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Ekatarina Velika

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Ekatarina Velika
Company typeBand
IndustryMusic
Founded1982 in Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia
FounderMilan Mladenović, Gagi Mihajlović
Defunct1994
Headquarters
Belgrade
,
Serbia, Yugoslavia
Area served
Yugoslavia, Serbia
Key people
Milan Mladenović, Margita Stefanović, Bojan Pečar
ProductsMusic albums, live performances

Ekatarina Velika (), commonly known as EKV (), was a prominent rock group originating from Belgrade, Serbia, and Yugoslavia, widely regarded as one of the most significant contributors to the Yugoslav music landscape.

Initially established under the name Katarina II (), the ensemble amassed a dedicated fan base that grew notably after the passing of their lead vocalist Milan Mladenović in 1994, which ultimately led to the band's breakup. The principal members included vocalist and guitarist Milan Mladenović, keyboardist Margita Stefanović, and bassist Bojan Pečar, while other musicians frequently changed.

Katarina II

In February 1982, after the disbandment of Šarlo Akrobata, 24-year-old Milan Mladenović teamed up with guitarist Gagi Mihajlović to form a new band. Drawing from their previous collaboration in Limunovo Drvo, they chose the name Katarina II, inspired by Mihajlović's unreciprocated affection. The original lineup also featured Dušan Dejanović on drums and Zoran "Švaba" Radomirović on bass.

Later that year, pianist Margita Stefanović, trained in classical music, joined the group. Following the departures of Radomirović and Dejanović—who moved on to competing bands—the band went through two drummer replacements before settling on Ivan "VD" Vdović. Early in 1983, bassist Bojan Pečar, previously with VIA Talas, became part of the band. That spring, they performed at the Zagreb Biennale, receiving favorable critiques.

Their first album was initially recorded at Enco Lesić's Druga Maca studio; however, due to technical difficulties, these recordings were unusable. In 1984, they re-recorded the album at RTV Ljubljana studios with director Srđan Marjanović. Released by ZKP RTLJ, the album featured lyrics primarily by Mladenović with some input from Mihajlović and was produced by Đorđe Petrović alongside guest musicians. Only 3,000 copies were pressed, indicating limited commercial expectations. Although tracks such as "Aut," "Jesen," and "Radostan dan" received critical acclaim, the album did not achieve commercial success. Mladenović later expressed dissatisfaction with its production quality and lack of promotional support from the label.

After internal disputes and Mihajlović's incarceration, he was removed from the group but retained rights to the "Katarina II" name. Consequently, the band rebranded as Ekatarina Velika (EKV). Drummer Vdović exited due to substance abuse issues and was succeeded by Ivan "Firchie" Fece. EKV’s popularity grew through extensive tours across SFR Yugoslavia and television appearances, establishing a strong presence in key urban centers such as Belgrade, Zagreb, and Ljubljana.

Ekatarina Velika

At the start of 1985, EKV recorded their sophomore album at SIM studio in Zagreb. With Vladimir Smolec producing and guest contributions from Massimo Savić and SIM studio co-owner Tomo in der Mühlen, Ekatarina Velika produced their first notable hits: "Oči boje meda" ("Honey Colored Eyes"), "Modro i zeleno" ("Indigo and Green"), and "Tattoo". The album’s cover art, designed by Dušan Gerzić, depicted band members adorned with body paint inspired by Native American ceremonial designs. Released on 22 March 1985, EKV made their international debut at Culture Days in Turin, Italy, and took part in the Bolje vas našli cultural exchange between Belgrade and Zagreb bands.

Later that year, Fece left temporarily to fulfill his mandatory service in the Yugoslav People's Army; he subsequently joined Laboratorija Zvuka. His replacement was Ivan "Raka" Ranković from Tvrdo Srce i Velike Uši. In 1986, this formation released their breakthrough third album S vetrom uz lice (Faced Against the Wind), co-produced by Milan Mladenović, Margita Stefanović, and Dragan Čačinović. The record featured hits such as "Budi sam na ulici" ("Be Alone on the Street"), "Ti si sav moj bol" ("You Are All My Anguish"), and "Novac u rukama" ("Money in the Hands"). Critics often compared their sound to that of Simple Minds, but this release elevated EKV to widespread acclaim.

The band embarked on an extensive tour throughout Yugoslavia, capturing one of five consecutive sold-out concerts at Zagreb's Kulušić on 2 November 1986; this performance was later issued as the live album 19LIVE86. Promotional efforts included six sold-out shows at Belgrade's Dom Omladine in January 1987. In spring 1987, Ranković departed to create Ulica Od Meseca; he was succeeded by actor and former Disciplina Kičme drummer Srđan Todorović, who made his debut with EKV on 9 April at Paris’s La Locomotive club. That fall, EKV received the Sedam Sekretara SKOJa award recognizing their achievements with both their second and third albums.

Alternative rock period (1987–1991)

During the summer of 1987, EKV unveiled Ljubav (translated as Love), which was co-produced alongside Australian Theodore Yanni. This record emphasized a stronger guitar presence and displayed cover art created by Margita Stefanović in collaboration with artist Vuk Vidor. Notable songs such as "Zemlja" ("Earth"), "7 Dana" ("7 Days"), and the title track "Ljubav" ("Love") underscored Milan's evolving melancholic lyricism, especially evident in pieces like "Tonemo" ("We Are Sinking"). The album reinforced their reputation as a compelling live act, demonstrated by two sold-out performances at Belgrade's Pionir Hall. Early 1988 marked the start of a tour featuring supporting musicians Tanja Jovićević (Oktobar 1864) and Zvonimir Đukić (Van Gogh). Fece briefly rejoined before moving to New York City in May 1988.

By January 1989, the band completed Samo par godina za nas (meaning Only a Few Years for Us), which included contributions from guest artist Mitar Subotić (guitar and production) along with backing vocals by Tanja Jovićević. Although critics considered it a continuation of their previous work, it delivered successful tracks like "Krug" ("The Circle") and "Par godina za nas" ("A Few Years for Us"). The group reached a peak by performing at significant events such as the EBU-UER rock festival in Novi Sad, the 1990 Midem festival held in Cannes, and Europe’s inaugural rock Biennale in Toulouse. Subsequently, Todorović departed to pursue acting, while Bojan Pečar relocated to London. New members Miško Petrović "Plavi" (bass) and Marko Milivojević (drums) joined from bands including VIA Talas, D' Boys, and U Škripcu.

The sixth studio release, Dum dum (translated as Bang Bang), arrived in 1991. This album featured Plejboj’s Dušan Petrović and session bassist Bata Božanić, along with backing vocals by Tanja Jovićević, guitar by Zvonimir Đukić, and keyboard parts from Mitar Subotić. Produced once again by Theodore Yanni, it contained songs influenced by the onset of the Yugoslav Wars, including "Zabranjujem" ("I Forbid") and "Dum dum" ("Bang Bang"). In 1992, Mladenović took part in the anti-war collective Rimtutituki, releasing the single "Slušaj 'vamo" ("Listen Up"). During anti-war demonstrations in Belgrade, EKV organized a concert at Republic Square and performed protest songs atop an open truck that toured through city streets.

Mainstream rock era (1992–1994)

By mid-1992, with new bassist Dragiša Uskoković "Ćima," EKV recorded their final studio album titled Neko nas posmatra (meaning Somebody Is Watching Us), which was released in May 1993. This album presented a more mainstream sound, showcased in tracks like "Ponos" ("Pride"), "Jadransko more" ("The Adriatic Sea"), and "Just Let Me Play Some Modern R'n'R Music." For the first time, they included a cover version: "Istina Mašina" ("Truth Machine"), originally performed by the Yugoslav rock band Time. The production was handled by Mladenović and featured guest appearances from Srđan Todorović and Tanja Jovićević.

Following its release, in September 1993 Ekatarina Velika shared stages with Električni Orgazam, Partibrejkers, and Zagreb’s Vještice during the Ko to tamo pjeva concerts held in Prague and Berlin. Additionally, Mladenović and Stefanović occasionally performed unplugged sets in clubs with guest musicians until Milan relocated to Brazil to develop the Angel's Breath project alongside Mitar Subotić and Brazilian artists, revisiting material partially composed back in 1985 with guitarist Goran Vejvoda.

Disbandment and Subsequent Developments

Following Mladenović's return to Serbia, the group briefly reunited with intentions to produce an album called Ponovo zajedno (Together Again). Unfortunately, Milan's declining health interrupted these plans. EKV's final concert took place on 24 August 1994 at the Pjesma Mediterana festival in Budva. The next day, Milan was admitted to hospital where he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; he passed away on 5 November 1994 at the age of 36, marking the definitive end of the band.

Margita Stefanović pursued her musical career further, initially joining the cover band Kurajberi for a short period. In 1995, she established the ambient project EQV alongside Vladimir Stojanović, releasing the album Ti si sav moj bol via the Austrian label Coop Arts Crafts Unltd and performing at Vienna’s Talkit festival. Additionally, she appeared live with groups such as Direktori and contributed as a guest musician on several rock albums from Belgrade artists. In 1996, she participated in Električni Orgazam’s unplugged release Živo i akustično. By 1998, she became one of the pioneering Serbian musicians to perform in Croatia following the conflict.

In early 1997, a posthumous live album titled Live '88, containing recordings from concerts in Zagreb and Novi Sad during their 1988 tour, was issued. That same year, Stefanović launched EKV Records with the aim of re-releasing EKV’s albums supplemented by bonus live tracks and demos. The label PGP RTS also put out a compilation album in 1997 featuring selected songs from their later studio works. Between 2001 and 2002, EKV Records together with IPS Music reissued the band's discography enriched with additional live recordings and released the live album Kao u snu - EKV live 1991. Tribute albums honoring Milan Mladenović followed in subsequent years.

In 2017, Mascom Records released Krug (The Circle), a double live album documenting an unplugged performance by Mladenović and Stefanović held in Priština in May 1994.

Tragically, several pivotal members passed away prematurely: Ivan Vdović succumbed to AIDS in 1992 at age 31; Milan Mladenović died of pancreatic cancer in 1994 at age 36; Bojan Pečar experienced a fatal heart attack in 1998 at age 38; Dušan Dejanović passed away from AIDS in 2000; and Margita Stefanović died in 2002 aged 43.

Legacy

Ekatarina Velika is widely acknowledged as one of the most significant contributors to the former Yugoslav rock landscape. Among those inspired by EKV, Van Gogh emerged as one of Serbia’s leading rock bands during the late 1990s. Another influential group drawing from EKV’s legacy is alternative rock ensemble Block Out. Esteemed Yugoslav rock figures such as Rambo Amadeus and Dado Topić have also expressed admiration for EKV’s work.

In 2003, a tribute compilation entitled Kao da je bilo nekad... Posvećeno Milanu Mladenoviću (Like It Happened Someday... Dedicated to Milan Mladenović) was released. This album includes fifteen covers of Mladenović’s songs performed by a diverse array of artists ranging from veterans like Dado Topić, contemporaries including Električni Orgazam, Darko Rundek, and Partibrejkers, to younger bands such as Jarboli and Darkwood Dub. Additionally, Mladenović’s former Šarlo Akrobata bandmate Dušan Kojić contributed under his alias Crni Zub.

Also in 2003, the live tribute album Jako dobar tattoo - Tribute to EKV was recorded during a concert held at Zagreb’s Tvornica club. Performers featured Croatian bands like Le Cinema, Vatra, Urban & 4, solo artists including Massimo Savić accompanied by EKV tribute band Veliki Bijeli Slon, among others. The album comprises thirteen live cover versions performed by these musicians.

The book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike (1998) lists two EKV records: S' vetrom uz lice ranked at No. 26 and Katarina II (album) positioned at No. 68. A Croatian edition of Rolling Stone published in 2015 features three EKV albums: S' vetrom uz lice (No. 10), Katarina II (No. 29), and Ekatarina Velika (No. 44). The live record 19LIVE86 was recognized among the top twelve Yugoslav live albums according to the 1987 publication YU legende uživo.

The Rock Express Top 100 Yugoslav Rock Songs of All Times list from 2000 included five songs by EKV, notably "Krug" at No. 3 and "Par godina za nas" at No. 11. In 2006, "Par godina za nas" was voted Best Yugoslav Popular Music Song on the B92 Top 100 Domestic Songs list. By 2011, both "Krug" and "Par godina za nas" were ranked within the top sixty tracks released by PGP-RTB/PGP-RTS over a span of six decades.

Fifteen lyrics from EKV songs were featured in Petar Janjatović’s anthology Pesme bratstva, detinjstva & potomstva: Antologija ex YU rok poezije 1967 - 2007, underscoring their cultural importance.

In July 2011, a square located before the Belgrade Youth Center was named Milan Mladenović Place; this was followed by a street dedication in his honor in Zagreb during 2012. In 2016, Serbian weekly magazine Nedeljnik included Milan Mladenović among one hundred individuals who profoundly transformed Serbia forever.

Members

  • Milan Mladenović — lead vocals, guitar (from February 1982 until summer 1994) (deceased 1994)
  • Dragomir Mihajlović "Gagi" — guitar (February 1982 to 1984)
  • Zoran Radomirović "Švaba" — bass guitar (February 1982 until late 1982)
  • Dušan Dejanović — drums (February 1982 through late 1982) (deceased 2000)
  • Margita Stefanović "Magi" — keyboards, backing vocals (late 1982 until summer 1994) (deceased 2002)
  • Branko Kuštrin "Mango" — drums (late 1982 to early 1983)
  • Bojan Pečar — bass guitar (early 1983 through early 1990) (deceased 1998)
  • Ivan Vdović "VD" — drums (early 1983 to fall 1984) (deceased 1992)
  • Ivan Fece "Firchie" — drums (fall 1984 to late 1985, early 1988 to May 1988)
  • Ivan Ranković "Raka" — drums (late 1985 until early 1987)
  • Srđan Todorović "Žika" — drums (early 1987 to early 1988, May 1988 to early 1990)
  • Marko Milivojević — drums (early 1990 through summer 1994)
  • Miško Petrović "Plavi" — bass guitar (early 1990 to spring 1991)
  • Dušan Petrović — bass guitar (spring to fall 1991)
  • Bata Božanić — bass guitar (spring to fall 1991)
  • Dragiša Uskoković "Ćima" — bass guitar (fall 1991 until late 1993)
  • Boško Stanojević "Bole" — bass guitar (summer 1994)

Timeline

<timeline> ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:100 top:0 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1982 till:05/11/1994 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy

Colors = id:band value:skyblue legend:Band_name id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:Bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:LGuitar value:teal legend:Lead_guitar id:RGuitar value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar id:Keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Lines1 value:black legend:Studio_Albums id:Lines2 value:gray(0.85) legend:Recording_of_Live_Albums

Legend = orientation:vertical columns:3 position:bottom

ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1982 Scaleminor = increment:1 start:1982

LineData = at:01/01/1984 color:Lines1 layer:back at:22/03/1985 color:Lines1 layer:back at:01/07/1986 color:Lines1 layer:back at:01/12/1987 color:Lines1 layer:back at:01/07/1989 color:Lines1 layer:back at:01/07/1991 color:Lines1 layer:back at:01/05/1993 color:Lines1 layer:back at:02/11/1986 color:Lines2 layer:back at:13/12/1991 color:Lines2 layer:back at:01/03/1988 color:Lines2 layer:back

BarData = bar:C2 text:"Katarina II" bar:Ekv text:"Ekatarina Velika" bar:Mladenović text:"Milan Mladenović" bar:Mihajlović text:"Dragomir Mihajlović" bar:Rado text:"Zoran Radomirović" bar:Pecar text:"Bojan Pečar" bar:MPetrović text:"Miško Petrović" bar:DPetrović text:"Dušan Petrović" bar:BBožanić text:"Bata Božanić" bar:DUskoković text:"Dragiša Uskoković" bar:BStanojević text:"Boško Stanojević" bar:DDejanović text:"Dušan Dejanović" bar:BKuštrin text:"Branko Kuštrin" bar:VCović text:"Ivan Vdović" bar:IFece text:"Ivan Fece" bar:JRanković text:"Ivan Ranković" bar STodorović text:"Srđan Todorović" bar/MMilivojević text:"Marko Milivojević" bar:MStefanović text:"Margita Stefanović"

PlotData= width:13 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:C2 from:start till:01/01/1985 color:band bar:Ekv from:01/01/1985 till:end color:band bar:Mladenović from:start till:end color:vocals bar:Mladenović from:start till:end color:rGuitar width:3 bar:Mladenović from:01/07/1984 till:end color:lGuitar width:7 bar:Mihajlović from:start till:01/07/1984 color:lGuitar # Detailed timeline bars are extensive and repetitive; key album release dates and membership durations are retained as above for clarity. </timeline>

Discography

References

  • EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006, Janjatović Petar

External links

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