Biography
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Years Active
1985 – present (39 years)
DEMOLITION GROUP comes from Brežice, Slovenia. They started in 1983 under the name Gastarbeiters. In those days they played their own typical variation of white funk. As Gastarbeiters they released two LP's in former Yugoslavia.
In 1986 Gastarbeiters transformed their music into a fusion of heavy metal, funk and electronic rhythms. They felt the name DEMOLITION GROUP was right for the new style. They played many important European festivals such as SAN REMO rock 1988, BARCELONA BIENAL 1987, BERLIN INDEPENDENCE Days (1989), DRUGA GODBA (1986) and others. Soon after their coming out (1986) they were signed by the Italian label CRUISIN' HIARA Records (Modena), for whom they released two records, which were promoted in most European countries.
DEMOLITION GROUPs music is an energetic fusion of electronic and acoustic drums, rock and funk oriented guitars, neurotic saxophone and specific vocals. They look and sound like Dr. Feelgood after 18 pints having a jam with Killing Joke roadies… (NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS, 1994) Being excellent musicians, the musical skills of various members of DEMOLITION GROUP are also evident in the work of bands such as LAIBACH (Nikola Sekulović, Matjaž Pegam, Jože Pegam), BORGHESIA (Nikola Sekulović) and many others (varying from rock to contemporary classical).
Honouring a decade of their music activity in 1993 they released a CD entitled BAD GAG 2 (18 songs, total playing time 72 min.), which immediately became a hit record. Six months later they released a mini CD called "Demolition Group plays Gastarbeiters". These CDs and the appearance on the compilation of KRAFTWERK remakes Trans Slovenia Express (MUTE RECORDS, London), DEMOLITION GROUP again confirmed that they belong to the first class of Slovenian contemporary music. “The Model” is one of two promotional videos for the compilation.
Album DEEP TRUE LOVE (released in 1995) is a result of cooperation between Demolition Group and the most famous theatre in Slovenia - Theatre MLADINSKO. The band wrote music for three plays directed by Matjaz Pograjc, also known as the founder of BETONTANC theatre. The music is not a classical soundtrack, since it consists of 14 songs in usual Demolition manner: strong, powerful and intrigue. Two songs are based on G. Puccinni’s famous arias: “Dovunque al’ mondo” and “Un bel di vedremo”.
DEEP TRUE LOVE was voted the RECORD OF THE YEAR in Slovenia and DEMOLITION GROUP were declared as SLOVENIA’S MOST IMPORTANT BAND IN 1995. Their videos “IN YOUR EYES” and “You Never Cry« gained NO.1 POSITION ON NATIONAL TV »TOP 10«. For the second time they were awarded “THE GOLDEN BIRD”, THE STATE AWARD FOR CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS. DEMOLITION GROUP played OVER 100 GIGS in Slovenia, Austria, Italy and Croatia.
1998/99
new album »NEOVANGELIJ« is released in April, accompanied with two singles and two videos. One of them (»Rain«) was the result of colaboration with HELENA BLAGNE, the biggest Slovenian pop star, the other was shot during their visit to COLOMBIA (South America). The remixes were done by the RANDOM LOGIC. Several reviews stated the album as »THE BEST SLOVENIAN ALBUM OF THE DECADE«. In January 1999, DEMOLITION GROUP presented a feature FILM “DARK ANGELS”(directed by Saso Podgorsek, the director of all of their videos) - they wrote the script, played the main roles and, of course, they wrote the music score!
2001
DEMOLITION GROUP release their latest album BIC, LUC+UPANJE, presenting a move away from many of the basic principles that were used in recording the previous two albums:
- where they were previous continuously changing studios in search of the best possible production, they now decided to record the entire album at home in Slovenia. This not only allowed them much more rest in recording the album it has also clarified their musical expression.
- instead of the huge promotional circus they have been known for in the past, this album has been released in the quiet summer season without any real promotional effort. The members of the band have already more than once expressed their doubts regarding aggressive media offensives. In all of the 1990s they appeared live on television only twice(!), but have not noticed any real consequences from this deliberate absence in the media. Despite this, the band has to admit to its’ guilty conscious that it may have exaggerated on other promotional and marketing fronts, setting a standard that is hard to live up to!
- rather than presenting their distinctive mix of all instruments involved, this album has put focus on the voice of singer Goran Šalamon and the message included in the music itself. However, the band have not allowed the words to become a separate part of the composition, quite the contrary: the aim has been to grant all listeners easy access to the message, demanding real effort only from those listeners who really wish to experience the music and its’ message to the full extent.
- as a whole, the album is not connected to any other art form even though two of the songs featured on the album, SLATKE SANJE and TWIST (with a video featuring Josef Nagy & Davor Janjic, september 2001), have been created especially for the film SLADKE SANJE by Saso Podgorsek. These two songs are also formally separated from the rest of the album, as they are performed by V.I.S. MESECINA.
The five-headed monster called DEMOLITION GROUP has operated unchanged for no less than 23 years already, therefore they change drummers every second album: the new album introduces Peter Cizelj on drums, whom DEMOLITION GROUP picked after auditioning 18 candidates. Again also the artwork of the album stands out: the distinctive J.E.S.U.S. AJAKS has once more outlived all expectations, making the lives of music pirates miserable with his phenomenal artistic and technologic measures.
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