In Belgrade in the early 80s, a bored dental technician and a struggling designer, influenced by the music of Yello, Logic System and Depeche Mode, got their hands on a Yamaha SY-1 keyboard. Calling their project DATA, Zoran Jevtic and Zoran Vracevic began making minimal electro that came to define the early Yugoslavian synth pop sound.
A new compilation, Could You Find Your Analog Mind? features 12 previously unreleased tracks DATA made between 1981 and 1984. Released on Belgrade label DISCOM, the record represents an important document of the early Belgrade electronic scene at a time when sourcing records and equipment was difficult. The two edited and remixed by cutting and gluing magnetic tapes with no digital sound processing but still managed to retain a unique sound.
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Both the Zoran’s later became involved with synth pop act Šizike and the Master Scratch Band, one of the first active Serbian hip-hop acts, it’s the basic electro of DATA that remains their most interesting.
Listen to the track “Opsesija” below.
‘Could You Find Your Analog Mind?’ is available Oct 31 on DISCOM.
