Yu GO! - TBF (Split, CRO), Sopot (Banja Luka, BiH), Stekli psi (Murska Sobota, SLO)

Timeline [ March 25th at 21h ]

21:00 -- doors

21:30 -- Stekli psi

22:30 -- Sopot

23:30 -- TBF

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TBF (The Beat Fleet)
The band TBF gathered for the first time in 1990, but only acquired its real shape three years later as Mladen, Luka and Saša formed the trio to work under close surveillance of the producer Luky. After the long process of making the album and some successful music videos, their legendary debut album “Ping pong: Umjetnost zdravog đira” was released in 1997, their deviation from the stereotypical rap format leading to their use of ping-pong instead of hip-hop.

As the first two singles from the second album “Odjeb je lansiran” and the disco tune “Genije” proved successful, the sound of the band started to change slightly. The album “Uskladimo toplomjere” took the band to all major clubs and larger venues in Croatia. Reinforced collaboration with the theatre, three entertaining music videos from the album and five prizes “Crni mačak” provided the band with a new driving force, which in 2003 led to their third album, the anti-consumerist “Maxon Universal”.
The everyday street prank, the issue of drug addiction, everyday social themes, the critical view of political corruption and immorality, the extinct social values and commentaries of the Croatian reality were all replaced with a more ironic, darker reality in their latest, more acoustic album “Galerija Tutnplok” that was released at the end of last year, featuring a mix of music genres based on half-singing half-hip-hop vocals as well as a fusion of rock, soul, rock, funk and hip-hop.
In spring this year, TBF are releasing their new album, the first one to be unplugged. It was recorded in November last year at their unplugged concert in Močvara club, Zagreb. The album promises to provide familiar materials of the Split-based band of six, yet in a different creative dimension.

www.myspace.com/thebeatfleet

SOPOT
In its diverse expression, Sopot merges ethnic, dub, dubstep, indie, drum'n'bass and reggae, integrating all these genres with Balkan ethnic motifs and samples of traditional instruments, tunes and speeches. On stage the band discharges an incredible dosage of dance rhythms, at the same time creating a mystic hypnotic atmosphere. So far Sopot have released two albums (DUBalkan and Equilibrium), currently creating the third one. Sopot are Petar Topalović - vocals, sampler, effects, Milan Aćimović - keyboards, vocals, Saša Predojević - drums, percussion and Đurica Štula – guitar, bass.

Music for the show Stone balloon - my memories

In April 2009, the band Sopot began working on the music for the musical Stone balloon - my memories. The music was recorded in Sopot studio, the band members also taking care of the final sound and production, therefore it can be said that band members oversaw the complete process of creating music for the project. Their work has born fruit. At the 26th gathering of theatres of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the expert jury awarded the group with the prize for best theatre music.

www.myspace.com/sopotproject

Concert reviews (in Croatian)
-- urbanbug.net/magazin
-- terapija.net
-- glas.ba

STEKLI PSI
A search for the ideal Prekmurje-based rap band of five would certainly point towards Stekli psi, a band of five from Murska Sobota. Recently this superband has been brawling across the northeastern Slovenia and ruling the scanty Prekmurje rap scene with no proper competition.

The masterminds of Stekli psi are Dule and Pape, the two MC's that used to organise theme workshops/DJ nights titled “Hip-hop practice” in the old MIKK premises and to participate in endless jam sessions. It was those jam sessions and constant socializing in MIKK that brought about the expansion of the duo into an organic collective comprising drums, the bass and the guitar, which replaced the recorded beats resolutely. Instruments were thus taken up by people originating in metal, noise rock, post rock and garage rock, to whom rap was hardly their first choice. It is this diversity in genres of the instrumentalists as well as open minds of both the rappers that has ensured the required originality in the sea of diverse hip-hop bases.
Their eclectic music brew has managed to attract attention outside their region their origin. They were invited to perform at Trnje festu, Baraka festu (stoner festival), Mladina stage at the Lent festival, Menza pri koritu in Metelkova zone … And their recognition among the rap clientele was ensures as Jizah hosted them in his music marathon “Rap kills the night” in Radio Študent, where they managed to prove that Prekmurje is indeed not far from the centre. It actually only takes an hour and a half by car.

Stekli psi have entered the new year in style as their debut album “Koga briga!” was released by the Slovenian label God Bless This Mess in end January. The album was recorder last year in the rehearsal rooms of Ambasada SKM, Beltinci, and produced by Pluega.
The rapper language barrier has been surpassed thanks to the immense flow, uncompromising activist stance leading to vigorous texts on political games in capitalism, commitment to the environment and their region and support of original hip-hop postulate without the blink-blink chains and other nonsense. These are there main issues supported by groovy-heavy-bas-rhodes music foundations.

www.myspace.com/steklipsi