Elipse

Elipse
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1962 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Defunct	1968
Headquarters	Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Products	Beat music, rhythm and blues, soul music

Elipse (; translated as The Ellipses) was a Yugoslav rock group established in Belgrade in 1962. They played a foundational role in the development of the Yugoslav rock movement and ranked among the most acclaimed bands of the 1960s within the country.

Initially, Elipse performed beat music and rhythm and blues. The addition of vocalist Edi Dekeng brought a brass section into their lineup, steering their sound toward soul music. Over a six-year period, they achieved widespread recognition, with media outlets likening their rivalry with Siluete to the famous competition between The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. After disbanding in 1968, bassist Bojan Hreljac and drummer Vladimir Furduj joined the prominent band Korni Grupa, while keyboardist Zoran Simjanović went on to become a distinguished composer of film music throughout South-Eastern Europe.

Beat and rhythm and blues era (1962–1967)

Elipse was founded in 1962 by Momčilo "Moma" Radovanović (guitar), Radomir Dmitrović "Đura" (guitar), and Minja Tasić (vocals). Their rehearsals took place at the Society for Culture and Arts Gradimir Mihajlović. The band's name was proposed by Dmitrović after encountering difficulties with an ellipse problem in mathematics. Their first significant concert occurred on 21 June 1963 at Belgrade's Euridika club, where they mainly performed covers of The Shadows.

In autumn 1963, drummer Vladimir "Furda" Furduj joined despite limited prior experience, having briefly played with Siluete. He also brought along former Siluete keyboardist Zoran Simjanović. The ensemble then consisted of Radovanović, Dmitrović, Furduj, Simjanović, Božidar Knežević (vocals), Kosta Ignjatović "Gule" (saxophone), and Bojan Hreljac (bass). Following several lineup changes and Ignjatović's exit, Elipse eliminated the saxophone from their arrangements and adopted polyphonic vocals with contributions from all members. Director Aleksandar Mandić also briefly collaborated with them as a performer.

By the mid-1960s, Elipse had shifted toward a rhythm and blues style and functioned as a backing band for prominent singers including Ivanka Pavlović, Đorđe Marjanović, Dragan Stojnić, and Miki Jevremović. They additionally served as studio musicians on Miodrag Marković's 1965 EP released through PGP-RTB.

In 1964, Elipse took part in the Vatromet ritma concert series as well as a major open-air event at Zagreb’s Šalata. During summer 1965, they played dance events at Belgrade Faculty of Technology and recorded multiple tracks for Radio Belgrade. Their rivalry with Siluete received significant media attention. Despite increasing popularity, their label PGP-RTB issued only a split EP featuring Elipse alongside Korali—the backing band for singer Perica Stojančić—with Elipse contributing instrumental pieces titled "Signal Evrovizije" ("Eurovision Signal") and "Plaža" ("The Beach").

In 1966, Elipse secured first place at the Gitarijada festival held at Belgrade Fair, surpassing more than 100 competing bands. They became the first Yugoslav rock band to perform before President Josip Broz Tito and First Lady Jovanka Broz at the Belgrade Youth Center. That year also saw them appear at the Ponoćna zvona festival and on television programs such as Susreti gradova, Vi i Mi, and Koncert za ludi mladi svet, including recording a video cover of the Monkees' "I'm a Believer".

Their media-highlighted rivalry with Siluete culminated in a contest at the Belgrade Youth Center where Elipse emerged victorious by 146 votes across categories including musical performance, caricature drawing, and poetry recitation.

Also in 1966, they released their second EP featuring covers like "Pogledaj kroz prozor" ("Look Through Any Window" by The Hollies) and "Reci da me voliš" ("Tell Me What You See" by The Beatles). The track "Maja," initially titled "Naga Maja," faced censorship. By the end of that year, Elipse was voted the most popular band in Belgrade according to a poll conducted by Susret magazine.

In early 1967, Elipse performed alongside Bitnici to promote PGP-RTB’s compilation Beat Scene Now, which showcased British beat groups. In April, both Elipse and Siluete opened concerts for The Searchers in Belgrade and Zrenjanin. Soon after these events, guitarist Simeun Vuković departed to pursue studies in architecture.

The soul years (1967-1968)

Following Vuković's exit in the spring of 1967, the band welcomed Edi Dekeng, a foreign student from Zaire, as their new lead singer. Dekeng had previously been involved with Crni Panteri (Black Panthers), a group established by Zairean students residing in Belgrade. His inclusion marked a shift in the band's style towards soul music, complemented by the addition of a brass section featuring Nikola Zembić on trumpet, Dragan Kuprijanov on saxophone, and Zoran Jurkić handling saxophone and flute. This refreshed lineup made its first appearance on 30 June 1967 at the Trade Union Hall in Belgrade, serving as the opening act for The Hollies and earning favorable reviews from both the audience and critics. Their final EP showcased popular tracks such as "Za one što na licu nose bore" ("To the Ones Who Have Wrinkles on Their Faces") written by Vlada Kanić, alongside "Le Telephone," a rendition of a song by French soul artist Nino Ferrer. The record also featured covers of Otis Redding's "Good to Me" ("Za mene dobro") and "I've Been Loving You Too Long" ("Voleo sam te").

On 1 August 1967, Elipse performed as the opening act for Italian singer Rita Pavone at Tašmajdan Stadium, followed by two concerts in Sarajevo that each attracted crowds of approximately 5,000. That same year, Elipse appeared in two films associated with the Black Wave movement: The Naughty Ones directed by Kokan Rakonjac, and The Rats Woke Up directed by Živojin Pavlović. Notably, The Naughty Ones was the first film from Yugoslavia and the Balkans to feature a live performance by a rock band. For the film's soundtrack, composer Zoran Hristić, who had limited experience with popular music genres, collaborated with Simjanović.

In 1968, Elipse held a significant concert at Belgrade Youth Center that received acclaim from media outlets. The event included guest singers Seka Kojadinović and Daliborka Stojšić and was enhanced with stage decorations displaying portraits of icons such as John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Jean Shrimpton, and Twiggy. Additionally, the screening of The Naughty Ones was part of the program. During August, Elipse joined forces with Ljubljana's band Mladi Levi to represent Yugoslavia at the Peace Festival held in Sofia, Bulgaria. Sharing similar musical influences, they performed together in a city park; however, after only ten minutes of Elipse’s set, police intervened to stop their performance and forcefully dispersed the crowd. Despite this disruption, Elipse was awarded the Silver Medal for securing second place among festival performers.

By the end of 1967, members decided to prioritize their academic pursuits, which led to Elipse dissolving.

Post breakup

After departing Elipse in autumn 1967, Slobodan Skakić established Nove Elipse (The New Ellipses) alongside Radomir Dmitrović on guitar, Nenad Nedić playing bass, and Milenko Kašanin on drums. Skakić took on vocal duties as well as playing organ. Initially concentrating on instrumental pieces, the group later incorporated covers from artists such as Scott McKenzie, Tom Jones, and The Mamas & the Papas into their repertoire. They gained visibility through collaborations with ballet dancer Milorad Mišković during tours across France and subsequently performed at fashion events in the Soviet Union featuring designs by Aleksandar Joksimović. Despite these opportunities abroad, commercial success eluded them within Yugoslavia, prompting Skakić to move to England in 1969. There he continued his musical career as keyboardist and vocalist with the band Ici-la until an arm injury in 1987 ended his active involvement. Skakić passed away in Dorset in January 2019.

Following Elipse’s breakup in 1968, Furduj and Hreljac joined Korni Grupa. Dekeng relocated first to Germany and then to the United States where he pursued a medical profession. Saxophonist Zoran Jurkić moved to Denmark and worked within Porsche’s service sector.

Zoran Simjanović transitioned into composing for theatre productions and films, ultimately becoming one of the Balkan region’s leading film composers. In 2004 he authored an autobiography titled Kako sam postao (i prestao da budem) roker (How I Started (and Stopped) Being a Rocker), which he promoted through a concert featuring former members of Siluete and Elipse along with guest performers including Seka Kojadinović and Janez Bončina.

Elipse’s EPs along with previously unreleased material were compiled into an album titled Elipse za prijatelje (1963-1968) (Elipse for Friends), released through Simjanović’s independent label Simke Music in 1999.

Notable former members who have passed away include Momčilo Radovanović (6 January 2012), Furduj (1 June 2015), Bojan Hreljac (18 December 2018), and Simjanović (11 April 2021).

Extended plays

Sentimental Baby / Plaža (split EP alongside Perica Stojančić; 1965)
Pogledaj kroz prozor (1966)
Le Telelphone (1967)

Compilation albums

Elipse za prijatelje (1963-1968) (released in 1999)

External links

Official YouTube channel
Elipse profile on Discogs