Superhiks ( mk, Суперхикс) is a Macedonian

ska-punk Ska punk (also spelled ska-punk) is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music together. (sometimes spelled skacore) is a subgenre of ska punk that mixes ska with hardcore punk. Early ska punk mixed both 2 Tone (music genre), 2 to ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

band with occasional swing,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and

Balkan folk music Balkan folk music is the traditional folk music within Balkan region. It's also known as narodna muzika (Bulgarian, Macedonian, sr-cyr, народна музика), also folk muzika (фолк музика) means folk music in the South Slavic l ...

elements from

Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

. They gained international prominence after appearing on

MTV France MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a ...

, MTV Israel and MTV Adria. They were also the first Macedonian band to reach the top of the charts on MTV Adria.

Biography

The band was formed by three high school friends: Petar Mladenovski (

frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

and

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

), Boris Minov (guitar) and Zoran Žežov (drums) in the early 1990s, starting with a mixture of

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

and

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

music. After several personal changes, today the six-member band also features a three-piece

horn section A horn section is a group of musicians playing horns. In an orchestra or concert band, it refers to the musicians who play the "French" horn, and in a British-style brass band it is the tenor horn players. In many popular music genres, the te ...

consisting of Sime Zlatkov (saxophone), Aleksandar Spasovski (trumpet), Branko Ilievski (trombone) and DJ Goce Lalkovski as well as drums and percussion played by Darko Popov-Daro. Superhiks shared stages with many world-famous acts such as:

Manu Chao Manu Chao (; born José-Manuel Thomas Arthur Chao on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish singer. He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Arabic, Catalan, Galician, Portuguese, Greek, and occasionally in other languages. Chao began his mus ...

and Radio Bemba,

Fun Lovin Criminals Fun Lovin' Criminals are an American rap rock band from New York City. They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks", which features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino, and the song "Love Unlimited", which recalls Barry White's backin ...

Fishbone Fishbone is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1979, that plays a fusion of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul. AllMusic has described the group as "one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the late ' ...

, Tito and Tarantula,

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rolli ...

, Rico Rodriguez, H-Block, Faith No More, Green Day, House Of Pain, Inner Circle, Zvonko Bogdan and many others. The band's debut release, '' Čekaj be vikam, kade be malku'' (''Wait a Second…'') was released on the Lithium Records label in 2000 and received radio air and TV play on all commercial stations nationwide. The album was reviewed in national and international publications and received critical acclaim for its distinctive sound and socially conscious attitude. The video for its third single

Rade Rade may refer to: * E De people, a people group in Southeast Asia also called "Rhade" or "Rade" * places in Lower-Saxony, Germany: ** Rade, Neu Wulmstorf, a village in the district of Harburg * places in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany: ** Rade, Stei ...

was shown on MTV France and MTV Israel as well as other European TV stations. Superhiks appeared on numerous national and international compilations such as ''Ska Generation'' (BRP Records), ''I Woke up in motion'' (H.O.P.S. Contact Recs.), ''Ska Factor Positive'' (Ohoho Records) and others. Their follow-up album '' Trumano'' was released in November 2003 again on the Lithium Records label. During the first month, 25,000 copies sold out. ''Trumano'''s four singles followed ''Rade'''s success and occupied all the radio and TV charts in Macedonia as well as the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. The record was supported by aggressive touring nationwide and around

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

in 2004. The tour finished with a three-hour show in their hometown, Skopje, in front of 5000 people. It is also notable that ''Trumano'' contained private mobile phone conversations between the band members on several songs. In 2006 Superhiks released their third (live) album from their biggest concert. 35,000 copies were printed and it was sold out in less than seven days. In May 2012 they released a new single, "". In December 2012 they self-released their fourth studio album, called ''Africa''. Superhiks were awarded the best Macedonian band in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, and 2012, and their Skopje Fair concert was awarded the best rock concert in 2004 in Macedonia. In December 2012 they played a concert in Metropolis Arena in Skopje, in front of 6000 fans. In June 2015 they played an overcrowded club concert in Club Havana-Skopje in front of 1500 fans. In June 2015 they released their second single for their fifth upcoming studio album. The song was called "Miki Lee" and had huge success on the radio charts in Macedonia.

Discography

* '' Chekaj be, vikam... kade be, malku!'' (2001) – Lithium Records * '' Trumano'' (2003) – Lithium Records * '' Live at Skopski Saem'' (2004) – Lithium Records * '' ...i sega shto?'' (2008) – Lithium Records * ''Afrika'' (2012) – DY Records * '' The best of 20!..so far'' (2014) – Jugoton Records *'' Underground Evergreens'' (2017) – Jugoton Records

Trivia

The band got its name after Superhik (in ), a fictitious anti-

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

character who ''steals from the poor and gives to the rich'' from the Italian comic book ''Alan Ford'' that had and still has a cult status in the former Yugoslav countries.

Audio samples

RadeGolNova KaledonijaMister Birokrat

Video

Superhiks on Youtube

External links