Laibach (band)

Laibach
Laibach in 2011
Background information
Origin	Trbovlje, Slovenia
Genres	Martial industrial, industrial, neoclassical dark wave, avant-garde, experimental, electronic, electro-industrial
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Staalplaat, ŠKUC, V2_Archief, Walter Ulbricht Schallfolien, Side Effects, Cherry Red, Mute, The Grey Area, Dallas Records, Abbey Road Live Here Now
Associated acts	300.000 V.K., Borghesia, Kazimirov Kazneni Korpus, Lačni Franz, Profili Profili, Melodrom
Website	www.laibach.org
Members	see the members section

Laibach (Slovene pronunciation: [ˈlájbax]) is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with the industrial, martial, and neo-classical genres. Formed in Trbovlje (at the time SFR Yugoslavia) in 1980, Laibach represents the musical wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) collective, a group which Laibach helped found in 1984. The name "Laibach" is the German name for the Slovenian capital Ljubljana.

Laibach was formed on June 1, 1980, in Trbovlje, a mining-industry town. Laibach is the German language name of the city of Ljubljana, a name used during the period when Slovenia was a part of the Habsburg Monarchy and the World War II occupation of Yugoslavia. At the time, the group collaborated with art groups Irwin (painting) and Rdeči Pilot (theatre). Since its formation, Laibach had been preparing a multimedia project "Rdeči revirji" ("Red District"), a piece intended to challenge and provoke the current political structures in Trbovlje. The group's use of Malevich's black crosses on their posters was determined to be "improper and irresponsible," leading to the cancellation of the performance of Red District, an action which was met with considerable negative reaction in the media and by the general public. At this early stage of their career, Laibach's visuals employed mining iconography. Eventually, the group would add such symbols as Triglav, deer horns and the Malevich's black cross rounded with a gear.