Dubioza Kolektiv (BiH)

All of the artists from Dubioza Kolektiv spent their teenage years in the middle of a war, under siege. Carrying thousands of litres of water over long distances, dodging bullets and shells was a daily chore. Through making music in basement shelters (when the electricity worked) is how they learned to play their instruments, and more importantly, how they made it through the negativity of the war.

This is a band that takes music seriously.

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Dubioza Kolektiv is well known in Bosnia for practicing what they preach.

They have lent support to the first grass-roots civil society group Dosta by recording a special song for the movement, and organizing a huge protest concert before the 2006 general elections.

The album release party for their fourth album Firma Ilegal took place in front of the Bosnian Parliament, making a powerful statement against government corruption, and garnering massive coverage in the national press. Finally, in 2010 the band spearheaded a national voting drive with concerts in all of the major Bosnian cities, aimed to increase the turnout of the younger population for the 2010 elections. These shows were considered a complete success, with packed venues, and thousands of young people registering to vote.

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MUSIC

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CZB: Who's idea was it to form the band and how did everything start out for Dubioza Kolektiv?

Dubioza Kolektiv: Initially, the concept of the band came from our need to voice the problematic issues in our society. We didn't gather around musical tastes, nor are we the ordinary neighborhood band. We came from different cities and we shared this urge to talk politics through our lyrics. We then chose the best musical wrapping to deliver our message to the audience in the most efficient way possible. We also wanted to show the rest of the world that life in Bosnia exists outside of the familiar and overused media stereotypes of war, destruction and savage inhabitants that kill each other for no apparent reason…

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CZB: How did you feel when you found out you were winners of the MTV Best Adria Act Award?

Dubioza Kolektiv: This was our third nomination for the regional Adria MTV Awards and we are glad to win this time because our fans from the region voted for us amongst other well known bands that competed for the award. Regional MTV Adria is currently the only music TV station that plays bands from ex-Yugoslavia and that is being watched in the entire region.

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CZB: What feedback did you get from European countries your act has not visited yet to Eurosong on YouTube?

Dubioza Kolektiv: Generally, we got good response to this ironic view of the state of European Union today. Eurosong competition is just ridiculous atavism from the past that shows all weaknesses of naive and romantic "Unite, Unite, Europe" idea from late 80's.

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CZB: In what ways do you feel the Internet is controlling the individual freedom of younger generations?

Dubioza Kolektiv: You can still choose not to participate in the whole Internet game if you don't want to. Benefits of the Internet are far more important than dangers from using it. Independent news sources, the blogosphere and social networks are changing the way we communicate on a daily basis and every aspect of life is affected by that change. The music industry is still struggling to survive this change of the game rules. Nowadays we have the opportunity to base an entire promotion on our web site and our social network presence without depending on record companies. You can do it DIY from the beginning to the end of the process of creating and distributing your music. This is far more democratic process then it was before. Of course, the downside is that you have thousands of bands trying to do the same thing at the same time but at least everybody has an equal opportunity to try.

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CZB: How true do you find the concept that to be successful internationally, you must sing in English?

Dubioza Kolektiv: It all depends on what are you trying to achieve. If you want to communicate a message - of course you will use a language that is widely understood. It could be Spanish, Chinese or something else. Our shows are bilingual and we mix our songs in English and in the Bosnian language. It is important to us that people abroad can feel different vibes from our sounds and lyrics and that is an important part of our story. We want to make it really clear from the very first song in our concert or album, where we are coming from and what we are trying to say. If you don't do that, you risk to become just another white-reggae band that is trying to imitate the Jamaican accent, another indie rock band trying to sound British or whatever… We will continue to make music in both languages - the next album will be in Bosnian again.

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POLITICS

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CZB: What are some of the social and political causes you are supporting as a band?

Dubioza Kolektiv: There are so many things that don't function in our country that we would like to see changed. We live in quite a dysfunctional country that is crippled by the Dayton peace treaty that has been acting as our temporary constitution for over 16 years. This "temporary" constitution created an enormous administration that is far too expensive for our weak economy to cover. We have never fully recovered from the destructions of war. The balance of political power in the country, and the mechanisms of "protection of national interests" are designed in such a way, that it is almost impossible to reach a general consensus for the necessary constitutional reform.

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We support grassroots political activism and we advocate a more active participation of young people in politics. For example, we have campaigned for bigger election turnouts for last years elections and we have managed to gather huge crowds at concerts in Bosnian cities.

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CZB: Have things developed socially and economically in Bosnia during the past decade?

Dubioza Kolektiv: On the surface, a lot of things have changed and to a first time visitor - Bosnia and Herzegovina would look like any other normal European country. But what remains to be done is to undergo reforms that our political oligarchies don't find too comfortable doing so they are keeping the country in this status quo position.

For example, a year has passed since the elections and the state-level government has not yet been established. We are living in a real political limbo. Meanwhile, we have almost a 50% unemployment rate while people who have their jobs mainly work in the state administration itself or in state owned companies and that makes them really dependent on the people in power - and in consequence a very obedient voting machine, making it really hard to make a big power shift in one election turn.

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CZB: Is there a crisis of identity in Bosnia-Herzegovina?

Dubioza Kolektiv: National identities are a very fruitful ground for manipulating people. This is the easiest way not to talk about important issues, like: economy, development, education, culture… Political establishments on all sides hide behind nationalism very efficiently and constantly maintain their rhetorics on the edge of new conflict. And they have a lot to hide. Bosnia is a struggling transitional society in which there are plenty of opportunities for all kinds of wrongdoings - there are still a lot of state owned companies and natural resources to be sold with nice "under the table" bonuses for politicians.

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CZB: Do you see the European Union to really bring down borders and solving the racial, social and political problems of former Eastern European countries after 50 years of Communism?

Dubioza Kolektiv: Until recently, we lived behind the Schengen wall imposed by the same Europe that is talking about a society without borders. And we are still being threatened by the returning of the visa regime for our citizens if our politicians don't do this or that. That is why Bosnians are generally quite skeptical about the whole idea. Especially having in mind recent economical difficulties and the rise of right wing political parties across Europe that endangers the entire idea of the EU. On the other hand, the only microscopic forward moves in Bosnian political life result from the constant pressure from EU officials in Brussels that are trying to literally extort some reforms in order to make Bosnia fit for EU membership candidacy.

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CZB interview by: RiCo

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The band is

• Almir Hasanbegovic – vocals
• Adis Zvekic – vocals
• Brano Jakubovic – keys/sampler
• Vedran Mujagic – bass
• Armin Busatlic – guitar
• Senad Suta – drums
• Dragan Jakubovic – sound technician
• Mario Sevarac – saxophone

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Discography

• Dubioza Kolektiv (2004)
• Open Wide (EP, 2004)
• Dubnamite (2006)
• Firma Ilegal (2008)
• 5 do 12 (2010)

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5 do 12 was nominated for IMPALA’s Best Independent Album of the Year 2010.

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www.dubioza.org

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We wish to thank Adrian Voichiţescu and IRAF for their support, Login and Biljana Bilic from the management agency, for making this Dubioza Kolektiv interview possible.

 

 

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