Slovenian's Center za dehumizacijo,
abbreviated CZD, stands in a long tradition of Yugoslavian punk bands
like Paraf, Prljavo, Kazaliste or Pankrti.Founded in the Orwell year 1984, front man Dusan Hedl and his colleagues from Maribor are one of the oldest and most influential punk bands in the country. Their early tape recordings still circulate and are passed on from generation to generation. The music of the politically and socially committed band ranges from classic punk to experimental with bizarre synthesizer sounds and tape loops. To demonstrate that punk is just a modern variety of folk music, the band recorded some of their old songs as CZD Punkappela in an acoustic version last year. They where accompanied by a tambourine orchestra of eighteen people. Their song I Am Broke became a smash hit on Slovenian TV. At the Punk! Kongress, CZD will revive Slovenian's legendary punk tradition and prove once more that music has the power to unite the people. "We were singing against totalitarism, against an inhuman system, for freedom, against unification, against gray mediocrity, against violence, police, terror, racism. We were punks and soon became role models for many young people in our neighborhood." What Franci Novak, Silvio Zemlijic, Bostan Tomazic and front man Dusan Hedl describing in retrospective was the beginning of their band history and yet there is no end in sight. "Punk is still important," they say "because the system has changed." The four band members were already experienced, when they founded CZD, 1984 in Maribor. They used to play with groups called Maskar (massacre); Butli (bastards) or DuI'umbos (chaos). Maribor is the second biggest city in Slovenia, a very gray, desolate and industry dominated town. Culturally it was controlled by political hard-liners and the army. 1988 the workers of car manufacturer TAM demonstrated for reforms. It was the biggest protest movement in the history of Slovenia. You will find the company logo, a stylized cloverleaf, on every CZD production. CZD was always more than just a punk rock band. Although rock and punk rock was tolerated in Slovenia, in contrast to other socialist Countries, it was still restrained by the government. CZD did their best to have more autonomy and to create a basis for independent cultural production. Between 1982 and 1987 they ran a punk club, organized concerts and published fanzines – constantly monitored by the government. "In Yugoslavia there were many punks, a lot of police, and many people who made a good living from the system. During the eighties the political elite showed itself in its true colors: hate and bloody teeth." The first recordings of CZD came out on tape. Copies are still circulating in the scene. This happens a lot in most countries of the former Eastern bloc because the tape is a media that makes an uncensored distribution of independent music and sound production possible. Since 1989 most of the CZD productions are published on their own label, Front Rock, which is also the label of other Slovenian bands like Hocu? Necu! Since 1992 they co-operate with the No Border Jam Festival, one of the most important punk festivals in the region and release the No Border Jam Compilation. In 2000 CZD initiated a governmental funded project called Rokerji Pojejo Pesnike. CZD are really famous for their live concerts, across the country and beyond the borders of Slovenia. Highlights were the Novi Rock Festival 1986 and Subotica 1987, two of the biggest Slovenian resp. Yugoslavian festivals for new popular music. In 1987 CZD was awarded by the "Youth Movement For Democracy" for the best and most innovative music project in the country. Three years later, before the war broke out, CZD was one of the last bands to tour all over Yugoslavia. It was always the Intention and the credo of CZD to fight against boredom in rock music with innovative song writing and vigorous stage acts. That's what they are going to prove at Punk! Kongress. |
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ALTERNATIVE TV IGOR BASIN MICHAEL "PANKOW" BOEHLKE BOONARAAAS! BOY FROM BRAZIL SEZGIN BOYNIK BUZZCOCKS CHEETAH CHROME CZD DEAN DIRG RONALD GALENZA HENRYK GERICKE THOMAS GROETZ DICK HEBDIGE ALFRED HILSBERG STEWART HOME SIEGFRIED KALUS THE KIDS THOMAS LAU MARLENE MARDER MALCOLM MCLAREN LEGS MCNEIL PADELUUN BERT PAPENFUSS MARK PERRY HARRY RAG ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS SEDLMEIR ANDY SHERNOFF MARTY THAU TOKYO SEX DESTRUCTION VIVA L'AMERICAN DEATH RAY MUSIC |