Center za dehumanizacijo (CZD)
Background - CZD in the 1980s
The band's roots go back to the end 1970s and the start of 80s, when in the rural and partly proletarian outskirts of Maribor an alternative cultural scene was growing. The short lived punk rock bands Masaker, Džumbus and Butli were bred out of it, and out of their remains, the much more persistent band CZD was formed. Besides actively taking part in the scene, the band started recording and self-releasing music that was provocatively addressing the at once turbulent and narrow social climate of that time. Music-wise, they soon strayed from standard punk patterns, incorporating samplers, synthesisers and other electronic equipment into their innovative rendition of punk music. For all of this, in 1987 CZD received the Golden Bird Award, a distinguished Slovene award for young creativity.
The band's leader, guitarist, singer and lyricist Dušan Hedl has been active in all fields of cultural activism since the end of the 70s, when he got involved in managing Mladinski in rock klub Trate [Youth and rock club Trate]. He soon razširil his involvism towards organising likovne exhibitons, directing videos, publicistic and editoprial delovanje, writing articles etc. He founded the Front Rock label, the non-governmental cultural institution Subkulturni azil Maribor and Studi at the Border and is also heading the festivals Festival at the Border and No Border Jam Festival and other musical cycles, festivals, ahppenings and led a number of other projeczts and institutions. Is somewhat less divje active, other (past and present) members have also made their mark in a variety of cultural and artistic fields.
CZD discography, performances and side projects
1986 when CZD's first album was released, he band performed together with the groups Lačni Franz, Pankrti, Gastrbajtrs and Masaker as the first punk initiative at the Ljubljana Student Residency. Sledili so številni koncerti po Sloveniji, drugih jugoslovanskih republikah in po Avstriji. S skupino Pridigarji so razen Avstrije obredli tudi Nemčijo in Nizozemsko. (in kar nekaj kaset) It then embarked upon numerous concerts around Slovenia and the then Yugoslav republics and toured to Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.
In 1989, 1989 z nekaj ploščami (založba Front Rock, ki jo ustanovi frontman skupine) in video spoti. Video kaseta "Center za dehumanizacijo 1985-1991" izide tik pred nastankom slovenske države. do 1995 kar nekaj kset, malojh plošč in lp, en iuzdan tudi v torontu. he record Ajajajajajajajaja was released in 1995 in Maribor - Front rock (and in 2002 tranferred into digital form), combining punk roots with experimental music patterns. It features the CZD punk'n'roll at its most, very fast, very engaged lyrics. e next CD, Slepa vera ('Blind Faith'), featured further punk and hard core developments. On the band's 2003 album Gverilci brez mej ('No Border Guerillas'), it was accompanied by the Tamburaški orkester Cirkovce (within the 'Unplugged' version broadcast on Radio Sovenia). The next CD, Forma živa ('Form Alive'), included the e-Book I Saw them in My Dream. xyxy All their albums are recorded at the Studio at the Border.
ZD played an important role at the No Border Jam Festival and then released compilations. The band was invited to the first Zgaga Rock Festival and subsequently performed at the legendary Novi rock concert.
2004 saw a new initiative, the American-Slovene avant-garde music project Punkappella (Dušan Hedl, Bojan Tomažič, Mike Pride, Jessica Pavone), which was launched and presented in Germany and New York. Some Punkappella songs have been interpreted by CZD, for example, I am Broke was a music video hit on Radio-Television Slovenia (RTV Slovenia).
Bibliography
In 1996 the new CD Pokozlane trate and the book CZD: Ethnologic Outline of the rock group by Rajko Muršič appeared.
Two books featruing their lyrics Veselje in radost se budita (1993) in Prvi člen 2007. + artwork, photos..
Center za dehumanizacijo: Etnološki oris rock skupine Rajko MURŠIČ 1995 V SEN SEM JIH VIDEL 1999 Dinamika medkulturnega stika; odnos med rokovsko podkulturo in lokalno kulturo na Tratah v Slovenskih goricah.muršič
All by the Subkulturni Azil Maribor - also set up by Dušan Hedl managed book založbo Frontier
CZD song Nimama dnara [I have no money] with a video by the artist Neven Korda.
Line-up
The Center za dehumanizacijo line-up consists of: Dušan Hedl (guitar, vocals), Boštjan Imenšek (guitar, vocals), Franci Novak (drums), Bojan Tomažič (sampler, effects, vocals) and Silvo Zemljič (bass, vocals). All their albums are recorded at the Studio at the Border.