Samonikli
| Company type | Rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1964 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia |
| Headquarters | Belgrade , Yugoslavia |
| Products | Rock music recordings (radio and television) |
Samonikli (, translated as The Indigenous Ones) was a rock ensemble from Yugoslavia that originated in Belgrade in 1964. Although they never released any official records, the band made multiple recordings for Yugoslav radio and television, earning recognition as trailblazers within the Yugoslav rock movement.
1964–1969
The group Samonikli was established in 1964, taking their name from a novel by Slovene author Prežihov Voranc. Their initial practice sessions were held at the Nikola Tesla Center for Culture and Arts. Following some early member changes, by 1966 the lineup stabilized with Marin Pečjak on vocals, Milan Pavlov playing guitar, Marko Novaković on bass, Bojan Drndić handling rhythm guitar, and Vukašin Veljković on drums.
Their performances mainly took place at educational institutions’ dances, where they played covers of popular rock songs, traditional melodies, and jazz-influenced schlager tunes from the 1930s and 1940s. The band's original compositions primarily consisted of instrumentals reminiscent of The Shadows. Between 1965 and 1966, they became regular performers at Belgrade's Faculty of Technology and the Cultural Center Vuk Karadžić, attracting crowds numbering between 700 and 800.
In 1966, Samonikli was selected by the Belgrade City Committee of the League of Socialist Youth of Serbia to represent Yugoslavia at an international youth festival held in Hungary. Sharing the lineup with distinguished Eastern European bands such as Illés, Metró, and Omega, they positioned themselves stylistically as a "Western" influenced act. Later that year, Branislav Grujić joined the band as their new drummer.
The group recorded several tracks for Radio Belgrade; among them, "Povetarac i ja" gained popularity on the widely listened-to show Muzički automat. A distinctive feature of their recordings was the inclusion of six violinists—a rarity among Yugoslav bands at that time. Their music was also featured on programs like Nedeljom u devet i pet and Television Belgrade’s Koncert za ludi mladi svet.
Toward the end of the 1960s, their audience numbers dwindled and critics regarded their style as outdated. After Pečjak left, the band transitioned to polyphonic vocal arrangements and went through eight different drummers. To align with evolving musical trends, they incorporated an organist and performed covers from artists such as The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Although they announced intentions to release an official record, these plans did not come to fruition, culminating in their breakup in 1969.
Reunions
Samonikli reunited in December 1985 to perform at Belgrade’s Trade Union Hall, joining other prominent 1960s bands in celebrating a quarter-century of rock music in Belgrade. Commemorating their 40th anniversary in 2003, they organized a dance concert at the Duga club that marked a return to instrumental performances. Additional dance events followed in 2005 and 2006 at Belgrade’s Park restaurant.
Recordings
Throughout their career, Samonikli produced numerous recordings for radio and television broadcasts, including:
- "Povetarac i ja" ("The Breeze and I", Radio Belgrade)
- "Dozvoljavate li gospodine" ("Do You Allow, Sir", Radio Belgrade)
- "Usamljena gitara" ("Lonely Guitar", Radio Belgrade)
- "Ne ustupam vam svoje mesto" ("I Won't Give You My Seat", Radio Belgrade)
- "Gde su ruže nestale" ("Where Did All the Roses Go", Radio Belgrade)
- "Massachusetts" (Radio Belgrade)
- "Mene moja nana" ("My Mom", Radio Belgrade)
- "Izgubljena ljubav" ("Lost Love", Radio Belgrade)
- "Budi se Istok i Zapad" ("The East and West Awaken", Radio Belgrade)
- "Heroj Tito" ("Hero Tito", Radio Belgrade)
- "Napisao sam volim te u pesku" ("I Wrote I Love You in the Sand", TV Belgrade)
- "Takav čovek" ("That Sort of Man", TV Belgrade)
- "Viđaju te s njim" ("They're Seeing You with Him", TV Belgrade)
- "Da li vidiš" ("Can You See", TV Belgrade)
None of these recordings were ever commercially issued on vinyl or other formats.