Is there a recipe for how to make it in the music business in this part of the world? Slovenian hip-hop might provide some insights. It’s not often that you’ll find hip hop artists who find inspiration in Mozart and The Lord of the Flies, who listen to Pavorotti,…
Tag: music
On Studying Albanian in Belgrade
An intro and interview by Eno Shkëmbi. Slađana Stojiljković is a Serbian student from the city of Leskovac currently in her second year of Albanology studies at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Philology. Albanology is the study of Albanian language and culture. Most people in Belgrade probably don’t even know…
Yugoslavia’s Last Summer Dance: Did Serbia and Montenegro Really Break Up Over Eurovision?
Two and a half months before Montenegrins were due to vote in a referendum on independence from Serbia that would bring the union of the last two Yugoslav republics to an end, Montenegrin and Serbian television viewers in March 2006 had a different kind of vote to cast: choosing what…
Photos of Odessa, Plus Our Valentine’s Day 2017 Playlist
It’s Valentine’s Day and in case that matters to anyone anymore, your editor has put together a playlist of music made by some of our friends in Ukraine and Russia. We’re also throwing in some of our photos of the beautiful Black Sea port city of Odessa, where we occasionally hide out when we’re not…
The Zetra Project: Remembering the Concert That Tried to Save Yugoslavia
Remembering the Sarajevo rock show that tried to save Yugoslavia, 25 years later. The forgotten peace movement in Yugoslavia arguably peaked at a rock concert in Sarajevo’s Zetra Olympic Sports Hall on July 28th, 1991. Due to a bad weather forecast, the concert was relocated to Zetra at the last minute. A Sarajevo taxi…
“Free” Music in Slovenia: the Struggle for Royalties from Radio
Musicians in Slovenia are losing royalties as radio stations exploit legal loopholes to avoid paying them their due. In a radio broadcast, the organization responsible for protecting artists was called a “terrorist organization”, and journalists who’ve dared to touch the topic have been sued. Edgar Tijhuis reports on a troubling trend seen across…
Balkanist Playlist: Songs for a Bruised World
Old and new protest songs from Russia, Turkey, and the former Yugoslavia. “Discipline”, Borghesia (1989) Probably one of the most prophetic music videos ever made: Slobodan Milošević and a map of Yugoslavia covered in barbed wire and fire several years before the war began. “Roadhouse”, Gnoomes (2015) Our friends from…