Zabranjeno pušenje
Encyclopedia
Zabranjeno Pušenje is a Yugoslavian
garage rock
band from Sarajevo
, closely associated with the New primitivism
cultural movement and the radio and television satire show Top Lista Nadrealista
. They were one of the most popular musical acts of the 1980s in Yugoslavia, selling hundreds of thousands of records.
The band was formed in 1981 in Sarajevo by a group of friends who worked on the early radio version of Top Lista Nadrealista. Contrary to the then-prevalent punk rock
and new wave
, Zabranjeno Pušenje created a distinctive garage rock sound with folk influences, often featuring innovative production and complex story-telling, sometimes even dark premonitions of war. They went on to record four albums and tour the country extensively, occasionally sparking controversy and even getting into trouble with authorities for their (usually mild and sympathetic) criticism of the socialist
system, and the habit of making light of issues considered sensitive at the time.
After the band's popularity reached new heights in late 1980s, spurred on by the televised version of Top Lista Nadrealista, the Bosnian War
which followed saw the breakup of the band, with one offshoot continuing work in Belgrade
initially as Zabranjeno Pušenje, later under the name No Smoking Orchestra, and the other in Zagreb
, using the original name. Nevertheless, many of the songs of Zabranjeno Pušenje have attained an anthemic status and their music remains popular across former Yugoslavia
.
Zabranjeno Pušenje was founded by a group of friends who attended Druga Gimnazija
and lived in Fuad Midžić Street in the Sarajevo suburb of Koševo. The band they formed was called Pseudobluz bend (Pseudo-blues band). All members were involved in the radio show Top Lista Nadrealista
, so they already had stage names. The original line-up consisted of Nenad Janković
("Dr. Nele Karajlić"; vocals
, keyboards
), Davor Sučić
(aka "Sejo Sexon"; guitar
), Zenit Đozić (aka "Fu-Do"; drums
), Mustafa Čengić (aka "Muče" or "Mujo Snažni"; guitar), Mladen Mitić (aka "Munja"; bass guitar
) and Ognjen Gajić (aka "Ogi"; saxophone
, flute
).
They were occasionally accompanied by Mirko Srdić (aka "Elvis J. Kurtović") as a guest, since he had his own band, "Elvis J. Kurtović & his Meteors". They soon started calling themselves "Pseudobluz bend Zabranjeno Pušenje", and after some time simply dropped the first part. Their first recording, "Penzioneri na more idu zimi" (Retirees Take Their Vacation In Wintertime), was made for Radio Sarajevo in early 1981.
They performed around Sarajevo
for two years before recording their first album Das ist Walter
in June 1984, for Jugoton
label. The line-up was altered and now Nenad Janković's younger brother Dražen Janković (aka "Seid Mali Karajlić") was on organ
and Predrag Rakić (aka "Šeki Gayton") took drums. Although it was publicized that Nenad Janković and Davor Sučić wrote the first album material, the fact is that Mustafa Čengić (lead guitar) and Mladen Mitić (bass guitar) were unpublished composers of a large portion of it, and also greatly influenced and contributed to all song arrangements. The album was initially released in 3000 copies, but the final count was 100,000 copies sold, setting a record for exceeding the initial release by 30 times. In autumn 1984 they embarked on a 60-concert nation-wide tour, making them one of the biggest Yugoslav rock attractions after just one album.
.jpg)
During that tour, at their concert in Rijeka
(on November 27, 1984), Karajlić declared, referring to an amplifier that had just broken down, "Crk'o Maršal. Mislim na pojačalo." ("Marshall croaked. I mean, the amplifier
."), making a pun on Marshal Tito's death, landing the band in trouble. They were criticized by the media and a campaign against them resulted in the canceling of their concerts and the removal of Top lista nadrealista from the air.
In this atmosphere, the band recorded their second, double album Dok čekaš sabah sa šejtanom
(While you wait for dawn with the Devil
)in the infamous SIM studio
and released it in July 1985. Songs were written by Mustafa Čengić, Sejo Sexon, Nele Karajlić, Mladen Mitić, Seid Mali Karajlić and Elvis J. Kurtović. The album was solid, but was boycotted by the media and the following tour had a rather disappointing conclusion as the following year Šeki Gayton and Mustafa Čengić (Muče) left the band in search of a more secure means of making a living. Mladen Mitić left in late 1986 after contributing to the development of the third album.
.jpg)
For the occasion of the recording of their third album, Pozdrav iz zemlje Safari
(Greetings from the Safari land) released in 1987 by Diskoton
, the rest of the band was joined by Predrag Kovačević (aka "Kova" or "Kowalski"; from "Elvis J. Kurtović & his Meteors") on guitar, Faris Arapović on drums and Emir Kusturica
played the bass guitar on 3 tracks. All songs were written by Sejo Sexon and Nele Karajlić.
Kusturica co-authored two songs. Diskoton censors had some objections and the song "Our Proposal for the Eurovision Song Contest
" had to be renamed, since the song included comments on the depressed state of the economy and the lack of freedom of expression. The album again included a number of hit songs and returned the band to stardom. The following tour, which included 87 concerts, was the largest Zabranjeno Pušenje tour thus far and the band was by that time regarded as one of the Yugoslav rock institutions. In January 1988 the band received a gold record for 100,000 copies sold.
.jpg)
In October 1988 the band released their last album before splitting up - Male priče o velikoj ljubavi
(Small Stories About Great Love). The songs were mostly written and produced by Sejo Sexon. For this album, Jadranko Džihan (aka "Dinka") played keyboards
and Darko Ostojić (aka "Minka") was on bass guitar. The album also featured opera singer Sonja Milenković, violin player Dejan Sparavalo and Goran Bregović
as backing vocal and guitar player. The album was an average success. The band embarked on the tour with Bombaj štampa
and the rest of Top lista nadrealista crew (those who didn't play in the band already). The tour (a combination of theatre
and rock and roll
, after an idea by Sejo Sexon) was a great success and regarded as the best tour of 1989 with around 60 concerts and more than 200,000 visitors.
popular music
scene followed the trends of early 1980s Europe
, (chiefly punk rock
and new wave
), Zabranjeno Pušenje were part of a unique rock movement centered in Sarajevo
that forged its own path. This movement, for the most part, centred on simple, youthful, garage rock
, with folk
influences and a distinctive Sarajevo urban feel called Novi primitivizam
(New primitivism).
The songs range from punk to rock, quite frequently arranged to feature trumpets and saxophones, adding to the unique sound of the band, along with many samples and soundbites from the period. Zabranjeno Pušenje captured the feel of Sarajevo, its idols and local heroes along with tales of love and loss, in a distinctive and often humorous way. Very visual and cynical, the band's lyrics were progressive enough to show the last stages of Yugoslav socialism (songs "Dan republike", "Srce ruke i lopata", "Abid", "Guzonjin sin"), alternate clubs and gays ("Pišonja i Žuga u paklu droge", "Javi mi") as well as providing morbid hints for the upcoming war ("Kanjon Drine", "Zvijezda nad Balkanom"). Their youthful energy and awareness of their surroundings made Zabranjeno Pušenje much more than the sum of its parts, a band that seemed able to record a great song with ease.
Great songs such as Nedjelja kad je otišao Hase (The Sunday Hase Left; the song is a tribute to Asim Ferhatović Hase
).
Other songs on the album were:
They have secured their place in the history of ex-Yugoslav rock music. The band released four albums before the ensuing war forced most of the members to relocate.
On several occasions from 1987 until the breakup of the band, Emir Kusturica
played bass guitar
in the band.
and reformed "No Smoking Orchestra" in Belgrade
. Sejo Sexon
and rest of group took new member Saša Petrović ("Čabarabdić" from "Audicija"), during the war in Bosnia, started war version of "Top Liste nadrealista", first like radio version on Radio BIH, later also TV serial.
and Croatia
.
In 2006 they returned to Belgrade
and played a successful concert at the Beer Fest.
The eastern part released one new album as Zabranjeno Pušenje - 1997's Ja nisam odavle. In 1999 the band was then renamed Emir Kusturica
& No Smoking Orchestra and released four more albums and continued touring all around the world. In 1998 the band composed the music for Emir Kusturica's film Black Cat, White Cat
, which won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival
the same year. Since June 1999, the band has been regularly touring worldwide. They developed quite a following internationally in the process. Their popularity is particularly notable in Southern Europe
(Italy
, Portugal
, Spain
, and France
) where most of their initial touring took place in late 1990s and early 2000s and in Latin America
where the band first played in 2001, gradually developing a spirited fan base throughout the continent, especially in Argentina
. Lately, the band has also fond much success deep into Eastern Europe
(Russia
, Ukraine
, Belarus
, and Armenia
).
Although they enjoy success worldwide, at home in Serbia their new ethno sound received a lukewarm reaction as many of the band's longtime fans had trouble accepting the shift towards ethno/folk/gypsy sound. During the first homecoming with the new sound in early July 2004, the band was essentially forced off stage at the large open-air concert at Belgrade's Ušće Park
by agitated fans who pelted the stage with plastic water bottles only 40 minutes into the set. The concert that attracted a large crowd of 40,000 fans also had Riblja Čorba
on the bill and was conceptualized as a joint anniversary of sorts - 20 years since Zabranjeno Pušenje released its debut album and 25 years since Riblja Čorba did the same. However, despite being announced and promoted as a "Zabranjeno Pušenje" gig, the band haven't played a single song from the Zabranjeno Pušenje era during the first 40 minutes - choosing instead to go with the No Smoking Orchestra material - all of which prompted the fans' aggressive reaction.
In 2005, a DVD live album Live is a Miracle of the band's performance in Buenos Aires
' Luna Park
was released.
In 2007, the band was involved in Time of the Gypsies punk opera that was staged in Bastille in Paris.
Since the Ušće fiasco, the band played only a few more concerts on home soil such as 2008 large open-air gigs in Kruševac
and Novi Sad
that went well, serving as lead ins for the concert at Belgrade Arena
in late November 2008 where more than 10,000 gathered.
Though the band played Montreal
twice before, summer 2010 marked their first foray into North America
with concerts in Toronto
, Montreal, Quebec City
, Chicago
, and New York City
. The highlight of the mini-tour was the outdoor concert in the streets of Montreal in front of some 60,000 spectators as part of the city's jazz festival (Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal).
Many other musicians have appeared on various albums in large and varying setups.
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
band from Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, closely associated with the New primitivism
New Primitives
New Primitivism was an urban subcultural movement that originated in Sarajevo during early-to-mid 1980s. The movement was identified with Zabranjeno pušenje and Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors bands, whose members were the driving forces behind it. Its creators and most notable personalities...
cultural movement and the radio and television satire show Top Lista Nadrealista
Top lista nadrealista
Top lista nadrealista also known as Nadrealisti was a comedy radio broadcast on Radio Sarajevo during early 1980s and later a sketch comedy and variety show on TV Sarajevo in three separate installments from 1984 until 1991.'Top lista nadrealista' started as a segment on Boro Kontić's programme...
. They were one of the most popular musical acts of the 1980s in Yugoslavia, selling hundreds of thousands of records.
The band was formed in 1981 in Sarajevo by a group of friends who worked on the early radio version of Top Lista Nadrealista. Contrary to the then-prevalent punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and new wave
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...
, Zabranjeno Pušenje created a distinctive garage rock sound with folk influences, often featuring innovative production and complex story-telling, sometimes even dark premonitions of war. They went on to record four albums and tour the country extensively, occasionally sparking controversy and even getting into trouble with authorities for their (usually mild and sympathetic) criticism of the socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
system, and the habit of making light of issues considered sensitive at the time.
After the band's popularity reached new heights in late 1980s, spurred on by the televised version of Top Lista Nadrealista, the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
which followed saw the breakup of the band, with one offshoot continuing work 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...
initially as Zabranjeno Pušenje, later under the name No Smoking Orchestra, and the other in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, using the original name. Nevertheless, many of the songs of Zabranjeno Pušenje have attained an anthemic status and their music remains popular across former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
History
Druga Gimnazija (Sarajevo)
Druga gimnazija Sarajevo is a renowned Sarajevo gymnasium school in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Located in the center area of Sarajevo, it enrolls approximately 150 boys and girls annually. Although most of the students are from Sarajevo, the school also attracts many students from the region as well...
and lived in Fuad Midžić Street in the Sarajevo suburb of Koševo. The band they formed was called Pseudobluz bend (Pseudo-blues band). All members were involved in the radio show Top Lista Nadrealista
Top lista nadrealista
Top lista nadrealista also known as Nadrealisti was a comedy radio broadcast on Radio Sarajevo during early 1980s and later a sketch comedy and variety show on TV Sarajevo in three separate installments from 1984 until 1991.'Top lista nadrealista' started as a segment on Boro Kontić's programme...
, so they already had stage names. The original line-up consisted of Nenad Janković
Nele Karajlic
dr. Nele Karajlić a.k.a. Nele Karajlić, born on December 11, 1962 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, , is a Bosnian Serb rock and roll musician, composer, actor and television director living and working in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia.One of the founders of New Primitivism movement in Sarajevo,...
("Dr. Nele Karajlić"; vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, keyboards
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
), Davor Sučić
Sejo Sexon
Sejo Sexon is the stage name of Davor Sučić, Bosnian Croat rock and roll musician, composer, actor and television director....
(aka "Sejo Sexon"; guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Zenit Đozić (aka "Fu-Do"; 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 ....
), Mustafa Čengić (aka "Muče" or "Mujo Snažni"; guitar), Mladen Mitić (aka "Munja"; bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Ognjen Gajić (aka "Ogi"; 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...
, 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...
).
They were occasionally accompanied by Mirko Srdić (aka "Elvis J. Kurtović") as a guest, since he had his own band, "Elvis J. Kurtović & his Meteors". They soon started calling themselves "Pseudobluz bend Zabranjeno Pušenje", and after some time simply dropped the first part. Their first recording, "Penzioneri na more idu zimi" (Retirees Take Their Vacation In Wintertime), was made for Radio Sarajevo in early 1981.
They performed around Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
for two years before recording their first album Das ist Walter
Das ist Walter
-Personnel:*Bass — Munja Mitić*Drums — Šeki Gayton*Guitar [Rhythm] — Sejo Sexon*Guitar [Solo] — Mujo Snažni*Lead Vocals — Dr. Nele Karajlić*Organ, Keyboards — Seid Mali Karajlić*Saxophone, Flute — Ogi Gajić-External links:* on Discogs...
in June 1984, for 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...
label. The line-up was altered and now Nenad Janković's younger brother Dražen Janković (aka "Seid Mali Karajlić") was on organ
Organ (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...
and Predrag Rakić (aka "Šeki Gayton") took drums. Although it was publicized that Nenad Janković and Davor Sučić wrote the first album material, the fact is that Mustafa Čengić (lead guitar) and Mladen Mitić (bass guitar) were unpublished composers of a large portion of it, and also greatly influenced and contributed to all song arrangements. The album was initially released in 3000 copies, but the final count was 100,000 copies sold, setting a record for exceeding the initial release by 30 times. In autumn 1984 they embarked on a 60-concert nation-wide tour, making them one of the biggest Yugoslav rock attractions after just one album.
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
(on November 27, 1984), Karajlić declared, referring to an amplifier that had just broken down, "Crk'o Maršal. Mislim na pojačalo." ("Marshall croaked. I mean, the amplifier
Amplifier
Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...
."), making a pun on Marshal Tito's death, landing the band in trouble. They were criticized by the media and a campaign against them resulted in the canceling of their concerts and the removal of Top lista nadrealista from the air.
In this atmosphere, the band recorded their second, double album Dok čekaš sabah sa šejtanom
Dok cekaš sabah sa šejtanom
-Personnel:*Bass, Backing Vocals — Munja Mitić*Congas, Backing Vocals — Zenit Đozić*Drums — Šeki Gayton*Guitar [Rhythm] — Sejo Sexon*Guitar [Solo], Backing Vocals — Mujo Snažni*Keyboards — Seid Karajlić*Lead Vocals — Dr. Nele Karajlić...
(While you wait for dawn with the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
)in the infamous SIM studio
SIM studio
SIM Studio is a Croatian recording studio owned by Vladimir Smolec and Tomo in der Mühlen founded in the 1980s in Zagreb. Productions of SIM studio sold in tens of millions LPs of all the most influential Yugoslav artists. SIM studio produced and discovered many new artists, among them Plavi Orkestar...
and released it in July 1985. Songs were written by Mustafa Čengić, Sejo Sexon, Nele Karajlić, Mladen Mitić, Seid Mali Karajlić and Elvis J. Kurtović. The album was solid, but was boycotted by the media and the following tour had a rather disappointing conclusion as the following year Šeki Gayton and Mustafa Čengić (Muče) left the band in search of a more secure means of making a living. Mladen Mitić left in late 1986 after contributing to the development of the third album.
Pozdrav iz zemlje Safari
Pozdrav iz zemlje Safari is the third studio album by former Yugoslav band Zabranjeno Pušenje released in 1987.-Track listing:...
(Greetings from the Safari land) released in 1987 by Diskoton
Diskoton
Diskoton was a major record label based in Sarajevo, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the former Yugoslavia. It should not be confused with another former Yugoslav record company with a similar name called Diskos....
, the rest of the band was joined by Predrag Kovačević (aka "Kova" or "Kowalski"; from "Elvis J. Kurtović & his Meteors") on guitar, Faris Arapović on drums and Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
played the bass guitar on 3 tracks. All songs were written by Sejo Sexon and Nele Karajlić.
Kusturica co-authored two songs. Diskoton censors had some objections and the song "Our Proposal for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
" had to be renamed, since the song included comments on the depressed state of the economy and the lack of freedom of expression. The album again included a number of hit songs and returned the band to stardom. The following tour, which included 87 concerts, was the largest Zabranjeno Pušenje tour thus far and the band was by that time regarded as one of the Yugoslav rock institutions. In January 1988 the band received a gold record for 100,000 copies sold.
Male price o velikoj ljubavi
Male priče o velikoj ljubavi is the fourth studio album by former Yugoslav band Zabranjeno Pušenje released in 1989. This was the band's last album before they split up.-Side A:...
(Small Stories About Great Love). The songs were mostly written and produced by Sejo Sexon. For this album, Jadranko Džihan (aka "Dinka") played keyboards
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
and Darko Ostojić (aka "Minka") was on bass guitar. The album also featured opera singer Sonja Milenković, violin player Dejan Sparavalo and Goran Bregović
Goran Bregovic
Goran Bregović is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Balkans. He currently splits his time between Paris and Belgrade, where he settled down during the Yugoslav Wars.Bregović has composed for such varied artists as Iggy Pop and Cesária Évora...
as backing vocal and guitar player. The album was an average success. The band embarked on the tour with Bombaj štampa
Bombaj Štampa
"Bombaj štampa" is the pop-rock group from Sarajevo dating from 1982, which, together with "Zabranjeno Pušenje" and Elvis J. Kurtović, participated in creating a new movement known as New Primitivisam in Ex-Yugoslavia. The group was founded by Nedim Babović, guitarist and Branko Đurić, actor and...
and the rest of Top lista nadrealista crew (those who didn't play in the band already). The tour (a combination of theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, after an idea by Sejo Sexon) was a great success and regarded as the best tour of 1989 with around 60 concerts and more than 200,000 visitors.
Music
In the early 1980s, when the rest of the ex-YugoslavSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
scene followed the trends of early 1980s Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, (chiefly punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and new wave
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...
), Zabranjeno Pušenje were part of a unique rock movement centered in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
that forged its own path. This movement, for the most part, centred on simple, youthful, garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
, with folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
influences and a distinctive Sarajevo urban feel called Novi primitivizam
New Primitives
New Primitivism was an urban subcultural movement that originated in Sarajevo during early-to-mid 1980s. The movement was identified with Zabranjeno pušenje and Elvis J. Kurtović & His Meteors bands, whose members were the driving forces behind it. Its creators and most notable personalities...
(New primitivism).
The songs range from punk to rock, quite frequently arranged to feature trumpets and saxophones, adding to the unique sound of the band, along with many samples and soundbites from the period. Zabranjeno Pušenje captured the feel of Sarajevo, its idols and local heroes along with tales of love and loss, in a distinctive and often humorous way. Very visual and cynical, the band's lyrics were progressive enough to show the last stages of Yugoslav socialism (songs "Dan republike", "Srce ruke i lopata", "Abid", "Guzonjin sin"), alternate clubs and gays ("Pišonja i Žuga u paklu droge", "Javi mi") as well as providing morbid hints for the upcoming war ("Kanjon Drine", "Zvijezda nad Balkanom"). Their youthful energy and awareness of their surroundings made Zabranjeno Pušenje much more than the sum of its parts, a band that seemed able to record a great song with ease.
Great songs such as Nedjelja kad je otišao Hase (The Sunday Hase Left; the song is a tribute to Asim Ferhatović Hase
Asim Ferhatovic
Asim "Hase" Ferhatović was a Bosnian footballer. He started his professional football career in 1948 for FK Sarajevo...
).
Other songs on the album were:
- Anarhija all over Baščaršija
- Zenica blues
- Šeki is on the road again
- Balada o Pišonji i Žugi
- Pišonja i Žuga u paklu droge
- Dok jezdiš ka Alemanji
- Lutka sa naslovne strane
- Straža pored Prizrena
They have secured their place in the history of ex-Yugoslav rock music. The band released four albums before the ensuing war forced most of the members to relocate.
Members
- Muhamed Adas - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
(1989) - Faris Arapović - drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1987–1989) - Zenit Đozić (Fu-do Đozić) - drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
(1980–1983), backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, percussion (1985) - Vlado Džihan - keyboardsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
(1987) - Mustafa Čengić (Mujo Snažni) - solo guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1980–1985) - Ognjen Gajić (Ogi Gajić) - saxophoneSaxophoneThe 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...
, fluteFluteThe 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...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
(1980–1987) - Dražen Janković (Seid Mali Karajlić) - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, 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...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1980–1981, 1984–1987) - Nenad Janković (dr. Nele Karajlić) - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1980–1989), keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
(1980–1984) - Predrag Kovačević (Kova) - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1986–1989) - Mladen Mitić (Munja Mitić) - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1980–1986) - Jadranko Džihan (Dado Džihan) keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1987–1989) - Predrag Bobić (Bleka) - backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1987) - Darko Ostojić (Minka) - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, Percussion (1987–1989) - Darko Poljak - saxophoneSaxophoneThe 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...
(1989) - Predrag Rakić (Šeki Gayton) - drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
(1983–1986) - Davor Sučić - Sula (mr. Sejo Sexon) - rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, percussion (1980–1989) - Zoran Degan (Poka) - synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
(1980–1983)
On several occasions from 1987 until the breakup of the band, Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
played bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
in the band.
Discography
- Das ist WalterDas ist Walter-Personnel:*Bass — Munja Mitić*Drums — Šeki Gayton*Guitar [Rhythm] — Sejo Sexon*Guitar [Solo] — Mujo Snažni*Lead Vocals — Dr. Nele Karajlić*Organ, Keyboards — Seid Mali Karajlić*Saxophone, Flute — Ogi Gajić-External links:* on Discogs...
- 1984 (That's Walter) - Dok čekaš sabah sa šejtanomDok cekaš sabah sa šejtanom-Personnel:*Bass, Backing Vocals — Munja Mitić*Congas, Backing Vocals — Zenit Đozić*Drums — Šeki Gayton*Guitar [Rhythm] — Sejo Sexon*Guitar [Solo], Backing Vocals — Mujo Snažni*Keyboards — Seid Karajlić*Lead Vocals — Dr. Nele Karajlić...
- 1985 (Waiting for the dawn with the devil) - Pozdrav iz zemlje SafariPozdrav iz zemlje SafariPozdrav iz zemlje Safari is the third studio album by former Yugoslav band Zabranjeno Pušenje released in 1987.-Track listing:...
- 1987 (Greetings from the land Safari) - Male priče o velikoj ljubaviMale price o velikoj ljubaviMale priče o velikoj ljubavi is the fourth studio album by former Yugoslav band Zabranjeno Pušenje released in 1989. This was the band's last album before they split up.-Side A:...
- 1989 (Little stories about a big love)
Breakup
The war situation during the breakup of Yugoslavia took a toll on the band. Nenad Janković (himself a Serb) fled to SerbiaSerbia
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...
and reformed "No Smoking Orchestra" 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...
. Sejo Sexon
Sejo Sexon
Sejo Sexon is the stage name of Davor Sučić, Bosnian Croat rock and roll musician, composer, actor and television director....
and rest of group took new member Saša Petrović ("Čabarabdić" from "Audicija"), during the war in Bosnia, started war version of "Top Liste nadrealista", first like radio version on Radio BIH, later also TV serial.
Zabranjeno Pušenje (Sarajevo)
The western part continued to perform in 1996 and has recaptured some of the group's success. They also later went to a European tour and by 2004 had released five new albums (three studio and two live albums). In 2006 the band created the complete soundtrack for the Bosnian movie Nafaka with guest musicians (mostly actors from the movie, as well as the female choir Arabeske). Later that year, the band released the double album Hodi da ti čiko nešto da, their first double album since Dok čekaš sabah sa šejtanom. They are currently on tour, promoting a new album with concerts in Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
In 2006 they returned to 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...
and played a successful concert at the Beer Fest.
Members
- Predrag Bobić (Bleka) - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1996–2008) - Bruno Urlić - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, keyboards, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1997–2004) - Dragomir Herendić (Dragianny) - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(1999–2004) - Robert Boldižar (Robi) - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(2004–present) - Davor Sučić - Sula (Sejo Sexon) - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, percussion, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
(1996–present) - Zoran Stojanović (Zoki) - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, Backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1996–1998) - Nedžad Podžić (Počko) - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
(1996–1998) - Sead Kovo (Sejo) - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
- (1996–1999) - Samir Ćeramida (Ćera) - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- (1996–1998) - Đani Pervan - drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
, percussion, Backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
- (1996–1998) - Dušan Vranić (Duco) - keyboards, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1996–1997) - Jimmy Rasta - percussion (2001–2004)
- Antun Lović (Toni) - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(2004–present) - Paul Kempf (DJ Pavo) - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA 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...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, 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...
(2005–present) - Dejan Orešković (Klo) - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(2008–present) - Branko Trajkov (Trak) - drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
, percussion, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1996–present) - Marin Gradac (Mako) - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, trumpetTrumpetThe 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...
(1996–1999) - Mirko Srdić (Elvis J. Kurtovich) - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, rapp vocals, occasional vocals (1996–1999)
Discography
- Nikad robom, vazda taxijem (Best of 1) - 1996
- Fildžan viška - 1997
- Srce, ruke i lopata (Best of 2) - 1998
- Hapsi sve! (Live) - 1998
- Agent tajne sile - 1999 ("Agent of secret forces")
- Bog vozi Mercedes - 2001 ("God drives a Mercedes")
- Live in St. Louis (Live) - 2003
- Nafaka OST - 2006
- Hodi da ti čiko nešto da - 2006 ("Come, uncle wants to give you something")
- The Ultimate Collection - 2009
- Muzej Revolucije - 2009 ("Museum of the Revolution")
The No Smoking Orchestra (Belgrade)
Emir Kusturica
Emir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
& No Smoking Orchestra and released four more albums and continued touring all around the world. In 1998 the band composed the music for Emir Kusturica's film Black Cat, White Cat
Black Cat, White Cat
Black Cat, White Cat is a 1998 Yugoslav romantic comedy film directed by Emir Kusturica. It won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the Venice Film Festival....
, which won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
the same year. Since June 1999, the band has been regularly touring worldwide. They developed quite a following internationally in the process. Their popularity is particularly notable in Southern Europe
Southern Europe
The term Southern Europe, at its most general definition, is used to mean "all countries in the south of Europe". However, the concept, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, linguistic and cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical...
(Italy
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...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and France
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...
) where most of their initial touring took place in late 1990s and early 2000s and in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
where the band first played in 2001, gradually developing a spirited fan base throughout the continent, especially in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Lately, the band has also fond much success deep into Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
(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...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
).
Although they enjoy success worldwide, at home in Serbia their new ethno sound received a lukewarm reaction as many of the band's longtime fans had trouble accepting the shift towards ethno/folk/gypsy sound. During the first homecoming with the new sound in early July 2004, the band was essentially forced off stage at the large open-air concert at Belgrade's Ušće Park
Ušce (Belgrade)
Ušće is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd. Ušće is located on the mouth of the Sava river into the Danube, thus the name...
by agitated fans who pelted the stage with plastic water bottles only 40 minutes into the set. The concert that attracted a large crowd of 40,000 fans also had Riblja Čorba
Riblja Corba
Riblja Čorba is a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band. Their presence on the scene has lasted from 1978 to today. They reached their peak of popularity in the 1980s, but it has declined in the 1990s, partly due to controversial political attitudes of the band's leader Bora Đorđević...
on the bill and was conceptualized as a joint anniversary of sorts - 20 years since Zabranjeno Pušenje released its debut album and 25 years since Riblja Čorba did the same. However, despite being announced and promoted as a "Zabranjeno Pušenje" gig, the band haven't played a single song from the Zabranjeno Pušenje era during the first 40 minutes - choosing instead to go with the No Smoking Orchestra material - all of which prompted the fans' aggressive reaction.
In 2005, a DVD live album Live is a Miracle of the band's performance in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
' Luna Park
Luna Park, Buenos Aires
For any of the amusement parks of the same name, see Luna Park; for any other use of the term, see Luna Park Luna Park is an 8,000-seat arena, located on the corner of Corrientes and Bouchard Avenues, in the barrio of San Nicolás, east Buenos Aires city and near Puerto Madero...
was released.
In 2007, the band was involved in Time of the Gypsies punk opera that was staged in Bastille in Paris.
Since the Ušće fiasco, the band played only a few more concerts on home soil such as 2008 large open-air gigs in Kruševac
Kruševac
Kruševac is a city and municipality, and the administrative center of the Rasina District, in central Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the municipality has a population of 127,429, while the town has 57,627....
and 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....
that went well, serving as lead ins for the concert at Belgrade Arena
Belgrade Arena
The Belgrade Arena is an indoor arena located in Novi Beograd, Belgrade. It is designed as a universal hall for sport, cultural events and other programs. With a total space that covers 48,000 square metres, and an official total capacity of 19,982 seats , it is one of the largest indoor arenas in...
in late November 2008 where more than 10,000 gathered.
Though the band played Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
twice before, summer 2010 marked their first foray into North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
with concerts in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Montreal, Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The highlight of the mini-tour was the outdoor concert in the streets of Montreal in front of some 60,000 spectators as part of the city's jazz festival (Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal).
Members
- Dejan Sparavalo (Dejo) - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1997–present) - Nenad Janković (Dr. Nelle Karajlić) - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, keyboardsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
(1997–present) - Stribor Kusturica - drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
, percussion, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1997–present) - Goran Markovski (Glava Markovsky) - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, bass balalaikaBalalaikaThe balalaika is a stringed musical instrument popular in Russia, with a characteristic triangular body and three strings.The balalaika family of instruments includes instruments of various sizes, from the highest-pitched to the lowest, the prima balalaika, secunda balalaika, alto balalaika, bass...
(1997–2005) - Dražen Janković (Herr Dralle Draugentaller) - keyboardsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, 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...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1997–present) - Goran Jakovljević (Terry) - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1997–1998) - Zoran Milošević (Zoki) - accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
(1998–present) - Aleksandar Balaban - tubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
, trumpetTrumpetThe 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...
(1998–2001) - Emir KusturicaEmir KusturicaEmir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
(Kusta) - rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1998–present) - Nenad Gajin (Coce) - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
(1999–2004) - Nenad Petrović (Neša) - saxophoneSaxophoneThe 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...
(1999–present) - Zoran Marjanović (Čeda) - percussion, drumsDrum kitA 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 ....
(2001–present) - Goran Popović (Pop) - tubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
, trumpetTrumpetThe 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...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(2001–present) - Ivan Maksimović (Ivica) - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, bouzoukiBouzoukiThe bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
(2004–present)
Many other musicians have appeared on various albums in large and varying setups.
Discography
- Zabranjeno Pušenje: Ja Nisam Odavle [1997]
- Black Cat White Cat: Black Cat White Cat [1998]
- Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra: Unza Unza Time [2000]
- The No Smoking Orchestra: Life Is A Miracle [2004]
- Emir Kusturica And The No Smoking Orchestra: Live Is A Miracle In Buenos Aires [2005]
- The No Smoking Orchestra: Emir Kusturica's Time Of The Gypsies Punk Opera [2007]
- The No Smoking Orchestra: The Best Of Emir Kusturica and The No Smoking Orchestra [2009]
External links
- Official web site
- http://www.beograd.com.au/magazine/rock_biografije.html
- http://www.pusenje.blogger.ba
- http://www.dhennin.com/kusturica/v2/_nosmoking_en.html
- http://muzica.acasa.ro/artist/emir-kusturica-no-smoking-orchestra/id_galerie/32 Photo gallery: Emir Kusturica & The No Smoking Orchestra@ Bucharest