Slobodan "Kokan" Popović is a
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
n drummer notable for playing in bands
Idoli
Idoli ( sr-cyr, Идоли; trans. The Idols) were a Serbian new wave band from Belgrade. They are considered to be one of the most notable acts of the Yugoslav rock scene, and their 1982 album ''Odbrana i poslednji dani'' was on several occas ...
and
Propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
.
Biography
Getting interested in music, first bands
Popović was born in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
and lived at Alekse Nenadovica street connecting "Slavija" and "Metropol" hotel, inhabited by people from highest social positions, such as lawyers, politicians, musicians, sportsman, etc., to the lowest, such as prostitutes, drug dealers, thieves, etc.
In his early youth he brought some LP compilations of Opatija festivals and played them while using a wooden cigarette box as a drum and after hearing
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
's album
A Quick One
''A Quick One'' is the second studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 9 December 1966. A version of the album with an altered track listing was released under the name ''Happy Jack'' on Decca Records in April 1967 in the Unite ...
, he decided to become a drummer.
His real drum practices started after moving to
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
with his father (then being in Yugoslavian Foreign Services), Dejan and mother Božica (sister Dubravka - stood in Belgrade) where he, for the first time, had the chance to practice on a real drum set. His first live appearance was at a Bombay college anniversary.
On return to
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
Popović first joined the band Dag, with whom he recorded a single "Voz" / "Smiljana" in 1973. After Dag, he formed a
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
trio Jocker, and then Jesen before joining the band of Slađana Milošević.
Zvuk Ulice and Propaganda
In 1976, guitarist and singer,
Vlada Divljan
Vladimir "Vlada" Divljan ( sr-Cyrl, Владимир "Влада" Дивљан; 10 May 1958 – 4 March 2015), was a Serbian singer and songwriter. He was known as the frontman of the Serbian and Yugoslav rock band Idoli, one of the bands which ...
, and bass guitarist, Zdenko Kolar, formed a band called Merlin. The band also included Popović on drums, keyboard player Dragan Mitrić, Bora Atić on saxophone and Dragana Milković on piano and vocals. Beside their own songs the band often performed songs by
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
,
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
and
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
. Their musical style was a combination of
melodic rock
Arena rock (also known as AOR, melodic rock, stadium rock, anthem rock, pomp rock, corporate rock and dad rock; ; ) is a style of rock music that originated in the mid-1970s. As hard rock bands and those playing a softer yet strident kind of po ...
,
jazz rock
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...
and
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
. The band often performed at
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
's SKC (Studentski Kulturni Centar a.k.a. ''SKC'' or Students Cultural Centre), appeared on the last BOOM festival in
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
and
Zaječar
Zaječar ( sr-Cyrl, Зајечар, ; ro, Zaicear or ) is a city and the administrative center of the Zaječar District in eastern Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the city administrative area has a population of 59,461 inhabitants.
Zaječar ...
Guitar festival. They did not have any releases, but had some recordings, recorded in Radio Belgrade studio, which were broadcast from time to time.
In early 1979 Popović's future wife got pregnant and he also had to serve the
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska a ...
which caused the breaking up of the band. He made a two-year break and joined
Idoli
Idoli ( sr-cyr, Идоли; trans. The Idols) were a Serbian new wave band from Belgrade. They are considered to be one of the most notable acts of the Yugoslav rock scene, and their 1982 album ''Odbrana i poslednji dani'' was on several occas ...
.
In 1982 Popović (guitar, vocals) with Mitrić (keyboards),
Branko Isaković
Branko Isaković (born June 24, 1958) is a Serbian bass player, producer and composer of Balkan ambient beat. After a long career in pop, rock, and ethno bands he launched his ''Divine Sound'' project with healing music.
Biography
Isaković w ...
(bass, rhythm guitar) and Nenad Morgenstern (percussion) formed the off project Propaganda. The band recorded only one album, ''Apatija javnosti'' which partially featured material from Zvuk Ulice period. The sound was a
Pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
combined with other musical forms. After the album release, the band split up.
Idoli
Popović joined
Idoli
Idoli ( sr-cyr, Идоли; trans. The Idols) were a Serbian new wave band from Belgrade. They are considered to be one of the most notable acts of the Yugoslav rock scene, and their 1982 album ''Odbrana i poslednji dani'' was on several occas ...
as a replacement for
Boža Jovanović
Boža Jovanović was the first drummer of the Serbian rock band Idoli. He was the band member until 1982 and released two singles and one EP with the band.
Biography
Jovanović has lived in Belgrade in the same apartment building where Vlada ...
. The band started recording their first long play album in Radio Belgrade studios during the late 1981 and early 1982. ''
Odbrana i poslednji dani
''Odbrana i poslednji dani'' ( sr-Cyrl, Одбрана и последњи дани; trans. ''The Defense and the Last Days'') is the first studio album by Yugoslav new wave band Idoli released in 1982.
''Džuboks'' magazine critics voted the ...
'' surprised the critics as much as the fans. It was named after
Borislav Pekić
Borislav Pekić ( sr-cyr, Борислав Пекић, ; 4 February 1930 – 2 July 1992) was a Serbian and Yugoslav writer and political activist.
He was born in 1930, to a prominent family in Montenegro, at that time part of the Kingdom of Yugo ...
's
eponymous
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
book, on which the whole album is based. It is a complex concept album dealing with an anthropological approach towards
Orthodox Christianity
Orthodoxy (from Ancient Greek, Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Late antiquity, A ...
. Since the album was sold in only 50,000 copies, which was considered a failure by
Jugoton
Jugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, SR Croatia.
History
Jugoton was formed in 1947. It is notable for releasing some of the most important former Yugoslav pop and rock records ...
the band had to completely turn towards commercial music.
The next release was the album ''
Čokolada'' featuring bassist
Branko Isaković
Branko Isaković (born June 24, 1958) is a Serbian bass player, producer and composer of Balkan ambient beat. After a long career in pop, rock, and ethno bands he launched his ''Divine Sound'' project with healing music.
Biography
Isaković w ...
instead of Zdenko Kolar who went to serve the
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska a ...
. It was recorded in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
with producer Bob Painter who completely changed the band's style. The record was sold in 350,000 copies which was a record at that time in
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
.
Even though the band had a successful tour, the relationships between the band members became colder. After the
Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...
show due to a quarrel,
Idoli
Idoli ( sr-cyr, Идоли; trans. The Idols) were a Serbian new wave band from Belgrade. They are considered to be one of the most notable acts of the Yugoslav rock scene, and their 1982 album ''Odbrana i poslednji dani'' was on several occas ...
ceased to exist.
The last release as Idoli was a soundtrack album for ''Šest dana juna'' which was written by Divljan while the rest of the band recorded their parts.
Post-Idoli career
After
Idoli
Idoli ( sr-cyr, Идоли; trans. The Idols) were a Serbian new wave band from Belgrade. They are considered to be one of the most notable acts of the Yugoslav rock scene, and their 1982 album ''Odbrana i poslednji dani'' was on several occas ...
disbanded Popović joined the band Mučenici and also played with a super-session band Kod Tri Balona (featuring
Disciplina Kičme
Disciplin A Kitschme, originally known as Disciplina Kičme ( sr-Cyrl, Дисциплина Кичме, transl. ''Backbone Discipline''), was a Serbian and Yugoslav and, for a period of time, British rock band, formed in Belgrade in 1981. The b ...
bassist Dušan Kojić Koja and
Električni Orgazam
Električni Orgazam ( sr-cyr, Електрични Оргазам, lit=Electric Orgasm, translit=) is a Serbian rock band from Belgrade. Originally starting as a combination of new wave, punk rock and post-punk, the band later slowly changed th ...
guitarist Branislav Petrović Banana).
In the early nineties he moved to
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and formed his own band The Traitors. The lineup featured
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
musicians living in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
: Popović on rhythm guitar and vocals and Marka Benini on drums, with musicians from
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
Derrick Skihippers (lead guitar) and Kahlan Merchant (bass guitar). The band performs a heavier version of
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
standards.
In 2006 Kokan & The Traitors performed in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
and Zdenko Kolar appeared as guest musician.
Discography
With Dag
* "Voz" / "Smiljana" (
PGP RTB
PGP-RTB (abbreviation for sr, Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Beograd) was a major state-owned record label and chain record store in the former SFR Yugoslavia, based in Belgrade, Socialist Republic of Serbia. After the breaku ...
, 1973)
With Propaganda
* ''Apatija javnosti'' (
PGP RTB
PGP-RTB (abbreviation for sr, Produkcija gramofonskih ploča Radio televizije Beograd) was a major state-owned record label and chain record store in the former SFR Yugoslavia, based in Belgrade, Socialist Republic of Serbia. After the breaku ...
, 1982)
With Idoli
External links and references
* ''EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006'', Janjatović Petar;
Kokan Popović at DiscogsKokan Popović at Popboks
{{DEFAULTSORT:Popovic, Kokan
Living people
Musicians from Belgrade
Serbian rock drummers
Serbian rock guitarists
Serbian rock singers
Yugoslav musicians
Year of birth missing (living people)