CZD

CZD. Photo sourced from Discogs

CZD ("Center Za Dehumanizacijo" or "Center for Dehumanization in English") is an alt/punk rock band from Slovenia formed in 1984 in Maribor. The band soon developed its own variation of punk rock music, characterised by a strong inclination towards experimentation. Integrating and adapting a variety of genres including industrial, electro pop, a cappella and hardcore punk, CZD are also known for their lyrics and a strong stage presence. The band is also active in other artistic fields besides music, having (both as individuals and as a band) also worked and collaborated in writing, video art, political activism, and cultural infrastructure; contributing greatly to Slovenia's cultural scene (especially that of the north-east) over the last three decades.

Line-up

• Dušan Hedl - guitar, vocals
• Bojan Tomažič - sampler, effects, vocals
• Boštjan Imenšek - guitar, backing vocals
• Franci Novak - drums
• Silvo Zemljič - bass, backing vocals

Beginnings

The band's roots go back to the end of the 1970s and to the beginning of the 1980s, when in the rural and partly proletarian outskirts of Maribor an alternative cultural scene was growing. Out of it, the short-lived punk rock bands Masaker, Džumbus, and Butli were born, and upon their dissolution, some of its members came together to form CZD. Besides actively taking part in their local scene, the band started recording and self-releasing music that provocatively addressed the social climate of that time. Musically, they soon strayed from standard punk patterns, incorporating samplers, synthesisers, and other electronic equipment into their innovative approach to punk music. For all of this, CZD received the Golden Bird Award, a distinguished Slovene award for young creativity, in 1987.

CZD discography and performances

Including CZD's first album, released in 1986, the band made five releases throughout the 1980s and slightly over that during the 1990s. This latter decade was very creatively productive for the band, and they delved deeper and deeper into musical experimentation. A cult recording from this time is their 1995 album Ajajajajajajajaja. With videos being an integral part of their artistic approach, a video cassette named Center za dehumanizacijo 1985–1991 was released in 1991.

Since 2000, the group has concentrated on systematically sorting and digitalising their archives, releasing or re-releasing a lot of previously unknown or hard-to-get material. They have also released new work, albeit at a slower pace. Their 2003 album "Gverilci brez mej" [No Border Guerillas] is a highlight of this period - accompanied by the Tamburaški orkester Cirkovce, CZD recorded this album at the Izštekani [Unplugged] show on Val 202, where it was also broadcast live. All their other albums have been recorded at the Studio at the Border and, since 1989, released by Front Rock. CZD songs are featured on most of the No Border Jam and Rokerji pojejo pesnike [Rockers sing poets] compilations and on a number of others.

In 1986 the band performed together with the groups Lačni Franz, Pankrti, Gastrbajtrs, and Masaker in the first punk initiative at the Student Residence Halls in Ljubljana. A number of concerts followed, and besides a thorough touring of Slovenia they played a lot in other Yugoslavian countries and in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands. In the last three decades, CZD have appeared on most of the relevant festivals in Slovenia and in many ex-Yugoslav countries. In 2003 they performed at the opening ceremony for Graz 03, the European Capital of Culture, and in September 2004, the band was the Slovene representative at the first Punk! Kongress in Kassel, Germany.

Side projects

In 1994, the American-Slovene avant-garde music project Punkappella was formed by Dušan Hedl, Bojan Tomažič, Mike Pride, and Jessica Pavone. It was launched and presented in Germany and New York. Some of the Punkappella songs have also been interpreted by CZD and one of them, I am Broke (translated into Nimama dnara), was even a music video hit on Radio-Television Slovenia (RTV Slovenia).

In 2010, the label Front Rock joined forces with the web based Slovenian Punk Rock Portal and embarked on a project called Zrcalo Dehumanizacije [Mirror of Dehumanisation], which made an international call for covers of CZD songs. Many bands with different rock credos, not only Slovene but also some from Serbia, Bosnia, Austria, the UK, and the USA submitted their covers and the resulting album, "Zrcalo Dehumanizacije", came out in 2011.

Bibliography

CZD have also had a dedicated chronicler in Rajko Muršič, a professor at the Faculty of Arts and a well known ethnologist and musicologist. His first book about them, called "Center za dehumanizacijo: Etnološki oris rock skupine" [The Centre for Dehumanisation: The ethnological outline of a rock group], was published in 1995. Another followed in 1999. Both books dealt with the band in the context of the regional artistic scene (which was also a theme of Muršič's Ph.D. thesis) and were published by Frontier, a book label under the wing Subkulturni azil Maribor (today Cultural Centre Maribor).

CZD have published their lyrics in two books, the first one in 1993 and the second one in 2007, both also featuring photos and some other artwork.

References

• Culture.si page dedicated to the band
• Band's Discogs page

Related Content

• SLO-PUNK 1977-1987: MAXIMUM IMPACT

External links

• CZD website
• CZD on Myspace
• Dušan Hedl on Myspace
• A collection (set up by the band itself) of download links to most of CZD albums