Macedonian Music Revival?

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  • Bij
    Member
    • Oct 2009
    • 905

    Macedonian Music Revival?

    Hello fellow MTOers,

    Hope you've all had a wonderful XMAS and New Years. As I have just recently returned from the mother country, I thought I'd post and share some of my trip with you.

    First - some background. I've been to Macedonia more than 10 times now. In fact, in 2012 I visited Macedonia 3 times, so I see and make note of changes, cultural differences, etc.

    In all of those visits, this is my first trip to Macedonia in the dead of winter. Luckily (or unluckily for me), my trip was unseasonably warm and I didn't actually see any snow whatsoever. It was, however, still rather cold, and I retreated in to my favourite pasttime in Macedonia, wine and kafani.

    You see, despite being a girl, I have been raised to be quite the lush. I enjoy getting on the piss and honestly am probably better behaved when off-my-face drunk than sober, and there's NOTHING better than Macedonian wine on a cold winters night.

    So every night, I pissed off the in-laws and headed out to a myriad of kafani and because of all the praznici, every single one of them had some sort of ziva muzika. Even better!

    What happened next was rather strange...

    Now, I have admitted previously on this forum that, despite everyone's objections, I don't mind the odd turbo-trash song, and usually the kafani happily oblige by belting out the best of bijelo dugme, ceca, seka, sako, zeljko, sasa and whatever else is big that year. But this year was different... this year, I sat in kafani and listened to songs I felt I was hearing for the first time, but somehow strangely recognised. I understood all the words of the songs, and saw old and young lift their wine glasses and sing along together... this year, for the first time, I barely heard a serb song sung or played in the kafani. Instead, I was listening to Macedonian music.

    It wasn't just any Macedonian music, though. It wasn't the new stuff sung by your Aneta and Molikas, or the tattoo covered serb-wannabes that have sprung out in the last few years. No.. these songs were eerily familiar and made me feel nostalgic and warm. They reminded me of Sunday mornings, the Macedonian radio blaring and the barbecue burning. It took me a while to realise that most of these songs were from the late 80s and early 90s, when Macedonia first stood up to the world and became it's own country. They reminded me of when my parents would drive us to canberra for protests, when we would proudly wear the Macedonian flag, a time when gosti would come over without calling first and when we had a bafca of krstajci and piperki.

    So ladies in gentlemen, I would like to share this music with you, these beautiful Macedonian songs that are full of words and not just catchy riffs. Songs with meaning, that paint pictures and create movies in your head. Songs that evoke emotions, bring back smells and feelings, remind you of someone. Songs that I grew up listening to but almost forgot.

    For now, Macedonia seems to have remembered its roots.

    Please enjoy, and share your own nostalgic memories and songs with us.

    (sorry, can't embed. If someone else would like to, please do).











    Last edited by Bij; 02-02-2013, 09:20 PM.
  • Risto the Great
    Senior Member
    • Sep 2008
    • 15658

    #2
    Really nice. Thanks Bij
    Risto the Great
    MACEDONIA:ANHEDONIA
    "Holding my breath for the revolution."

    Hey, I wrote a bestseller. Check it out: www.ren-shen.com

    Comment

    • sydney
      Member
      • Sep 2008
      • 390

      #3
      great post. it's refreshing to read such personal perspectives for a change.

      wouldn't it be great if we had such bars here that play live macedonian music infused with some jazz or blues. the places we've always had unfortunately mandate oro and dancing on tables. because you know if you don't dance on tables or chairs then you're not having a good time...

      Comment

      • lavce pelagonski
        Senior Member
        • Nov 2009
        • 1993

        #4
        It is probably due to the fact that you went in winter my brothers went in summer last year and they said 95% of kafani in Ohrid had Serb music going. You caught them at a time when there are not many tourists around. Have you been to kadmo?

        Piovo fest featured lepa brena and some other Serb singers so I dont know what to make of it all.
        Стравот на Атина од овој Македонец одел до таму што го нарекле „Страшниот Чакаларов“ „гркоубиец“ и „крвожеден комитаџија“.

        „Ако знам дека тука тече една капка грчка крв, јас сега би ја отсекол целата рака и би ја фрлил в море.“ Васил Чакаларов

        Comment

        • Bij
          Member
          • Oct 2009
          • 905

          #5
          Originally posted by lavce pelagonski View Post
          It is probably due to the fact that you went in winter my brothers went in summer last year and they said 95% of kafani in Ohrid had Serb music going. You caught them at a time when there are not many tourists around. Have you been to kadmo?

          Piovo fest featured lepa brena and some other Serb singers so I dont know what to make of it all.
          Hi lavce,

          I'm not saying we've expelled serb music 100% and I seriously did wonder if it was symptomatic of the time of year I went, but realised it was more likely a slow progression towards Macedonian culture rather than an overnight change.

          As for Ohrid in the summer, well, everyone knows Ohrigjani are a bit slower than the average beh In all honesty, I think this is probably due to a) tourists from the west, who would rather listen to techno, therefore, making the kafici take on a niche market of turbo folk lovers and serbian tourists who cant afford to go to budva anymore, and b) kafici are more for zabavni music, anyway, which suits the serb zabavno well. that doesn't mean they're not dropping in the odd macedonian zabavna song though plus the musical trends in macedonia are usually reflected in the diaspora 1-2 years later than locally. I think we'll see the Macedonian musical revival spread in the next two summers to the kafana folk.

          I have to add to this, I have been hanging out with more or less the same people for the past ten years in Macedonia. These include my cousins, neighbours, folks from my village, their bfs/gfs/wifes/husbands and families and friends. In previous years, when we'd throw parties, the requests would be for zeljko joksimovic, this past year, the requests have been for efto pupinovski. I get in the car and the radio stations that would blare techno house music are now blaring Rozo Moja. Even in some kafici (I visited Bela Kuka a lot in Bitola - the best coffee in Bitola) and they would have live music that would play tugja si beskrajna and rozo moja and everyone would go off. I was in Milenium one night and caught a live band playing these songs too (mixed in with bijelo dugme and the like) and people were going nuts.

          Business owners have probably come to the realisation that this music makes them cash. Firstly, the younger generations (25-35) grew up listening to this music as kids, so theres a nostalgija attached to their childhoods. The older ones 35-45 were teens and early twenties, the best years of their lives, and can relate to the heartbreak and songs about first loves because they were living it. The older generations, my parents age, were raising young families and building houses and working, they're brought back to their youth. All of these people know the words to these songs and feel them, and the more you feel a song, the more you spend on food and booze.

          I also think a lot of this has to do with Tose. He started bringing back the older style music a few years ago and started performing old Macedonian songs. This was followed by others joining the bandwagon (Zoran Vanev, hell even Ceca sang Zajdi Zajdi at her concerts) and the rise in popularity of Aneta and Molika and this new generation of singers in Macedonia. You also had the creation of BOM (Best of Macedonia TV) which plays these songs exclusively.


          I can't comment too much about this past summer, because I was too busy planning a wedding so I didn't have a lot of social time to hang out. I do know at our wedding, the songs that went off the most were 1. pogana 2. otvori mi belo lence 3. milionerce etc. There were a few serb songs requested, but they weren't nearly as well received as the three songs mentioned above (when I honestly thought someone would burn the kafana down).

          my 2c anyway.

          Comment

          • Bij
            Member
            • Oct 2009
            • 905

            #6
            Originally posted by sydney View Post
            great post. it's refreshing to read such personal perspectives for a change.

            wouldn't it be great if we had such bars here that play live macedonian music infused with some jazz or blues. the places we've always had unfortunately mandate oro and dancing on tables. because you know if you don't dance on tables or chairs then you're not having a good time...
            I don't think we're quite ready for that. I can say that a lot of the kafani are introducing the slower songs and people will just sit and sing along rather than dancing on tables, but then I am the type of person who doesn't see anything wrong with dancing on tables

            Comment

            • lavce pelagonski
              Senior Member
              • Nov 2009
              • 1993

              #7
              I hope it changes, for my wedding there will be a ban no serb music at all and no ventilator. If you dont like it tough. Thats just me.
              Стравот на Атина од овој Македонец одел до таму што го нарекле „Страшниот Чакаларов“ „гркоубиец“ и „крвожеден комитаџија“.

              „Ако знам дека тука тече една капка грчка крв, јас сега би ја отсекол целата рака и би ја фрлил в море.“ Васил Чакаларов

              Comment

              • Risto the Great
                Senior Member
                • Sep 2008
                • 15658

                #8
                Originally posted by lavce pelagonski View Post
                I hope it changes, for my wedding there will be a ban no serb music at all and no ventilator. If you dont like it tough. Thats just me.
                I was going to write "The last of the Mohicans" .... but "The last of the Macedonians" sounds better!
                Risto the Great
                MACEDONIA:ANHEDONIA
                "Holding my breath for the revolution."

                Hey, I wrote a bestseller. Check it out: www.ren-shen.com

                Comment

                • Bij
                  Member
                  • Oct 2009
                  • 905

                  #9
                  Originally posted by lavce pelagonski View Post
                  I hope it changes, for my wedding there will be a ban no serb music at all and no ventilator. If you dont like it tough. Thats just me.
                  I hope your wife is as brave as you are

                  How do you plan on doing this if you get married in Australia where everyone dancing picks their own songs? In Macedonia, they organise the songs beforehand and give them to the band so that the music is constantly rolling so I guess you can pick the playlist, but in Australia? Good luck.

                  TBH when you organise a wedding, there are bigger battles to be fought than if your drunk uncle mitre decides to dance to plava ciganka.

                  Comment

                  • lavce pelagonski
                    Senior Member
                    • Nov 2009
                    • 1993

                    #10
                    Risto there are only a few of us left.

                    Bij it is simple I will instruct the band to not play anything but Macedonian songs. Plus my dad is paying. Oh the band will respond as follows "Samo znaeme da svirime i da peeme po Makedonski".
                    Стравот на Атина од овој Македонец одел до таму што го нарекле „Страшниот Чакаларов“ „гркоубиец“ и „крвожеден комитаџија“.

                    „Ако знам дека тука тече една капка грчка крв, јас сега би ја отсекол целата рака и би ја фрлил в море.“ Васил Чакаларов

                    Comment

                    • Gocka
                      Senior Member
                      • Dec 2012
                      • 2306

                      #11
                      I second Lavce, during the summer in Ohrid its serb fest in many cafes. There are two reason, one is that a huge portion of the tourists in Ohrid are serbs so thats just catering to them, the second being that their are many serb music lovers in the villages around Ohrid.

                      I will admit that I have seen the younger generations especially the more educated ones start to shy away from turbo folk. It is seen as seljacki to listen to serb turbo folk and many are starting to listen to more Macedonian music, which is a good sign.

                      Comment

                      • DedoAleko
                        Member
                        • Jun 2009
                        • 969

                        #12
                        Next Time-Ja Izlezi Gjurgjo

                        All Right Reserved Next Time BandBand: Next TimeAranzman: Nikola MicevskiMix Studio: Dejan MomirovskiRezija/Montaza: Ognen Shapkovski (Melem Production)Asist...

                        Comment

                        • George S.
                          Senior Member
                          • Aug 2009
                          • 10116

                          #13
                          Bijj make your expression and light the ventilator and bring out the real flag.Are you having the grupata orbiti?????They say they are one of the best bands.I'm hearing a lot of things like people tippping musicians not fifties but hundred dollar bills.They say a video of a wedding is something like 8K.Maybe even more.Also catering with a about 5 corses is about 150 dollars to 200 dollars a head.,Really scarry if you are on a low budget.
                          "Ido not want an uprising of people that would leave me at the first failure, I want revolution with citizens able to bear all the temptations to a prolonged struggle, what, because of the fierce political conditions, will be our guide or cattle to the slaughterhouse"
                          GOTSE DELCEV

                          Comment

                          • Momce Makedonce
                            Member
                            • Jul 2012
                            • 562

                            #14
                            A fantastic new version of "Ja Izlezi Gurgo".

                            All Right Reserved Next Time BandBand: Next TimeAranzman: Nikola MicevskiMix Studio: Dejan MomirovskiRezija/Montaza: Ognen Shapkovski (Melem Production)Asist...
                            "The moral revolution - the revolution of the mind, heart and soul of an enslaved people, is our greatest task." Goce Delcev

                            Comment

                            • Bij
                              Member
                              • Oct 2009
                              • 905

                              #15
                              Originally posted by George S. View Post
                              Bijj make your expression and light the ventilator and bring out the real flag.Are you having the grupata orbiti?????They say they are one of the best bands.I'm hearing a lot of things like people tippping musicians not fifties but hundred dollar bills.They say a video of a wedding is something like 8K.Maybe even more.Also catering with a about 5 corses is about 150 dollars to 200 dollars a head.,Really scarry if you are on a low budget.
                              Hi George. We had our wedding in macedonia so things were substantially cheaper. Been a few years now but I think it was between 10-15 euros per person. Can't remember the cost for the video guys. The prices you mentioned are in line with sydney prices.

                              Just as an update, I went back to Maso in July/aug 2015 and rarely heard a Serb song. Definitely mostly heard Maso tracks everywhere we went.

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