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Šarlo Akrobata

From Unearthing The Music

Šarlo Akrobata in 1980: Milan Mladenović, Dušan Kojić, and Ivan Vdović. Photo sourced from Wikipedia

Šarlo Akrobata (Serbian Cyrillic: Шарло Акробата; trans. Charlot the Acrobat, a Serbo-Croatian language version of Charlie Chaplin's name in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia[1]) were a seminal Serbian new wave/post-punk band from Belgrade. Short-lived but extremely influential, in addition to being one of the most important acts of the Yugoslav new wave scene, the three piece left an indelible mark on the entire music scene of former Yugoslavia.

Spawning from the progressive/hard rock group Limunovo Drvo (Serbian Cyrillic: Лимуново Дрво; trans. Lemon Tree), founded in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Milan Mladenović and guitarist Dragomir Mihajlović "Gagi", the band moved towards new wave music after several line-up changes with the arrival of bassist and vocalist Dušan Kojić "Koja" and drummer Ivan Vdović "VD". After performing as an opening act for Pankrti in April 1980, Mihajlović left the band and the remaining three members changed their name to Šarlo Akrobata, after a Yugoslav nickname for actor Charlie Chaplin. Subsequently, the trio recorded four tracks which were released on the 1981 compilation album Paket aranžman, now considered to be one of the most influential releases in the history of former Yugoslav rock music. During 1981, the band released their debut album Bistriji ili tuplji čovek biva kad..., after which, owing to irreconcilable differences between the band members, the band ceased to exist. The album received critical recognition and is regarded as one of the most notable albums of former Yugoslav rock music.

After the band's disbandment, Mladenović, along with Vdović and Mihajlović, formed Katarina II, which changed its name to Ekatarina Velika after the departure of the latter two, and Kojić formed Disciplina Kičme, changing its name to Disciplin A Kitschme in 1995. In 1992, Ivan Vdović died of AIDS, followed by Milan Mladenović's death from pancreatic cancer in 1994.

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Text adapted from Wikipedia