Yugoslav New Wave

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The Yugoslav New Wave scene (Slovenian and Croatian: Novi val; Serbian: Нови талас or Novi talas; and Macedonian: Нов бран — all meaning New wave) emerged in the late 1970s in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and had a significant impact on Yugoslavian culture. It reshaped the cultural scene in the post-Titoist 1980s in Yugoslavia (President Tito died in 1980), and was, in a certain sense, combination of British and US-inspired New wave (but with some own Yugoslav distinguishing features) on one side and various conceptual or artistic movements related to Pop-Art, Avant-garde etc. on the other.

1 Overview
2 Bands
3 Video
4 Books
5 Related movies
6 See also

As the former socialist Yugoslavia was never a part of the Eastern Bloc, the country was opened towards influences from the rest of the world in many aspects (especially from the West, which to some extent supported the Non-Aligned Yugoslavia as a "buffer zone" to the Eastern Bloc). The Yugoslav rock'n'roll scene in general (including the freshly arrived New Wave) was mostly socialy accepted, well developed and covered in the media (the New Wave was especially advocated by the magazine Džuboks and the TV show Rokenroler, which was famous for its artistic music videos).

Strangely this anti-establishment movement was even supported, although moderately, by the communist authorities (their Youth organisation would organize concerts, festivals, parties, exhibitions etc.). Interestingly, the lyrics that criticized and satirized the flaws of Yugoslav Socialism were considered by the authorities as a "useful and friendly critique" and often tolerated with certain cases of censorship. Especially Zagreb-based cult band Azra is known for its political and social criticism in their songs.

Important bands of the Yugoslav New wave are: Šarlo Akrobata, Idoli (famous for their cult song "Maljčiki" and its video in which they ridiculed the soviet soc-realism); Prljavo Kazalište (started as a punk unit, the title of their second album "Crno-Bijeli svjet" which means "Black and white world" holds a reference to Two tone); Električni orgazam (punk at the beginning, they moved towards post-punk and Psychedelia later and were described as "The Punk Doors"); Haustor (mostly reggae, ska and similar influences but with more poetic approach); Film; Lačni Franz and many others.
Some genuinely started as New wave bands, influenced and closely related as the other new wave bands around the world to punk rock, ska, reggae, Two Tone, Mod Revival etc. while others previously adhered other music genres and styles prior to affiliating with the New wave (for example members of Azra were previously into somewhat hippy style).

Even the ex-Yugoslav cult band Bijelo Dugme which in their first period can be somehow described as post-hippie oriented 1970s hard rock, later, with the increasing popularity of the New Wave and thus decreasing interest for their style, decided to jump on the New Wave bandwagon and adopted "Two tone" style for a short period of time while it was fashionable (on their album Doživjeti stotu).

As the New Wave perished near the mid-1980s, some of the bands have split or took different directions in their music. Idoli and Prljavo Kazalište became pop, Milan Mladenović from Šarlo Akrobata formed the cult band Ekatarina Velika (darker poetic post-punk/post-new wave), Dušan Kojić - Koja also from Šarlo Akrobata formed Disciplina kičme (noisy mix of punk, funk, jazz etc.), Električni orgazam became mainstream rock (with influences from the Rolling Stones) etc.

Cult symbols of the Yugoslav New Wave era are the compilations: Paket aranžman, Novi Pank Val, Artistička Radna Akcija and especially the movie Dečko koji obećava.
The movement as a whole is still considered the "Golden Age" of pop/rock music in the countries that emerged after the break up of Yugoslavia.

In 2004 Igor Mirković made a film named "Sretno Dijete" ("Happy Child") named after a song by Prljavo Kazalište covering the events in the former Yugoslav New Wave scene.