Date of birth: 25/04/1980
Place of birth: Belgrade, Serbia
Musical Equipment:
[guitars] - Yamaha RBX775, Fender Jazz
[effects] - Fingers
[amp] - various
Previous Bands:
Shtraft, Grail, Los Bastardos Primus Tribute - Belgrade; Radijacija Tribute Band - New Zealand
Musical Influences:
Dead Can Dance, Faith No More, Primus, Kraftwerk, Jean Michel Jarre, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Genesis, Yes, Rush, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Vlatko Stefanovski, Stanley Clarke, Weather Report, Miles Davis, Empyrium, Type O Negative, Therion, Amorphis, Shape of Despair, EKV, Block Out, Darkwood Dub, Franz Liszt, Bedrich Smetana, Gaetano Donizetti, etc…
Personal experiences that influence you musically:
Hearing a sound of a Mercedes bus in Belgrade public transport during late 80’s, seeing perfection in desolate landscapes through the smoke from my lungs, smelling the stench of inner dilapidation and the scent of own victory after overcoming it, touching the delicacy of a woman’s soul and tasting the innocence of the animal within.
How and when did you get involved with music:
I started playing the piano when I was ten and found it interesting to make shapes and sounds with my hands. The older I was, the more I wanted to explore, which eventually led to me picking up a bass and applying the same principle. My childhood friends formed an alternative rock band called Shtraft, and my role with them changed from being a poor singer, to an uninformed drummer, to a strange bass player, depending on my length of stay in Belgrade. Each time I found it as a goal to do something completely new. While I was living in New Zealand I got an offer to play keyboards in an ex-Yu rock covers band, where I got the chance to experiment with different textures, which added another dimension to the way I see the ambient in music.
Describe your musical ethos:
Music is an art form. Many people, including musicians forget about this fact and tend to view it as means of belonging to a particular genre, labelling themselves from the start, without much thought of making an individual expression, a statement. There are no rules, except for the ones which we create ourselves. Depressive arts have been present since mankind knows about itself, whether it’s painting, literature or doom metal in case of De Profundis. I am here to express and evoke mind states common to every human with a soul, and ambience is my weapon.
Favourite films:
Samsara, Underground, DellaMorte DelAmore, Fight Club
Favourite books:
Damian, Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse; short stories by Chekhov; No One Writes to Colonel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; Dictionary of the Khazars, Writing Box by Milorad Pavic; History of God by Karen Armstrong; Delta of Venus, Little Birds by Anais Nin; Dictionary of the Underworld by Eric Partridge; Etymology dictionaries
Favourite quotes:
Latin proverbs – “Non Omnis Moriar”"Nihil est in intellectu quod non antea fuerit in sensu”
Aside from myriad of truths, we prefer a lie that glorifies us - A. S. Pushkin
Other life interests:
Science, Etymology, Ethnomusicology, Folklore, Metaphysics of religion, Wine, Yoga
Favourite country: Lekas Hill State
Favourite food: Steak tartar with dill
In 10 years’ time you will be: Older and wiser