The Sound of Zagreb Music: The 90s Nostalgia and Local Bands
Following the last month’s guide to the best local bands in Zagreb where I covered the iconic 80s bands, here I’ll tackle with my favourite decade - the 90s. Yes, it’s because I was growing up in the 90s and, like most millennials are, I’m very nostalgic about that period. I’m not saying it was better than it is now, but look… we had Tamagotchies, Play Station 1, VHS tapes for watching movies like Lion King and Titanic, really bad fashion taste and accessorise (for example, choker necklaces are making a comeback), Nintendo Gameboy, cassette player for listening to our favourite music. And boy, let me tell you about music back then… it was SOMETHING. Sure, you might know about Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys, but Croatian music was unique back then. Unlike the 80s music, the 90s weren’t so much about pioneering new genres or sounds. Instead, musicians in the 90s were a lot more playful and did similar things as their colleagues all around Europe and world. In my mind, when I think of the 90s, I think of dance and pop music. While the USA was all about grunge thanks to Nirvana, Croatia was about getting their disco on.
So, without further ado, here are some amazing 90s bands and musicians from Zagreb you need to hear. Beware though. You might get teary eyed because of overwhelming 90s nostalgia (or maybe that’s just me).
Pips, Chips & Videoclips
I simply HAVE TO mention them first. I don’t think any band embodies Zagreb as a city as much as Pips, Chips & Videoclips. It might have something to do with the fact that their breakthrough song “Dinamo, I love you”, in 1992, was inspired by one of the most famous songs ever - You'll Never Walk Alone. Critics often say this song is the Croatian version of the famous "Anarchy In UK" by Sex Pistols because it’s an authentic urban anthem whose rebellious character revives the longtime battle of Dinamo fans, Bad Blue Boys, to give their football club its old name back. I remember this song from my childhood. In our household, we weren’t Dinamo fans, but this song transcends all the differences among football fans. It became so well known in Croatia that each person today still knows how to sing every word of the song.
Photo Credit: Nino Solic, Pips, Chips & Videoclips Facebook
What I most love about them, after being their fan for years, is that they are stylishly versatile, thematically provocative and visually appealing all at the same time. Still, not everyone was on board when they released their first album because they sounded way more eclectic than some people hoped for - people mostly assumed all songs would be similar to their song “Dinamo, I love you”. It took a while, but by their second album, locals embraced them and a legend was born: extremely mature sound and high-quality performance turned them into stars, and their breakthrough in the neighbouring markets of Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina began. Later, they continued to impress fans and critics with their new releases: Croatian public praised them as the absolute creative triumph on the music scene, with critics sharing their enthusiasm. Pips offered Zagrebians something quite different from all the other local bands so far: modern production, aggressive play, clean street language and undoubtedly the highest political engagement recorded on the Croatian scene until that point.
What more can I say other than… you need to hear them play. Listen to their songs. They are a must!
Hladno Pivo
Are you up for cracking open a cold one with the boys? No pun intended, but the name of this punk-rock legends does actually mean “Cold Beer”. They knew each other because they were all from the same neighbourhood - Gajnice. They all played various instruments even before forming a band, but (as they say for themselves) - they were terrible. But we all know every beginning is tough.
Photo Credit: Hladno Pivo
The band was officially formed in 1987 in Zagreb and consisted of five members: Zok, Tedi, Suba, Stipe and Mile. At first, they played mostly covers of the Ramones, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, AC/DC, Motörhead, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Judas Priest, Azra etc., proving that “the best song can sound terrible if it comes to the right hands” (quotes from their official website, funny guys). Their story is quite classic. They were young, high school buddies who just wanted to play loud music. Their early works sound a lot more punkish than these modern ones from the last three albums they released.
In the beginning, they played local gigs only. It took a couple of years, but Hladno Pivo managed to become one of the most well-known bands in Croatia. Today, it’s hard to find a single person who doesn’t know lyrics of at least one of their songs. After being more than 20 years on the music scene, they’ve reached a cult status among rock musicians, and now they play all over Europe. Their concerts are almost always sold out, and their fanbase is growing with each passing day. Quick sidenote: they are my personal favourite among all the above mentioned. I have great memories of their concerts from my high school years, and all my friends are huge fans, so there's an element of nostalgia attached to their songs. Give them a listen!
Jinx
Jinx were founded in 1993, but are still active today and, personally, I think of them as one of the best bands in Croatia. Their first concert was performed under the name 'High Jinx', with Yaya, Coco Mosquito, Mr Goody, Goony and Kiky the Kid performing under the name "High Jinx" coming from a concert in a Zagreb night-club Saloon. Since all fans who attended their first gigs referred to them solely as Jinx, the band officially accepted the shorter version of their name.
Photo Credit: Jinx Facebook
Their first album, Sextasy, was released in English in 1995 and two years later, it was followed by the “Second Hand” album with popular hits such as “Smijem se” and “Brazil”. Many critics have called them over the year “a factory of good songs” which was well received by their fans as well since almost all of their singles are widely popular and there’s rarely any person who doesn’t know the lyrics.
They have gone their separate ways for a couple of years, and most interesting about that is that they decided to stop playing together while they were at the height of their career. Luckily for the fans, in 2007 they made a comeback album and have been playing together ever since, with lots of great new music. Over the years, they won two Porin awards. But their reward is probably a loyal audience that loves their music, and that’s why songs like Bye bye baby bye, Koliko suza, Tamo gdje je sve po mom, Na čemu si ti and Da smo se voljeli manje are considered pop culture in Croatia.
Tram 11
The band was formed in 1996 by Nenad Šimun "Target" and Srđan Ćuk "General Woo". They are named after a tram line number 11, that connects the western part of Zagreb from where Target is, with the eastern part where General Woo lived. At that time, Croatia had no recognised rappers until a radio show started on legendary Zagreb radio station “Radio 101" with a goal to promote hip-hop and rap in Croatia. That’s exactly how Tram 11 emerged in the "Blackout Project" and a legend was born.
The band's song "Hrvatski velikani" was the first rap song to hit #1 on Croatian music top-lists. Their success brought new hip-hop names to music scene like Koolade, Dasha and Dook, El Bahattee, Sick Brothers, Stupni, Renmena, First Five, Nered, Stoke, Frx and Phat Phillie. They released two albums and a couple of compilations before going their separate ways but decided to make a comeback this year - just in time for you to hear them perform live.
The Bastardz
The Bastardz are a Croatian jazz, funk duo consisting of a vocalist Helena Bastić, and a guitarist Zoran Jaeger-Jex. The Bastardz are active in both their native Croatia and the Netherlands, where Jaeger-Jex has collaborated with other musicians. Even though they were formed in 1990, it wasn’t until 1995 that they released their first mini-LP label called “Your Love” with song "Your Love" which won the first place on all Croatian top charts. Combining various influences from pop to jazz and mixing it with the winning combination of great musicianship and great songs, it’s no surprise they are considered one of the founders of the Croatian modern, urban sound.
Since 1995, The Bastardz have released 10 top ten singles, 3 studio albums, a compilation album and their latest release, a live cd, The Bastardz Go Jazzy Live. Furthermore, band’s founders, Lady Miss Helena and Jex, are also the founders of the Seaside Jazz Festival in Croatia, which consists of more than twenty different performances by top international and domestic musicians along the Adriatic coast in the summer and is one of the most interesting festivals in that area. Long story short, they are amazing and give them a listen if you haven’t so far.
Kojoti
Good old rock ‘n’ roll. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. The story goes like this. Davor Viduka, ex-member of rock band Majke, founded Kojoti (Eng coyotes) back in 1992 and they were active all the way till the new millennia. “Sto milja daleko od nje”, “Razuzdan i lud”, “Izgubljen u svemiru”, “Hodala je pola metra iznad zemlje”, “Zajaši zmaja”, “Halucinacija” i “Trese, lupa, udara” – these are just some of the great hits that brought Kojoti among the most prominent rock artists during the 90s. They played hundreds of concerts and were full of rock energy, hedonism and frisky vibe. Eventually, like many other previously mentioned bands, they decided to part ways, and after 17 years, they got back together in February 2017.
Header Image Credit: TZGZ Download zona, J.Duval
Author: Paula Bracko