Pop Mašina

Pop Mašina
The 1972 - 1976 Pop Mašina lineup: Robert Nemeček, Zoran Božinović and Mihajlo Popović
Background information
Origin	Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia
Genres	Progressive rock, hard rock, blues rock, psychedelic rock, acid rock Jazz rock (late period)
Years active	1972 – 1978
Labels	PGP-RTB, ZKP RTLJ, ITMM, MCF Records, Internut Music, Multimedia Records
Associated acts	Rok Mašina, Džentlmeni, Tako, YU grupa, Siluete, Generacija 5, Dah, Zebra, Opus, Riblja Čorba, Bajaga i Instruktori, Zona B
Website	www.popmasina.com
Past members	Robert Nemeček Svetozar Božinović Ratislav Đelmaš Sava Bojić Mihajlo Popović Oliver Mandić Dušan Petrović Dušan Đukić Vidoja Božinović Miroslav Cvetković

Pop Mašina (Serbian Cyrillic: Поп Машина; trans. Pop Machine) was a former Yugoslav progressive rock band from Belgrade. Pop Mašina was formed in 1972, and released two studio albums and one live album before disbanding in 1978. After Pop Mašina disbanded, the band's former members formed a short-lasting hard rock band Rok Mašina.

Band history

The band was formed in Belgrade in 1972 by Robert Nemeček (a former Dogovor Iz 1804, Džentlmeni, and Intro member, bass guitar, vocals), Zoran Božinović (a former Excellent, Rokeri, Džentlmeni, and Intro member, guitar, vocals), Ratislav Đelmaš (drums), and Sava Bojić (guitar, vocals). Bojić soon left the band (he would join the band Tako in 1974), and soon after Đelmaš also left (and joined YU grupa). Đelmaš was replaced by a former Intro and Siluete member Mihajlo "Bata" Popović, and Pop Mašina continued as a trio.

Pop Mašina was one of the first bands on the former Yugoslav rock scene that moved from the 1960s rhythm and blues towards harder sound. They often organized free concerts, and in 1972 they organized a free open-air concert at Hajdučka česma. The concert also featured bands S Vremena Na Vreme, Porodična Manufaktura Crnog Hleba, and others. In May 1973, they organized another free concert at Hajdučka česma, which featured bands Jutro, Grupa 220, Med, Vlada i Bajka, and others. In 1973, the band released their debut album Kiselina (Acid). The album featured hard rock sound, but also featured psychedelic and acid rock elements. The album also featured several acoustic songs composed by Nemeček. Kiselina featured Sloba Marković on keyboards, and three songs featured Miša Aleksić (at the time member of SOS) on bass guitar. The album also featured S Vremena Na Vreme members Ljuba Ninković and Vojislav Đukić, Drago Mlinarec, and DAG members on backing vocals. Pop Mašina and S Vremena Na Vreme continued to cooperate in studio and on live appearances, and in 1975 Nemeček would appeare as a guest on S Vremena Na Vreme debut self-titled album. After Kiselina was released, Pop Mašina held a large number of concerts. They often performed in Belgrade Sports' Hall. These concerts were organized with the help of Aleksandar Tijanić, at the time a journalism student, and other Yugoslav progressive rock bands were often invited to perform. Pop Mašina had an attractive on-stage appearance: Božinović was one of the first former Yugoslav guitarists that played long guitar solos, played guitar with a bow and behind his back.

At the beginning of 1975, in Akademik Studio in Ljubljana, the band recorded their second studio album Na izvoru svetlosti (At the Spring of Light). The album was produced by Ivo Umek and Nemeček. It featured Ljuba Ninković and Sloba Marković as guest musicians. The album featured live blues track "Negde daleko" ("Somewhere Far Away") recorded in Belgrade Sports Hall on January 2, 1974, and the song "Rekvijem za prijatelja" ("Requiem for a Friend"), with lyrics written by Ninković, dedicated to Predrag Jovičić, the former singer of the band San, who died from an electric shock on a concert in Čair Sports Center in Niš. The album also featured a new version of the song "Zemlja svetlosti" ("Land of Light"), previously released on a 7" single. After the album release, the band was joined by the keyboardist Oliver Mandić. However, he left the band after only several performances. In 1976, the band released the live album Put ka Suncu (Road to Sun), becoming the first former Yugoslav band to release a live album.

At the end of 1976, Nemeček left the band due to his army obligations, and the bass guitarist Dušan Petrović, the drummer Dušan Đukić (a former Innamorata member), and the guitarist Vidoja "Džindžer" Božinović (Zoran Božinović's brother, a former Dim Bez Vatre member) joined the band. After Nemeček returned from the army, he moved to London, where he started working in the music instruments company Toma & Co. From London he also wrote for Yugoslav magazines RTV revija and YU video. The new Pop Mašina lineup moved towards jazz rock. The band recorded the single with the songs "Moja pesma" ("My Song") and "Uspomena" ("Memory"). In 1977, Petrović left the band and joined Generacija 5, and was replaced by Miroslav "Cvele" Cvetković (a former Tilt member). This lineup announced the recording of a new album. However, in 1978, Pop Mašina disbanded.

Post breakup

Vidoja Božinović and Đukić joined the band Dah. After Dah disbanded in 1976, Božinović joined the band Opus in which he spent only six months. After he returned from London, Nemeček worked in Dadov Theatre as an editor of rock program.

In 1980 Nemeček, Božinović brothers and drummer Vladan Dokić formed the hard rock/heavy metal band Rok Mašina, which released only an album before disbanding in 1982.

After Rok Mašina disbanded Zoran Božinović retired from music, but in the 1990s he started performing with the blues-rock band Zona B. He died in 2004. Vidoja Božinovič performed in blues clubs and with the jazz band Interactive before joining Riblja Čorba in 1984. Nemeček became a film program editor at RTV Politika.

In 1994, a remastered version of Kiselina was released on CD by Serbian record label ITVMM. During the same year, the song "Kiselina" was released on Komuna compilation album Plima: Progresivna muzika (Tide: Progressive Music) which featured songs by former Yugoslav progressive rock artists. In 2000, Kiselina was reissued on CD by Polish record label Wydawnictwo 21, in a limited number of 500 copies and featuring four bonus tracks. In 2005, the album was reissued on vinyl by Austrian record label Atlantide. In 2007, in order to celebrate thirty-five years since the release of the album, Nemeček, in cooperation with Serbian label MCG records, released the CD Originalna Kiselina - 35 godina kasnije (Original Acid - 35 Years Later) in a limited number of 999 copies. The release featured original track listing and original song mixes. In 2008, Internut Music and Multimedia Records released the luxurious box set Antologija 1972 - 1976 (Anthology 1972 - 1976), which featured all the recordings released by Pop Mašina, 9 unreleased tracks, a recording of a concert in Belgrade Sports Hall, and a book about the band.

Legacy

The song "Zemlja svetlosti" was covered by Serbian alternative rock band Disciplina Kičme on their 1991 album Nova iznenađenja za nova pokolenja. The song "Sećanja" ("Memories") was covered by Serbian singer-songwriter Nikola Čuturilo on his 2011 album Tu i sad. Vidoja Božinović made guest appearance on the track.

The album Kiselina was polled in 1998 as 60th on the list of 100 greatest Yugoslav popular music albums in the book YU 100: najbolji albumi jugoslovenske rok i pop muzike (YU 100: The Best albums of Yugoslav pop and rock music). The song "Put ka Suncu" was polled in 2000 as 92nd on Rock Express Top 100 Yugoslav Rock Songs of All Times list.

On October 5, 2005, in Belgrade's Bard Club, a concert dedicated to Zoran Božinović was held. The musicians performing on the concert included his brother Vidoja, Miroslav Cvetković (of Bajaga i Instruktori, formerly of Pop Mašina), Nebojša Antonijević (of Partibrejkers), Dejan Cukić, Petar Radmilović (of Đorđe Balašević's backing band), Dušan Kojić (of Disciplina Kičme), Branislav Petrović (of Električni Orgazam), Dušan Đukić (formerly of Pop Mašina), Nikola Čuturilo, Manja Đorđević (of Disciplina Kičme), Vladimir Đorđević (of Lira Vega and Neočekivana Sila Koja Se Iznenada Pojavljuje i Rešava Stvar), Vlada Negovanović, the bands Van Gogh and Zona B, and oters. The recording of the concert was released on the DVD Put ka Suncu - Noć posvećena Zoranu Božinoviću (Road to Sun - A Night Dedicated to Zoran Božinović).

Band members

• Robert Nemeček - bass guitar, vocals (1972–1976)
• Zoran Božinović - guitar, vocals (1972–1978)
• Ratislav Đelmaš - drums (1972)
• Sava Bojić - guitar, vocals (1972)
• Mihajlo "Bata" Popović - drums, percussion (1972–1976)
• Oliver Mandić - keyboards, vocals (1975)
• Dušan "Duda" Petrović - bass guitar (1976–1977)
• Dušan "Đuka" Đukić - drums (1976–1978)
• Vidoja Božinović - guitar (1976–1978)
• Miroslav "Cvele" Cvetković - bass guitar, vocals (1977–1978)

Discography

Studio albums

• Kiselina (1973)
• Na izvoru svetlosti (1975)

Live albums

• Put ka Suncu (1976)

Box sets

• Antologija 1972 - 1976 (2008)

Singles

• "Put ka Suncu" / "Sjaj u očima" (1972)
• "Promenićemo svet" / "Svemirska priča" (1973)
• "Zemlja svetlosti" / "Dugo lutanje kroz noć" (1974)
• "Sećanja" / "Rekvijem za prijatelja" (1975)
• "Moja pesma" / "Uspomena" (1977)

References

• EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006, Janjatović Petar; ISBN 978-86-905317-1-4

External links

• Official site
• Pop Mašina at Progarchives
• Pop Mašina at Discogs

See also

• Rok Mašina