John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The streaming revolution and the vinyl revival have opened a new world of sounds and songs to adventurous music fans.
Countries whose music scenes were once relegated to only the most hardcore collectors have seen the light once again, thanks to YouTube and Spotify and record labels that specialize in reissues of music that was almost forgotten.
One of the most interesting of these countries isn’t an even a country – which makes it all the more interesting.
For decades, Yugoslavia was a hotbed for rock ‘n’ roll. Yes, the Eastern European nation was socialist, but it was also a non-aligned country – walking a tightrope between the west and the Soviet Union. As a result, it had greater access to American and U.K. music, which led to a vibrant homegrown scene that paralleled scenes and music trends in the west.
'Svi Mars Na Ples!' ('Everybody Dance Now!'), a New Wave compilation released in Yugoslavia in 1980. (Jugoton Records)
Then it all fell apart, after a civil war in the early-1990s. Yugoslavia was dead, its constituent republics having gone their separate ways and ethnic groups of the multi-ethnic country striking out to create separate nations and identities.
But the music of Yugoslavia lived on, with bands bridging divisions where politicians could not. They toured throughout the former country and, through music, reminded people of a common experience they once had.
Jugoton Records
At 8 p.m. Saturday, the Millard Fillmore – a bar located at 15617 Waterloo Road, in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood – will celebrate the music of Yugoslavia with Yugo Rock Night.
Google Maps
“There’s a big element of nostalgia for the music of Yugoslavia among people with ties to the country,” says Berislav Sabolic, a Yugoslav émigré and radio broadcaster who emigrated to Hamilton, Ontario in 1996. He will be appearing at Millard Fillmore to spin music from the country.
“But there’s also a wider interest in the music of the country,” he adds. “There was a big increase in literacy and development in Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1990 and a golden age of culture that impacted the music scene and the rise of rock ‘n’ roll.”
The Hotel Adriatic II in Opatija, Croatia. Photo Valentin Jeck for the Museum of Modern Art.
Yugoslavia's post World War II construction boom is well documented, in a variety of history and architecture books and an acclaimed 2018-2019 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, “Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948–1980.” The show explored Yugoslavia's attempt to set itself apart architecturally, which allowed for idiosyncratic interpretations of the “socialist modernism.”
The country's music scene was developing similarly -- with its own take on genres and styles.
Photos courtesy Stanislav Zabic
In the 1960s, Yugoslavia was home to waves of girl groups, mod stylists and psychedelic hippie freak-out bands.
Jugoton Records
It even developed its own mariachi scene – a unique example of cultural cross-pollination that has become a fascination among musicologists and anthropologists.
In the mid-1960s, performers in sombreros topped the Yugoslav charts by playing "Yu-Mex" -- a genre that mixed Mexican musical stylings with Serbo-Croatian lyrics.
The unlikely style was the result of Yugoslavia trying to chart its own course during the Cold War. It was part of the Non-Aligned Movement and promoted cultures of countries such as Mexico, whose revolutionary cinema was popular in Yugoslavia and inspired the Yu-Mex sound.
John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer
Big, heavy rock bands and punk and new wave outfits emerged in the 1970s. The '80s and '90 rolled out all kinds of hardcore and indie bands.
“The late-1970s and early-1980s were arguably the best years for Yugoslav rock music,” says Sabolic. “There was a never-ending stream of records, videos, concerts and other events.”
Courtesy Berislav Sabolic
“There has always been a lot of interest in the West in the country’s prog-rock and punk scenes,” he adds. “The latest trend is rediscovering the its 1980s electronic music scene – because that music in general is getting popular again and you have this fascination with synth bands from Yugoslavia.”
Yugoslavia's music scene's proximity to west went beyond spiritual kinship. The country had access to a wide range of music, thanks to licensing and distribution agreements with American record companies, large and small.
Courtesy Berislav Sabolic
As a result, the capitals of the republics that made up the former-Yugoslavia became popular touring stops for bands from the west.
There were also a number of indie labels, including Sabolic’s Ill in the Head. The label released bands from the various republics of Yugoslavia and continues to do so – even as the republics have become countries.
Courtesy Berislav Sabolic
“As Yugoslavia was descending into turmoil, war and inevitable disintegration, I was establishing connections and friendships with like-minded people across the country,” says Sabolic. “I strongly believe that because of the music and punk ideology I did not get infected by nationalism, militarism and violence like many people of my generation did in the early 1990s.”
Decades later, the love of music has maintained friendships and fostered new ones with people happy to set aside politics for a common bond over music. Sabolic will be joined on Saturday by Stanislav Zabic, a Lyndhurst resident who moved to America from the former-Yugoslavia in 1999.
Courtesy Berislav Sabolic
Zabic is a fixture in the music scene and a regular DJ at the Millard Fillmore’s popular vinyl nights. Usually, he plays a variety of underground, psychedelic and garage – the American variety.
Courtesy Berislav Sabolic
On Saturday, he will dig deep into his collection of Yugo rock. He got the idea to put together an evening of music from the country one night, by chance -- when he played a song from Yugoslavia during a DJ stint and noticed people in the bar perk up.
Courtesy Berislav Sabolic
“People responded right away when they heard the music,” says Zabic, who hosts a regular music podcast on his site, littlelighthouse.net. “Some were struck by the songs, because there is a lot of great music that came from the area. But there were also people that happened to be in the bar that were from Yugoslavia and it appealed to their nostalgia… It was a reminder of peaceful and happy times.”
Courtesy Millard Fillmore
Vinyl night is a monthly event at Millard Fillmore. Admission is free. For more info, call 216-481-9444.
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