Katarina II
| Ekatarina Velika | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Katarina II, EKV |
| Origin | Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia |
| Genres | Post-punk, alternative rock, art rock, neo-psychedelia, rock, gothic rock |
| Years active | 1982–1994 |
| Labels | ZKP RTLJ, PGP RTB, PGP RTS |
| Associated acts | Šarlo Akrobata, Disciplina Kičme, Rimtutituki, Angel's Breath |
| Past members | see the members section |
Ekatarina Velika (Serbian Cyrillic: Екатарина Велика, English: Catherine the Great), sometimes referred to as EKV for short, was a Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band from Belgrade, being one of the most successful and influential music acts coming out of former Yugoslavia.
Initially called Katarina II (Serbian Cyrillic: Kатарина II, English: Catherine II), the band had built up a devoted following that greatly intensified and expanded after the death of its frontman Milan Mladenović in 1994, which caused the band to dissolve. The group's core consisted of singer and guitarist Milan Mladenović, keyboardist Margita Stefanović and bassist Bojan Pečar, with other members mostly remaining for comparatively shorter periods.
Following the disbandment of Šarlo Akrobata, in February 1982, Milan Mladenović (guitar, vocals) with Gagi Mihajlović (guitar), Dušan Dejanović (drums), and Zoran "Švaba" Radomirović (bass) formed the band Katarina II, named after Mihailović's unrequited love, a girl named Katarina. During the late 1982, after the performance at the cinema Topčiderska zvezda, the band was joined by the classically trained pianist Margita Stefanović. At the time, the rhythm section had changed, with Radomirović leaving to join Du Du A and Dejanović joining the heated rivals Disciplina Kičme.
The vacant drummer position was taken over by the former Grupa I member Branko Kuštrin "Mango", but after not more than a month's period he left the band, being replaced by Milan's former bandmate from Šarlo Akrobata Ivan Vdović "VD". At the same time, on early 1983, Bojan Pečar, a former VIA Talas bassist became the new band member. In the spring of 1983 the band took part in Zagreb Bienalle and received positive reviews. Their material for the debut album material was recorded soon after, featuring guest appearance by the actor Svetislav Goncić on tin whistles. The recording sessions for the material were completed in the Druga Maca studio owned by Enco Lesić however, due to a variety of reasons, most of them having to do with the poor technical equipment, the material was unusable.
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