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bad maps – a tape compilation and fanzine

November 3, 2008 at 4:41 pm (Uncategorized) (tape compilation ; punk ; Beograd ; Leipzig)

This is an experiment, compilation started half year ago, when I participated in a trip with a self-assembled raft on the river Sava with some friends (starting near Banja Luka with final destination Belgrade). There the idea crossed my mind, to collect or gather some insight into subcultures in the provincial landscapes we slowly drifted through. That idea proved to be a difficult one. It took us four weeks, to overcome the distance to Belgrade, as the river drifted more slowly than expected (1 km/h). While I occasionally met some punks in some small town, I couldnt establish real contacts and no one sent me demo tapes.

When we arrived in Belgrade, the glorious friends from Manisent i Mentalnost had organised a free concert on our raft with local bands Multietnička Atrakcija, Manisent i Mentalnost and Strašni Haremski Čuvari. They were great, though I had definitely started drinking to early that day. I stumbled into my tent and fell asleep. When I had returned to Leipzig one week later, I decided to transform my idea into the old fashioned medium of a cassette, it took the form of a tape compilation and I wanted to include a fanzine. So I started to search for bands from the areas where we had been. I still was somehow in love with my initial idea, to prefer bands from small towns, but soon had to broaden my strict preferences. Funnily the first song I got send in by e-mail came from Canada, from a friend of a friend, later I conformed my selection of bands to pure random. A friend told me about a band from Macedonia? I wanted them. A friend from Spain asked if Post had arrived? I included his band. But still I found enough great bands from small towns more or less close to that river, we had been drifting along.

The whole compilation is a hommage to the tape compilation of the eighties, were punks from small towns would save local bands on tapes, that would otherwise have remained forever unrecorded. This is another point: In my opinion, there is still a lack of international exchange in subcultures. While punk bands occasionally cross the borders, otherwise punk scenes stop at the borders of their hometowns and for bands from Serbia or Bosnia it is still nearly impossible to get Visas for countries outside Ex-Yu. (And there seems to be a new law in the making, that could make it even more difficult) I use the the word „punk“ for all kinds of music, which try to improve D.I.Y. networks and to overcome stupid borders or rules, also I tried to find some writings from regions between Belgrade and Leipzig. A variety of stories and poems can be found in between, as well as questions and answers about the bands. Unnecessary to explain, that this doesn‘t represent the „best“ bands from Ex-Yu, nor from Leipzig, not even from the region along Sava. I just chose bands that mostly didnt exist for too long or were from small towns, but are somewhat lovely to me. Most translations I did are made in a punk sort of way, means they are glued together with nonchalance and not linguistic exactness.

Short overview, side A will contain:

Bez Potrebe – Punčke (Vinkovci) http://www.myspace.com/puncke
Bez Potrebe (Without a purpose), yes another tragic love song (and I, I can say No/ though you don‘t hear it/ and I, I can do everything /without you). It‘s a young girl punk band from Vinkovci, they still go to school and have rcorded some video clips of their songs recently…“we had to find something in between, because she would not be playing Pink Floyd, and I do not like to play Exploited, ..“
Questions & answers from Punčke

minijaturna gradjevina – MULTIETNICKA ATRAKCIJA (Beograd) http://www.myspace.com/multietnickaatrakcija

„Miniature structures/ sending signal / miniature signal for you and me“. They play only with drums and bass, with tendency towards improvisation. The drummer works as a clown for children in hospitals, which may affect their talent for improvisation and imagination. They like Alan Vega and Suicide and have recorded an album a while ago. One of their songs is about how they will play one day in Las Vegas and win the jackpot…good luck!

Pakash Muerte – Dj_Denz(l)a & Klonirani Kajici (space, 6th density)http:/www.myspace.com/kloniranabagra
great mixture of anarcho punk hop styles, from sarajevo. perhaps autonomous astronauts, not from earth. „Recordings took place in Resnik (Southern suburb of Belgrade) and we worked on the computer…abstinence from alcohol during the recording..“

Plastika – Horkestar (Beograd)http:/www.myspace.com/horkestar

They cover “plastika” from old wavepunk band “idoli”. It is a self-organised choir from Belgrade, 30 voices and 5 instruments. Open for new choir members, plastika: „I / I wear plastic clothes / And plastic is my food / Perhaps I am plastic, and I / I / I‘m in my Skyscraper / You open your door / To be the same as I / Plastics“

strajk – UNUTRAŠNJA EMIGRACIJA (prijedor) http:/www.myspace.com/unutrasnjaemigracijabend

„From the very beginning we saw punk as a social movement, not just the musical direction. I suppose most important in punk. Individual is an active participant, not a mere consumer.“ . Rearranged version of a song by Angelic Upstarts with different lyrics: „On strike, all on strike / let‘s go all on strike / take on the streets, forget divisions / start direct action“

Antenna – Don Vito (Leipzig) http:/www.myspace.com/donvitorockt

„We don‘t try to be a copy of something, but to do our own.. short, complex instrumentals, dirty and to the point….Don Vito speeds with thunder bass, tricky guitar and destructive drums through brutal breaks, noise escapades and melody fakes, occasional yelling is not to be misunderstood as singing…“ .Just bass, guitar, drums, they exist since 2003 and love Shellac, Lightning Bolt, Naked City and the usual suspects…

Pokušaj – Kriva Istina (Slavonski Brod)http://www.myspace.com/krivaistina

Kriva Istina emerges in the summer of 2002. as a consequence of the collapse of one of the pioneers of melodious punk scene in Slavonski Brod. „First rehearsal we had in the old kucici located in my backyard created from mud and wood in 1896…“ They are active in local D.I.Y. circles. Some questions and answers from Kriva Istina..

plashi – Manisent i Mentalnost (Beograd) http:/www.myspace.com/manisent

They play garage pop with strongly emotional lyrics inspired by personal experiences in everydays walking through disillusioned society. . Tica: „I love equally DEVO and Gang Of Four“ or are they the Beatles? (hair cut). Cant compare it to anything, though they are similar like Les Robespierres.

Šus v glavo – polska malca (Krsko, Posavje)
http:/www.myspace.com/polskamalca

Polska Malca started in 1982. It was the first Punk/Hc band in this area (Krsko, Posavje, south of slovenia). Their first song was called Anti Humanist which came out on a tape „from Plac with Love“. In 1988 their first album was „Mojster s snezinko“ (A Man with a Snowflake), with that they became even quite popular in austria and germany. While in the 1990s they were put into cold storage, now they are active again and plan tour of europe.

Cgirl – Captain Trunk (Leipzig) http:/www.myspace.com/cpttrunk

Relatives to Don Vito, but i couldnt resist the japanese boy (ive had it on tape as a child, but the original disco version, here apparently transformed into chinese girl).„the one guy : fucked up east german drumkit madness + heyahoa…the other guy : 5 string baritone guitar/double amp monstrosity + hoaheya“

Moj dečko je gay – LeZbor (Zagreb) http://www.myspace.com/lezbor

Again a choir, this time from Zagreb, it is a queer choir with ten singing members, which exists since 2005. Moj dečko je gay is a hit by Lollobrigida (Electro trash from Zagreb). „About as sexy couple, we will be‚ Like Angelina and Brad Pitt…Gay, my boyfriend, boyfriend is gay …/ Hey, gay is really ok/ All say gay is OK/..Think I‘m losing this game“

Marionete – više od milimetra (Temerin)
http://www.myspace.com/viseodmilimetra

They are from a place near Novi Sad and play post punk with some ska or garage influences and with good singer. Read some questions & answers about više od milimetra.

just sleep – Rahela Ferari (banja luka)
http://www.myspace.com/rahelaferari

Band from Banja Luka that doesn’t exist anymore, one of follow-up projects is zivot pise drame, Rachel Ferari was a profeminist punk band from Banja Luka, created in December 2000, initiators were Bojana Rogić, Bojan Žujić and Igor Bijelic, unfortunately quit work in 2005.

Ja – Repetitor (Beograd) http://www.myspace.com/repetitor

„I‘m high as a house / I do not have a lot of things
I wear everything one over another / I do not have many friends / I don‘t need no one to tell me he likes me / I don‘t need no one to tell me he likes me
I often talk to myself alone / my head is a depository of stupid things…“ They took shape in 2005. Read more somewhere inside.

anonimen neprijatel – Bernays Propaganda (Skopje) http:/www.myspace.com/bernayspropaganda

From Skopje in Macedonia, danceable polit-post-punk band with female vocals. „ The ship is sinking/ the whole deck is masturbating/ On a flag with a sun/stars/ root/pedigree/ Cause: crisis condition/ The gears are shifting/ The captain runs away first/ there‘s only one life-belt./ I love him hey hey !..“ (Anonymous friend/enemy)
They have a record out: Happiness machines LP (2009)

branca says – Karel Zeman (Leipzig) They dont have myspace

Experimental conglomerate with improvisational preferences consisting of as many people as fit in a garage. Decent noise. Odd instruments and a delight with monotony.

Side B will be:

loza punk – Dj_Denz(l)a & Klonirani Kajici (space, 6th density) http:/www.myspace.com/kloniranabagra

great mixture of anarcho punk hop styles, from sarajevo? perhaps autonomous astronauts, not from earth.

London nisu moje bitke – Manisent i Mentalnost (Beograd)
http:/www.myspace.com/manisent

are they the Beatles? this some dramatical song about broken love in london, as much as i understood the adored person lives in one of the upper floors of a building without an elevator. „I would say I love you / But I did not know / the houses in London have so many floors…“

Iza zatvorenih vrata – Neuroza (Beograd) http://www.myspace.com/neuroza

Complex Hc/punk band from Belgrade, reminds me of the more complicated Hc bands of the past. They exist since mid90s and have a released a 7inch „Greetings from N.Y.“. Songs are anti-militaristic, social issues, personal..

property and dissatisfaction – Monozid (Leipzig) http://www.myspace.com/monozid

Another band from Leipzig, they were on tour in southeastern europe a while ago, in 2003 three people met in a small room in the north-west of leipzig starting to play together. influenced by 80..s new wave and postpunk. Then countless concerts followed in squats and other places and in summer 2006 Ralf completed the band. Also active in local fanzines, organising gigs, local squats, june 2009 will be release of first LP/CD „say hello to artificial grey“.

kapital – Zivot pise drame (banja luka) http:/www.myspace.com/zivotpisedrame

Crust from Banja Luka, or is it black metal (black as in black flag), surrounded by darkness. Band started mid of 2006, formed by former members of Rahela Ferari (Igor, Zule) and of Self Liberation (Milos, Stra). The aim was to create a band with lyrics that clearly reflect anti-fascism, anti-nationalism, to promote the idea of anarchism.

Ulice – Horkestar (Beograd) http:/www.myspace.com/horkestar

Streets of your views have no end. choir version of a poem by vasko popa.

V eni Roki Flaša, v drugi Brzostrelka – polska malca (Krsko, Posavje)
http:/www.myspace.com/polskamalca

Bottle in one hand, in another machine guns. One of few songs were they sing.

asesinxs – Antitedax (Madrid, Valencia…) http://www.myspace.com/antitedax

La tierra no está muriendo, está siendo asesinada. Y lxs asesinxs tienen nombre y apellidos. (The earth is not dying, it‘s being murdered. AND its asassins have names and surnames.) Riot punk from Madrid.

tidycamperbirdtechno – ole citronelle (vancouver and braunschweig)
http:/www.myspace.com/olecitronelle

„I spoke the words that I originally wrote for someone in Vancouver who, taking his neighborhood watch orders pretty darn seriously, complained about me camping down the road from his house in my car in trying to chase me away cause it was not the place for me to be in. A lot of homeless people have to do that in Vancouver, the highest ‚Quality of lifestyle‘ city (according to some statistics) in order to survive canada‘s winter. They all pilgimage to the warmest place in the country.. My friend Ole and I are both members of a band called ‚Pirol‘”

Bi mogli da mozemo – UNUTRAŠNJA EMIGRACIJA (prijedor)
http:/www.myspace.com/unutrasnjaemigracijabend

Velika ocekivanja – The great expectations // From global events – no borders, no nations // There was a feeling that we are on the right track…

dumb – Ž/BUKA (zagreb) http://www.myspace.com/zbuka

In 2005, Eva (who has been for several years a more or less self-taught guitar player) says to her untalented friend Sunčana – you could start playing something so we can have a band! – who the following day borrows some money, buys a bass guitar and things start happening… There were several drummers, recent is Sara, since 2008…

nadama – Endorfin (Pancevo) http:/www.myspace.com/grupaendorfin

Exist since 2005. Zlaja is playing bass, drums Zeljko, Max singing, Milan playing guitar. From Pančevo.They have an EP-good fun I kill me!! plus one hit single Girls like bad boys.

lopata – Kurac Bend (Donji Vakuf) http://www.myspace.com/kapetankasim

Skapunk from some small town in bosnia, with lo fidelity recordings but good musicians and really punk. They are „against any form of fascism, Nazism, nationalism, sexism, war (except for class) and for the freedom of thought, expression and action if it does not damage others (except those above).“

diskogajjjjjjcom – MULTIETNICKA ATRAKCIJA (Beograd)
http:/www.myspace.com/multietnickaatrakcija

Again only drum and bass and dramatical improvisation.

schwimmen – low water stars (Sava)

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