And on tonight’s menu we’ve got some good old Yugoslavian rock. This is the stuff I grew up with and it really takes me back to another time. Almost like a DeLorean with a functioning flux capacitor.

The ‘new wave’ Yugoslavian rock was created mostly in the 70s and the early 80s, but it is still quite popular across the Balkan. These songs are on every amateur DJ’s playlist and are usually played after everyone is well on their way to give the nearest toilet a hug. Playing of one such song is often followed by hugging the nearest fellow drunk, emotional howling and a whole lot of bromancing – you get my point. I’ll just mention a few of my favourite ones.

One of the most influential and the most popular rock bands of former Yugoslavia is a Croatian band Azra from Zagreb. Their first single was released in 1979 and their last album was recorded in 1988. The lead singer left the next year, moved to the Netherlands and became a bit of a weirdo, but Azra is still everyone’s favourite.



Ekatarina Velika (EKV) is a personal favourite of mine. It’s a Serbian band from Belgrade that made some kickass music before the band fell apart after their frontman died in 1994. They started playing in 1982, changed their name and band members a few times, but the music is and always was great.



And then there’s a representative of Bosnia – Bijelo Dugme from Sarajevo. They were most active between 1974 and 1989 and besides cool music they also had the craziest album covers.





They were by far the most popular and influential band in Yugoslavia during those two decades and they had a big comeback in 2005. Concerts were held in Zagreb, Sarajevo and Belgrade and about 250.000 people saw them live, most of which were young buggers who grew up with the ‘new wave’ rock just like me.



Enjoy, I’m off to find a drunk person to hug and cry about good old times (which I don't remember, but who cares).