The Sound of Zagreb Music: The 2000s - New Millennium, New Sounds
Following the last month's article that covered bands from the 90s, this time we are going to talk about Zagreb bands from the year 2000 onwards. Changing of the century and the millennium was a big thing in itself. Everything was changing - the Internet was on the rise, there was a development of new technologies. When I was ten years old I already lived in two millenniums, how cool is that!? :)
The music was heavily affected by new technologies - the invention of mp3 players and iPod, downloading and streaming music, and of course; Youtube. Artists started to share their music on their websites and Myspace pages (feel old yet?), and the sales of records dropped. Hip-hop has become a worldwide thing, which we are going to see in this article as well. So without further ado, let's dig in and see which Zagreb artists marked the 2000s music scene!
Elemental
Photo credit: Maja Bota, Elemental Facebook
Elemental is a vocal-instrumental group that formed in 1998, and their first album debuted in the year 2000. They started as a hip-hop group, as 3 MC’s, and their first album ''Moj, njegov i njen svijet'' was predominantly rap music. On their second album, they started producing a different sound with elements of other music genres combined with hip-hop. This gave a new flavour to their already great hip-hop style and made their music even more original and interesting. Now they form a band of 7, with drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, back vocal, along with rappers/singers Mirela Priselac Remi and Luka Tralić Shot, the original members of the band.
Their third album ''Male Stvari'' had six singles and was extremely well received by the general public, and it received 3 Porin nominations (Croatian music awards), and Mirela Priselac Remi won Zlatna Koogla award for the best vocal of the year 2005. Some of their most popular songs are from this album - Romantika, Iz dana u dan, and Male stvari. Remi once stated that she kind of hates the song ''Romantika'', because it's talking about a dissatisfying sexual encounter, and that she is always asked about it.
They made four more albums, ''Pod pritiskom'' in 2008, ''Vertigo'' in 2010, ''U redu je'' in 2013, and ''Tijelo'' in 2015. Some of the most famous songs from later albums include Goli i bosi, Prokleta ljubav, Bolji si, Priroda i Društvo, Malena. Their music is popular in Croatia, and in other countries of the region as well, and they have performed in all the countries of former Yugoslavia.
Elemental's music is filled with smart and socially conscious lyrics. Due to their energy, emotion, and connection with the crowd, they've proved themselves over and over again as a great band that you have to see at least once!
Bolesna braća
Photo credit: Bolesna braća Facebook
Bolesna braća is a Croatian hip-hop duo from Zagreb, Baby Dooks (David Vurdelja) and Bizzo (Pero Radojčić), both producers and rappers.
They are one of the pioneers of hip-hop music in Croatia and were original members of the Blackout Hip Hop movement. They are one of the most known and popular Croatian rap groups of all times. Although their first songs date from 1997, when they were released on the Blackout Project Impossible compilation, we put them on this list because all of their three albums were published in the 2000s.
Their style is fun, playful, free-flowing, full of different made-up characters who tell their stories. They talk about social topics with their unique, funny twist. For example, Looka & Borna is a song about two spoiled rich teenagers who want to go skiing, and the guys make fun of the so-called golden youth of Croatia in this song. A lot of their songs are about women, like Patriša, a song about a girl who can give you an STD, Telefon Faki is about infidelity. Malu na stranu which they made with Tram 11, the cornerstone group of Croatian hip-hop music, is also talking about women and sex and is one of the most popular songs of both groups.
Today Bizzo is performing separately and is mainly doing work around music, while Baby Dooks is a prominent TV and radio personality. They still perform and produce together, although rarely. There have been talks about their new album in 2018, but nothing is official yet. What is sure is that the guys are still funny as ever, and their rapping ability has always been up to par with their jokes, so we are for sure hoping for some new Bolesna braća songs!
Kawasaki 3p
Photo credit: J.Duval, Kawasaki 3p Facebook
A punk-rock band from Zagreb was formed in the 90s, but they recorded all of their work in 2000s. At first, they played smaller gigs and demo band shows, for which they received several awards as promising young artists. They gained recognition with the Antonija song, with which they appeared on Croatian national selection for Eurovision in 2003. I remember shouting ANTONIJA every time I heard that song! :) Every girl in Croatia called Antonija remembers that song vividly. I guarantee you that! :) Later that year they recorded and published their first album, ''Kawasaki 3p''.
The album received a Porin award for the best alternative music album and received ''Crni Mačak'' award for the best upcoming band. For songs ''Antonija'', Snifa san glu, and Kak si, pa tak the band made videos, and they started playing gigs on a regular basis.
They recorded an EP in 2006, and a new album in 2009 called ''Idu Bugari'', with some lineup changes in the band. Songs Puta madre, Ni da ni ne are most famous songs from the album, and you can regularly hear them on the radio today as well. They won another Porin for the album, as well as 7 ''Zlatna Koogla'' awards, and also Davorin award for the best rock album of the year.
After the second album, they started playing bigger concerts and participated in all major music festivals in the region, and they appeared in more than 200 concerts in the next five years.
In 2015 they published their third album ''Goli zbog pasa'', which was very well received by the public and critics. They still play regularly, so if you want to get that energetic punk-rock-ska sound and high energy concert, Kawasaki 3p should be your choice!
Connect
Photo credit: Connect Instagram
Connect is a hip-hop group from Zagreb. Producer Shalla and rapper/vocal Dragi formed the group in 1999, and Jura Blaze and Burazsel joined in 2001, and this core made all of their albums until Burazsel left the band a couple of years ago. They became known in 2003 with their single Brige ugasim pjesmom, which peaked at No. 1 on Croatian music charts.
They made their first album in 2005, with singles Na Na Na, Koga ona voli and popular Vuglji Vuglji with Davor Gobac from Psihomodo Pop. But the most known song from the album has to be Jeebena, in which three rappers talk about their love stories in an extremely funny way, and it might be the band's most popular songs to this day.
Or, that would be the case if they didn’t produce two megahit football songs for Dinamo Zagreb and Croatian national team. Song Boja mojih vena easily became one of Dinamo hymns and is always played at Dinamo matches, as well as Samo je jedno, which always plays when the national football team is playing.
Their second album ''U drugom stanju'' from 2008 and third ''3jumf'' from 2011 were also well received, and established Connect further as capable hit makers, such as Suhi, Ljubi me budalo, Prijateljska ljubav, Game over, and Dalmatinka with pop star Jelena Rozga.
Their songs are really catchy, funny, and with funny music videos to match, and that’s why the band was and still is really popular. And they are known to love girls, and the girls are known to love them, so if you are a girl and like a good show and are single, try to catch one of their concerts! :)
Ramirez
Ramirez is a rock band from Zagreb, formed in 2000, and is considered to be a part of the so-called new wave music. For the first couple of years, they were a demo band, until they contacted one of the most known producers in Croatia, Denyken. The collaboration resulted in a hit single Iste cipele and later, in 2004, they finished their first album ''Ramirez''. The album was extremely well received by the critics and by the public, and Ramirez became a well-known name on Croatian rock scene.
In 2005 they did a tour with Hladno Pivo which made them even more famous, and in 2006 they made their second album called ''Copy/Paste'', which was also highly praised. Songs such as Loš (Treća), Zoo, Ništa posebno were extremely popular and often requested at concerts. The band produced two more albums; ''Divovi i Kamikaze'' and ''Svijet je lijep'', and after that, they split in 2011. So if you want to check out Ramirez, you are out of luck, but there is always Youtube. :)
Lollobrigida
Photo credit: Vladimir Pavić, Lollobrigida Facebook
Lollobrigida Girls, Duo, VIS or just Lollobrigida is an electro-pop band from Zagreb. Lollobrigida first came to life in 2003, after Ida Prester, the vocal and author of all songs started making a demo tape, which she produced on her computer. The tape was well received on the underground scene, and Ida started performing under the name Lollobrigida Girls, along with Natalija Dimčevski who joined her.
''Cartoon explosion'', the first album of the group, was made in 2005. It consisted mostly of the remastered songs from Ida’s demo tape. Album was nominated for Porin in 2006, for the best urban music album of the year.
Later they added other members and began making songs with instruments. In 2008, they made another album ''Lollobrigida Incorporated'', and in 2012 a third one, ''Pilula'', which was rated the best regional album of the year by Popboks music blog.
Their music can be described as off the wall, fun, honest and original. The sound is usually fast-paced and easy to dance to, and Lollobrigida’s lyrics are interesting and controversial. Lollobrigida’s live shows are often in various wild costumes which reflect their music and style.
They are popular in Croatia and the region and played many concerts over the years. In Serbia, they performed eight times at EXIT festival, the biggest and most important festival there.
Their most popular songs are Party, Bubblegum Boy, Ružna djevojka (Ugly girl), Moj dečko je gej (My boyfriend is gay), Miss Right & Mr Wrong, Volim te (I love you), Bivša cura (Ex-Girlfriend), Sex on TV, Sex on the Radio. Just by the song titles, you can see the originality and controversy that I’m talking about. :)
Detour
Photo credit: Luka Nižetić
After the fallout of his band Yammat, Nenad Borgudan founded Detour in 2006. Detour’s music is dominantly pop, or electroacoustic pop, easy to listen to and sing along. They produced three albums, ''De Tour'' (2006), ''TV'' (2009), and ''A što ‘ak ja'' (2014). For ''A što ak ja'' Detour received a Porin award for pop album of the year in 2015.
After the departure of lead singer, Maja Posavec, they made another album, called Detour10. On Detour10 they perform with a new singer, Gina Damjanović. The album was mostly a compilation album, and it was well received, especially the new single Zaljubila sam se.
Their songs talk about romance, emotion, dreams, and they give you this nice optimistic and joyous feeling when you listen to their music. My favorite Detour songs are Daleko, Plešem sama, Mjesec, Srce Veliko. I definitely recommend to put them on if you are feeling blue, to lighten up your mood! :)
Edo Maajka (honourable mention)
''I came to Zagreb 9 years ago and I accept this town as my own. I have a Zagreb accent; I like Dinamo, I protested for Radio 101, protested for unions. I was here when governments changed, when Dinamo defeated Partizan 5:0, when Franjo Tuđman died. I got laid here for the first time, got drunk for the first time, rapped for the first time, almost everything for the first time.'' – Edo Maajka
Edo Maajka is a rapper of Bosnian descent, but he moved to Zagreb and made his music mainly while living here, as this iconic statement of his says, and that’s why he is on this list.
Edo quickly became a prominent name on the Croatian rap scene, and the music scene overall. His lyrics include various topics, and he has rapped about social issues, government, war, nationality, love and relationships, etc. His second album ''No sikiriki'' was highly acclaimed, and he received many awards and accolades for the album and the No sikiriki single.
What set Edo Maajka apart as a rapper is his storytelling ability and the ability to depict Croatian society, musical and political scene with his lyrics. Also, he was able to be both funny and serious in his songs, and a lot of his songs are widely popular and well known. His shows are one of my favourite rap acts to see live, due to Edo’s high energy, interaction with the crowd, and the crowd itself because they usually know a lot of the songs and rap along with Edo. His concert in 2006 was my first rap concert, and I remember it very well. Some of my favourite songs of his would be Sve prolazi, Prikaze, Jesmol' sami, Bomba, To mora da je ljubav.
Header Image Credit: TZGZ Download zona, J.Duval
Author: Lovre Antić