Du Du A

Du Du A
Company type	Musical group
Industry	Music
Founded	1981 in Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia
Founder	Dejan Kostić, Vuk Vujačić
Defunct	2013
Headquarters	Belgrade, Serbia
Area served	Former Yugoslavia, Serbia
Key people	Dejan Kostić, Vuk Vujačić, Zoran Zagorčić
Products	Music albums, singles

Du Du A () was an alternative rock ensemble from Serbia and the former Yugoslavia, established in Belgrade in 1981.

The group was initiated by Dejan Kostić (handling vocals, guitar, and bass) alongside saxophonist Vuk Vujačić, with Zoran Zagorčić (vocals and keyboards) joining shortly thereafter. Their early sound merged elements of new wave, synth-pop, funk, and reggae, marking them as pioneers of rap music within Yugoslavia. Their first album, Primitivni ples (1982), attracted widespread media coverage and achieved mainstream success. Although they continued to perform and record with various members over the years, they did not release new albums until the mid-1990s, except for a 7-inch single. The band ceased activity following the deaths of Zagorčić in 1998 due to a car accident and Kostić in 2013 under similar circumstances.

History

Du Du A came into existence in 1981 when Dejan Kostić, formerly of Grupa I, teamed up with Vuk Vujačić, who had played with Innamorata and VIA Talas. Their initial compositions fused funk, reggae, and dance music influences. Later that year, Zoran Zagorčić, previously a member of Ganeša, joined as vocalist and keyboardist.

Their inaugural 7-inch single "Ja Tarzan, ti Džejn" / "Afrikanac iz Beograda" (1982) stood out as one of the earliest Yugoslav releases to incorporate rap elements. The album Primitivni ples, produced by Kostić himself, officially listed only Kostić and Zagorčić as members but featured contributions from Vujačić, vocalist Bebi Dol, guitarists Goran Vejvoda, Dragomir Mihajlović "Gagi", Nebojša Antonijević "Anton", as well as keyboardist Saša Habić. This record embraced a variety of popular musical styles; tracks such as "Solar," "Ja ne bi, ne bi, ne bi," and a rendition of the blues classic "Fever" received significant radio play. The song "Znaš li devojku" included guest vocals by Steve Hannington, an actor-singer of Kenyan descent. Post-release, the band performed frequently at Belgrade’s Students' Cultural Centre with Vujačić on saxophone, Vejvoda on guitar, and Dejan Stanisavljević on keyboards.

From 1983 to 1984, the band entered a hiatus during which Kostić performed in clubs across Cairo. Upon returning to Belgrade, the lineup expanded to include Kostić, Vujačić, bassist Goran Vujović, pianist Stanisavljević, backing vocalist Vesna Zafirović, and drummer Vlada Funtek. They maintained live performances and studio sessions but only issued the single "Irie" (1985) until the mid-1990s. In 1994, an acoustic version of "Era Vulgaris" was featured on Bez struje, a live album recorded at a festival in Belgrade.

The band's revival came with the 1996 release Ritual, which featured Kostić as the sole original member. Alongside his own compositions, it included a Serbian-language adaptation of Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" under the title "San." Kostić performed all instrumental parts supported by guitarist and co-producer Miloš Pavlović, vocalists Nenad Jovanović and Srđan Marković "Đile", saxophonist Aleksandar Jaćimović, and pianist Stanisavljević. The album yielded modest hits such as "Babylon" and "Lava."

Although Du Du A remained officially active into the late 1990s, its final formation consisted only of Kostić (vocals, guitar, bass guitar, sampler) alongside Zafirović (vocals). The group disbanded following Kostić’s passing in 2013.

In 2019, Discom issued Du Du Archive 1984-1989, a limited edition vinyl compilation featuring ten tracks that had never been released before.

Collaborations and Additional Endeavors

Dejan Kostić lent his bass guitar skills to the track "Pazite na decu" by Šarlo Akrobata, featured on their only album Bistriji ili tuplji čovek biva kad.... Additionally, he contributed guitar, bass, and percussion parts to Bebi Dol's single "Rudi" as well as her album Ruže i krv.

Zoran Zagorčić, who graduated from the Belgrade Faculty of Medicine, later pursued interests in alternative medicine and literary translation. Using the alias Dudu Vudu, he performed rap vocals on The Master Scratch Band’s 1984 release Degout. During the mid-1990s, he collaborated with Električni Orgazam and appeared on their album Zašto da ne!. Tragically, Zagorčić passed away in November 1998 following a car accident. After his death, his poetry collection Stakleno jezero was published, alongside the posthumous release of the album Fetish, which included previously unreleased compositions penned by him. The lyrics—written in English and Spanish—were provided by Nina Živančević and Manuel Villanueva. Musicians featured on this album included Dejan Kostić (guitar), Zoran Radomirović "Švaba" (bass), Massimo Savić (vocals), Ivan Pajević (guitar), and Bebi Dol (backing vocals).

Legacy

The Serbian alternative rock group Svi na Pod! recorded a cover of "Afrikanac iz Beograda" for their 2011 release Prvi!. Furthermore, the song "Znaš li devojku" was placed at number 95 in the 2006 ranking of the B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs.

Studio Albums

Primitivni ples (1982)
Ritual (1996)

Compilation Albums

Du Du Archive 1984-1989 (2019)

Singles

"Ja Tarzan, ti Džejn" / "Afrikanac iz Beograda" (1982)
"Irie" / "Romace" (1985)

Other Contributions

"Era Vulgaris" (from the album Bez struje; 1994)

External links