Urbana Gerila
| Industry | Music |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia |
| Defunct | 1984 |
| Headquarters | Belgrade , Yugoslavia |
| Products | Punk rock, new wave, post-punk music |
Urbana Gerila (, meaning Urban Guerrilla) was a punk rock and new wave ensemble originating from Belgrade, within the former Yugoslavia. The group took part in the 1981 Artistička radna akcija compilation project. In 1982, some members established the temporary band Berliner Strasse, which embraced influences from post-punk and krautrock, performing tracks with German lyrics.
History
The band initially operated under the name Punkreteni (Punkmorons), existing for less than two years during the early 1980s with teenage members. This lineup consisted of Branko Rosić on bass, Vladimir Arsenijević on guitar, vocalist Zoran "Cane" Kostić, and guitarist Slobodan "Loka" Nešović, all aged between 13 and 15. Soon after formation, they adopted the name Urbana Gerila. Nešović departed to create Defektno Efektni. Urbana Gerila’s gritty sound was inspired by incidents such as those involving the Baader-Meinhof Group. Their debut live show took place at the Palilula Culture Olympics in 1980, marking one of Belgrade’s pioneering punk performances. Despite lacking any official recordings, the band achieved cult status and sold out Zagreb’s Lapidarij venue.
Two songs by Urbana Gerila—"Proces" ("The Trial") and "Bez naslova" ("Untitled")—were included on the Artistička radna akcija compilation released in late 1981; Defektno Efektni also appeared on this project. The group performed other tracks like "Beograd" and "Ipak bojim se rata," which remained unreleased. Subsequently, Urbana Gerila transitioned toward a post-punk style influenced by Joy Division and Bauhaus, featuring Branislav "Kebra" Babić as their vocalist—a transformation that was met with limited enthusiasm from their audience.
In 1981, while opening for Paraf from Rijeka at Belgrade’s SKC, Rosić and Arsenijević formed Berliner Strasse alongside vocalist Petar "Ćirilo" Ilić, who delivered lyrics in German. Berliner Strasse’s sound combined elements of British post-punk/gothic rock with German krautrock, initially performing in German before switching to Serbo-Croatian. After their original bands dissolved, Milan Ivanus (violin) and Slobodan "Loka" Nešović joined the group.
Berliner Strasse’s track "1923" reached number six on the inaugural Ventilator 202 demo top 10 chart in February 1983 but was never officially released. That same year, under the name Berlinen Strasse, they contributed "Maske" ("Masks") to the Ventilator 202 demo top 10 compilation. The band also appeared in the film Nešto između ("Something in Between"), featuring Ilić on drums performing the unreleased song "Achtung America." Following Rosić’s departure due to military service, Marina Vulić (bass) from Električni Orgazam joined along with synthesizer players Slobodan Stanić and Ljubodrag Bubalo from Beograd. Berliner Strasse continued until their dissolution in 1984.
Post-breakup
Among Urbana Gerila’s key figures were Branko Rosić, who later pursued journalism, and Vladimir Arsenijević, a renowned novelist and co-founder/editor of the publishing house Rende as well as founder of the Krokodil Literary Festival.
After leaving Urbana Gerila, Zoran Kostić became part of Radnička Kontrola, another band featured on the Artistička radna akcija compilation. In 1982, he rose to prominence as lead singer of the influential garage rock band Partibrejkers.
Additional members of Urbana Gerila included Uroš Đurić, who went on to become a painter and actor; Slobodan "Loka" Nešović, founder of Automatik Records; Branislav "Kebra" Babić, frontman of Obojeni Program; Nenad "Kele" Krasavac, co-founder of Disciplina Kičme; and Dragoslav "Draža" Radojković, later associated with Laibach and Kazimirov Kazneni Korpus.
Legacy
The compilation album Ventilator 202 vol. 1, released in 1998 and featuring the track "Maske" by Berliner Strasse, was placed at number 100 in the ranking of the greatest Yugoslav popular music albums according to the publication YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike (YU 100: The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music).
Additionally, Berliner Strasse's previously unreleased song "Achtung Amerika," originally part of the Nešto između soundtrack, was interpreted by the electronic group Margita Je Mrtva from Niš.
Discography
Under the name Urbana Gerila
- "Proces" / "Bez naslova" (included in Artistička radna akcija; 1981)
Under the name Berliner Strasse
- "Maske" (featured on Ventilator 202 vol. 1; 1983)
References
- EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006, Janjatović Petar;