Srečna mladina

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Srečna mladina




Established in 1993, Srečna mladina are one of the most persistent rock groups in the Slovenian rock scene and in the past 20 years they managed to acquire both a noticeable mainstream presence as well as a measure of alternative legitimacy. Their music has taken a number of directions, and at various points of their career they played punk, pop-rock, a hip hop, reggae and punk-rock crossover. They've recently defined their musical preoccupation as 'jazz-rock'n'roll-psychedelic-ethno-classic rock'.


Their name translates as [Happy Youth] and is taken after a name of the song by the legendary (at that time disbanded and now reunited) punk band Niet. At their start they supposedly used an acoustic guitar as a bass guitar, the radio as an amplifier for the electric guitar and some trash bins as a drum-kit. Since then, they've released 6 albums, contributed songs for a number of films, had some very successful theatre projects and also bought their own amplifiers.

Discography

Srečna mladina recorded their first album in 1995 and released it on a cassette at the start of the following year. It was called Eko alter (tenstan krumpir je kul) [Eco alter (minced potato is cool)] and was later (in 1998) followed by the album đa Balkan Rasa (a rather untranslatable name). After searching for a publisher for some time (and recording a never published album), they finally released the album Srečna mladina 2002. Two years later, the album 10. letnik [10th year] came out. In 2005, as a sort of soundtrack for the same-titled skate film, they released Listen to Srečna mladina. After that, it took them another five years to publish ...pa srečno v prihodnost [...and farewell into the future].

Besides recording these albums they also contributed songs to the following compilations: Drž’te jih! To niso Niet!!! (1998, a tribute album to the aforementioned band Niet), Huda Frka (2004), BFM - 15 let v živo z gosti (2006, a live Big Foot Mama album with Srečna mladina covering of their songs), Pankrti 06 (2006, an album of covers of another important Slovenian punk band Pankrti) and EuropaVox (2006).


Film and theatre projects

Besides collaborating on Listen to Srečna mladina they've also contributed music for the full-length film Pokrajna št. 2, the award winning short film V avtu [In the car] and for the documentary Poročilo Žbe. In 2006 at the festival Animateka they played live upon a pre-prepared animation. They were also the focus of a short documentary Srečna mladina which was a part of their [10th year] album.

In 2011, they've started their collaboration with Šodr Thatre, where there was a theatre show being made upon a legendary Yugoslavian comedy To so gadje. They are contributing live music to the performances of the show which has till now been on stage for three years. In 2012 they staged yet another performance made in collaboration with the Šodr Thatre. It is a sort of rock cabaret show Navajeni na šok [Used to the shock] and is conceived as a musical and theatrical hybrid from the start.

Gigs and awards

They've played in numerous clubs and at most of the bigger rock festivals in Slovenia (some of them are Lent Festival, Rock Otočec, Trnfest, Novi Rock, Zgaga festival, Njoki festival...). They've also played in Italy, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and the whole of ex-Yugoslavia.

They've also picked up a few awards such as the Maršev Gojzar for the débutantes of the year in 1998 and received a recognition award for the Navajeni na šok at the Linhart Encounter festival. The covers for their albums 10. letnik and ...pa srečno v prihodnost also gained awards their design.

The band's line-up

Their current line-up consists of the only remaining original member Vlado Mihajlovič and Peter Dekleva, both on the guitar and vocals, Andrej Zavašnik on drums, percussion and vocals and Gašper Gantar on bass guitar and vocals. They are lately often accompanied by Matevž Brecelj in Lejla Salihović for the Navajeni na šok performances.

The band's former members and occasional are numerous and currently number around 15. Most of the former and current band members have had uncountable parallel projects and bands.



External links