not appear on the album and has remained unreleased until today.
In the meantime, the band changed several lineups, but frequently performed live. Their appearance with Obojeni Program
Obojeni Program
Obojeni Program is a Serbian alternative rock band from Novi Sad. The band are pioneers of the Serbian alternative rock scene. The band is also famous for giving strange names to their albums, which is explained by the fact that the first letters of all the studio albums form an acronym of their...
and Grad at Dadov in 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...
during September 1981 was one of their best performances with the band having three encore calls. During the early 1982 the band performed mainly in Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, but at the time the lineup changed, as Horvat and Oslovčan went to serve the army, and the new band member had become 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...
drummer Ivan Fece "Firchie" as the new guitarist. Soon after, the band ceased to exist. The band was reformed by Kovačević, Pavlov, Radulović and the new drummer Predrag "Buca" Janičić and together they performed in local clubs until the Spring of 1983, when Kovačević went to serve the army and the band split up.
Post-breakup and legacy
Horvat moved to GermanyGermany
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...
, Pavlov moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Oslovčan moved to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, working as a chef in a restaurant in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Radić played with La Strada
La Strada (band)
La Strada was a Serbian and former Yugoslav New Wave/alternative rock band from Novi Sad.- New Wave era :The band was formed by Slobodan Tišma also known as "Deda" , a rock veteran and poet, and called it La Strada by the Federico Fellini movie La strada...
and Love Hunters
Love Hunters
-1987—2004:The band was formed in 1987 by Milan Mumin and Aleksandar Medan . The first lineup of the band also featured Lazar Malešević and Siniša Lučić . In the beginning, the band had several lineup changes, before the first consistent lineup was formed...
and is currently the Veliki Prezir
Veliki Prezir
Veliki Prezir is a Serbian britpop/alternative rock band from Vrbas.- 1990s :...
drummer. Radulović works in Elektrovojvodina and Kovačević formed his own company Audiokonstruktor. In 2008, Kovačević and Oslovčan performed a reunion show with their former band 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...
at Exit festival.
The song "Sretne noge" ("Happy Legs") appeared on the third place of Studio B
RTV Studio B
RTV Studio B, more often called Studio B , is a radio and television broadcaster in Belgrade, Serbia, which was the first broadcast station outside the national electronic media system.-Background:...
Diskomer top ten list and the song "Žožo, vrati se" ("Žoža, come back") appeared on the Vrući dani i vrele noći
Vruci dani i vrele noci
Vrući dani i vrele noći was a compilation album released by Jugoton in 1982 in the former SFR Yugoslavia....
various artists compilation. In 1994, the song "Sretne noge" appeared on the various artists compilation Niko kao ja - jugoslovenski novi talas. This is the only Kontraritam song released in compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
format as the self-titled album was never rereleased on CD.
Studio albums
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| Kontraritam (album) - Personnel :* Boris Oslovčan — bass guitar* Dimitrije Radulović — bass guitar, backing vocals -* Robert Radić — drums* Horvat Žolt — guitar* Sreten Kovačević — producer, alto saxophone, guitar, backing vocals* Jan Pavlov — vocals, organ... |
|
Other appearances
| Title | Album | Released |
|---|---|---|
| |
Vruci dani i vrele noci Vrući dani i vrele noći was a compilation album released by Jugoton in 1982 in the former SFR Yugoslavia.... |
|
| |
jugoslovenski novi talas |
|