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New wave in Yugoslavia (Serbian:Нови талас,Novi talas;Croatian:Novi val;Slovene:Novi val;Macedonian:Нов бран) was thenew wave music scene of theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. As its counterparts, the British and the American new wave, from which the main influences came, the Yugoslav scene was also closely related topunk rock,ska,reggae,2 tone,power pop andmod revival. Some of its acts are also counted as belonging to theYugoslav punk scene which already existed prior to new wave. Such artists were labeled as both punk rock and new wave (the term "new wave" was initially interchangeable with "punk").
The new wave scene in Yugoslavia emerged in the late1970s and had a significant impact on theYugoslav culture. TheYugoslav rock scene in general, including the freshly arrived new wave music, was socially accepted, well developed and covered in the media. New wave was especially advocated by the magazinesPolet fromZagreb andDžuboks fromBelgrade, as well as the TV showRokenroler, which was famous for itsartistic music videos.
This anti-establishment movement was even supported, although moderately, by thegovernment, particularly by thecommunist youth organisation which often organized concerts, festivals, parties, exhibitions, and other cultural events. The lyrics that were criticizing and satirizing the flaws of Yugoslav socialism were considered by the authorities as a "useful and friendly critique" and were often tolerated with certain cases ofcensorship, particularly the Zagreb-based bandAzra, who were known for theirpolitical andsocial criticism in their songs. The Yugoslav new wave scene also cooperated with various conceptual or artistic movements related topop art,avant-garde etc.
Important artists of Yugoslav new wave were: Azra,Šarlo Akrobata,Idoli (famous for their song "Maljčiki" and its respective video in which they ridiculedSovietsoc-realism),Pankrti (first Yugoslav punk band),Prljavo kazalište (started as a punk unit; the title of their second albumCrno-bijeli svijet, which means "theblack and white world", holds a reference to the2 tone movement),Električni Orgazam (punk at the beginning, they moved towardspost-punk andpsychedelia later and were described as "The PunkDoors"),Slađana Milošević,Haustor (mostlyreggae,ska and similar influences, but with a more poetic and intellectual approach compared to some danceable bands),Buldožer,Laboratorija Zvuka,Film (one of the first Yugoslav new wave groups),Lačni Franz and many others. Some of them genuinely started as new wave bands, while others previously adhered to other styles (for example the members of Azra were previously into a somewhathippie style prior to becoming a new wave band).
With the decreasing popularity of 1970shard rock andprogressive rock among the youths after the expansion of punk and new wave, even the cult rock bandBijelo Dugme decided to change its ruralfolk-ish hard rock style and jump onto the new wave bandwagon. They adopted the 2 tone style for a short period of time while it was fashionable on their albumDoživjeti stotu which featured the ska theme "Ha, ha, ha". The chorus lyrics were used as a title for the compilation albumSvi marš na ples!.
Cult symbols of the Yugoslav new wave era are the compilation albumsPaket aranžman,Novi Punk Val,Artistička radna akcija and especially the movieThe Promising Boy.
As new wave perished in the late-1980s, some of the bands split or took different musical directions. The period around1982 is considered especially crucial concerning the decline of new wave in Yugoslavia. There were several other reasons why Yugoslav new wave started to fade beside the notable general decline of new wave around the world: theeconomical crisis in Yugoslavia in the first half of the 1980s and the political instability, especially in theSocialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo in1981 afterJosip Broz Tito'sdeath. Also, the musical genres such as post-punk,dark wave andgothic rock, as well asNew Romantic andsynth-pop already saw a great expansion around the world, including Yugoslavia too.
Šarlo Akrobata changed from its initial ska and reggae-inspired period, embracing a deeper post-punk sound. They were also a support act ofGang of Four in Zagreb, before they finally split in 1981.Milan Mladenović, the band's notablevocalist andguitarist in 1982 formed the cult bandEkatarina Velika which was noted for its dark poetic post-punk style and intellectual attitude. In the same year, his bandmateDušan "Koja" Kojić formed the groupDisciplin A Kitschme (Serbo-Croatian:Disciplina kičme), a band influenced by a variety of music styles, which later rose to international prominence.
Idoli, Prljavo kazalište and Film (the latter under the monikerJura Stublić i Film) later becamepop orpop rock and all of them respectively achieved great mainstream success. During the 1980s, Azra gradually moved to more conventionalrock with occasional use offolk rock elements.Johnny Štulić's poetic trademarks were still notable throughout their lyrics; Električni Orgazam soon became a successful mainstream rock band inspired mostly by the1960s including artists such asThe Rolling Stones.
The Yugoslav new wave period is still considered the golden age of pop and rock music in the countries that emerged after thebreakup of Yugoslavia. The Yugoslav new wave scene gave birth to some of the most important Yugoslav acts ever and it was acclaimed by the Western media (notably byMelody Maker) for its quality and originality as well.
In 2004, Igor Mirković made a film titledSretno dijete (Happy Child) named after a song by Prljavo kazalište. The movie covers the events in the former Yugoslav new wave scene.
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