Атеист Рэп: История сербского панк-рока

Serbian punk rock band

Atheist Rap is a Serbian punk rock band from Novi Sad, formed in 1989, which has released six studio albums, one compilation album and one live DVD. Their music is often characterized as "fun punk" due to its cheerful music and vocals. Their lyrics are usually critical of society and politics and are often humorous accounts of everyday events.

The idea of forming Atheist Rap came to vocalists Aleksandar Popov (also known as Dr. Pop) and Vladimir Kozbašić (also known as Pećinko) at the Rambo Amadeus concert, which took place on 29 November 1988, at the local club Mašinac. They merged with members of Fluorel Tatchkash, Vladimir Radusinović (also known as Radule) on guitar and Zoran Zarić (also known as Zare) on bass, and Stevan Gojkov (also knowns as Goja) (from Kapetan Leshi, Fear Of Dog, A Better Life Zine) took hold of the drums. The first live appearance was just a few days after the band was officially formed, at the Petrovaradin Fortress gate called Beogradska kapija on 22 May 1989, with several local acts. Before the appearance,with the repertoire consisting of two songs, the whole band wrote the song "O. R. A. ", which was performed by Popov on vocals, Kozbašić on backing vocals, with the band improvising to the lyrics. The performance provided the band a cult status, despite not having any recordings released. The band also got invitations to perform at several Novi Sad clubs, while writing new material. At the time, the band had rehearsals and partially lived at the Žuta Kuća in Novi Sad, until it was bulldozed by the local authorities.

In January 1990, the band performed at the alternative music festival called Bolje uživo nego u mrtvo (Better Live Than Dead), and made first recordings in June 1990, but the beginning of the Yugoslav wars at the beginning of the 1990s stopped the band from releasing the first CD release in the region. It was a four song EP, recorded at the Barba studio in Bukovac, entitled Compact Disc, consisting of the songs "Gusti sok", "Stomak eliminator", "Novosadski vašar" and "Gril 13", that Croatian label Jugoton never put out of press, and, as a result, the material was never released in this format. One of the songs from the EP, "Gusti sok", appeared on the various artists compilation Novi Sad Vol. 2. The EP was also to be released by the Novi Sad record label Start Today Records. Despite the EP not being released, the band promoted the recordings through radio and television broadcasts, which increased their popularity. At the end of 1990, Flourel Tatchkash and Elba drummer Aleksandar Milanov "Atzke" joined the group with Gojkov switching to guitar, and the new lineup had the first live appearance at the KUD Sonja Marinković. It was at the insisting of Tetcha Morales (manager, guitar) and Voja Žugić (Scorned Records, Three Pals Zine) that the band recorded their debut album Maori i Crni Gonzales (Māori and Black Gonzales), recorded at the Do Re Mi Studio in Novi Sad by the end of 1992, and released it in 1993. Despite the humorous lyrics of the songs "Ljubav", featuring the sampled speech of Josip Broz Tito, "Wartburg limuzina", "Blu Trabant" and "Plitka poezija", named after the first Pekinška patka album, and a mixture of cover versions by Pekinška Patka), the album had low official but pretty high pirate release sale. However, the band received the Album of the Year Award at the Brzi Bendovi Srbije festival. The band also occasionally performed under pseudonymous names Božidara Starog Park and Električni Jurica. "Wartburg limuzina" and "Blu Trabant" became hits in Serbia and Republic of Macedonia. The latter appeared on the American compilation Delite the Elite, featuring bands from the USA and Europe (MDC, Negu Gorriak, Credit to the Nation and Chumbawamba, Clawfinger ). Maori i Crni Gonzales was re released by Take It Or Leave It Records in 1994, and again in 1996 by the same record label, featuring four bonus tracks from the never released EP Compact Disc. The album also featured live versions of "Ljubav", "ORA je pravi način da " (YWA Is the Real Way To ") and "Ritam". Despite the political and economic situation in the country, the band presented the release at live performances in major cities and all around Serbia. By the time the band released their second studio album Ja eventualno bih ako njega eliminišete (I Possibly Would if You Eliminate Him), released in 1995 through PGP RTS, guitarist Gojkov had already left the band. The album was named by an acronym "Jebanje" ("Fucking"). The band's lyrical style was based on the rap dialectics backed with heavy punk rock riffs crossed with rockabilly and ska elements. The lyrics for the songs featured quotations from acts such as Kićo Slabinac, KUD Idijoti, Ekatarina Velika, The Clash and Soundgarden. Between the songs, the band inserted recordings from the Nacionalna klasa movie and sampled speech sections. The album was produced by the band themselves with Vojislav Aralica. Ljubiša Georgijević tribute album, with the song "Delfin", and the Novi Sad Student's Cultural Center compilation Novosadska punk verzija 1978–2005 (Novi Sad Punk Version 1978–2005) with the song "Atheist Rap" recorded at their first live act. The following year, the band performed at the Exit festival and released a DVD featuring a live performance the band held at KST in Belgrade and promotional videos for the tracks "Pritilend", "Igraš grubo", "Dve žetve godišnje" and "Audio Pula Video Split". In 2007, the band performed at the Niš Beer Fest and the following year at the Belgrade Beer Fest and Alternative Rock festival in Belgrade. In 2009, the band started a 20th anniversary tour, performing at various venues, including the 6 June performance in Novi Sad, where as guest appeared Canadian actor Rob Stewart. Stewart, having heard the about the popularity of his former TV show Tropical Heat had in Serbia and being a symbol of the students' protests in 1996 and 1997, came to Serbia. Stewart appeared as guest on the band's song "Slaughteru Nietzsche" (from the album II liga zapad) dedicated to him. The band released their fifth studio album Priče matorih pokvarenjaka on 30 November, in two formats, the MP3 version, available for free download at the band and the Serbian Converse official site, and a limited edition CD released by SKC Novi Sad, featuring four bonus tracks. During the first twenty four hours, the album was downloaded in 7500 copies.

On 7 July 2011, the band opened the twelfth Exit Festival with their performance on the Main Stage. In August, the band performed in England, in Barfly club in London on 5 August, and on Rebellion Festival in Blackpool on 7 August. In April 2012, the band released the single "Mene za budžu" ("Vote Me for Hot Shot"). In March 2013, the band members, together with the members of Dubioza Kolektiv and Hladno Pivo, recorded a cover of KUD Idijoti song "Ja sjećam se" ("I Remember") as a tribute to deceased KUD Idijoti frontman, Brako Črnac "Tusta". The song was released on Dubioza Kolektiv album Apsurdistan. In May, the band appeared on the tribute album to the band Brkovi entitled Brkati gosti with a cover of Brkovi song "Usamljen oženjen". At the end of 2013, the documentary Slaughter Nick for President, dealing with popularity of Tropical Heat in Serbia and featuring the band was released. In February 2014, the band released the single "Drugo pakovanje" ("Different Package") and started a tour across Serbia and Croatia in order to celebrate their 25th anniversary. In autumn of 2014, the band participated in a tribute album to Novembar, entitled Tako mlad i tako čist (So Young and So Clean), with a cover of Novembar song "Ko je sunce ubio?" ("Who Killed the Sun?"). In April 2015, the band went on a German tour, which featured eleven concerts, few of them with Defenders of the Universe. On 3 September 2015, the band performed on the Novi Sad Festival of Street Musicians, having a joint concert with Croatian band Let 3. The concert, entitled Street Musical Clash and held on Novi Sad Liberty Square, featured the band's performing on tho separate stages, but performing songs of each other's. In November 2015 the band released their 6th studio album called "Uberlauf" and in 2016 started "Uberlauf tour", which will include all ex Yugoslav republics, Germany and France.

In 2011, the song "Fatamorgana" ("Mirage") was voted, by the listeners of Radio 202, one of 60 greatest songs released by PGP RTB/PGP RTS during the sixty years of the label's existence.