Šizike- U Zemlji Čuda LP
Once more, sorry for the delay! I keep meaning to start back up with regularity, but this summer has proven to be a busy affair. I just had the honor and pleasure of playing bass for Mark Burgess (of the Chameleons), joined onstage in New York and Philly by some talented local musicians. It was a last minute affair, learning the songs the night before (and sometimes, that day), and playing them as best as we could under the most terrifying of circumstances. Needless to say, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life to date. I presume many readers are familiar with Burgess’ work with the Chameleons, but if not, pick some up posthaste! Otherwise, to any readers who were there, both on stage or off- thanks for the good times!
Anyway, on a different note, here’s an interesting treat that will hopefully get things back on track around here.
Šizike were a Yugoslavian dance/new wave band, known primarily in their home country for the slinky single “Don’t Stop.” The band was primarily an offshoot of the Master Scratch Band, who plucked three female vocalists to be the forefront of the project. The MSB played all instruments, while these three sirens provided the vocals for their lone release, 1984’s U Zemlji Čuda LP, an interesting and curious anomaly in the new wave spectrum.
The record is primarily a collection of songs, remixed or altered in various forms on the B-side. The project reminds me of a slower and synthier version of Fuzzbox, though obvious differences are notable. A little fun and fancy free…mildly cheesy at times, but oh so satisfying.
That reminds me, I should probably put a rip of the Fuzzbox LP up in full, to flesh out the post I made a ways back, but more on that soon. Here’s the details on this fine record:
Šizike- U Zemlji Čuda LP
1. Be-Bop-A-Lula
2. Ponavljačka Pesma
3. Don’t Stop
4. Svemirski Čistač
5. Patricia Twist
6. Don’t Stop (Remixed)
7. Hula-Hop Disco
8. Tužbalica
9. Čudni Ples
10. Mega-Mix Vol. 1.
To those of you who prefer to hear a track before taking the plunge, you’re in luck today. Click below to peep the official video for “Don’t Stop.”
August 13, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Thanks Sys. o'Romance. They've got a nice peppy disco synth sound to them. I detect a little cindi lauper influence, music & dress style, but maybe they predated her or at least emerged at the same time. Love Be bop a lula.
August 14, 2009 at 5:53 pm
amazing album! thx for posting this
August 15, 2009 at 3:54 pm
always enjoy the blog.
so i have an impossible? request for cortex's souveneir/souveneirs cassette from 1984. cortex was a project of alain neffe (bene gesserit, pseudocode) and i'm sure anyone who frequents the blog would be equally interested. so if you ever see it i would be eternally grateful!!
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Cortex+(2)
September 27, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Just to translate to english:
Sizike – girls gone schizoid
U zemlji cuda – In wonderland
Be-bop-a-luba – this means nothing at all , but a song with same name was huge hit in yugoslavia in 70's
Ponavljačka pesma – song of someone who failed to pass the school year
Svemirski cistac – space cleaner
Tuzbalica – a song where you complain about something
Cudni ples – strange dance
Although from Croatia , I must admit I never heard about Sizike before…
November 7, 2009 at 12:15 pm
thanks.i used to be into music in that period but never heard for the band.anyway,please can you make it on rapidshare due of loooooong time zshare takes to download.maybe traffic is overload?
November 8, 2009 at 3:12 pm
sorry, i absolutely hate rapidshare and find it's always out of download slots.
November 30, 2009 at 2:24 am
reminds me a bit of early bananarama too, but i can see the fuzzbox reference. Hula Hop Disco even reminds me of some modern stuff going on, almost vaguely MIA-ish at times, which is hilarious! thanks so much for putting all these albums up, i just found your blog today, and have been enjoying it very much. maybe i'll run into you at Weird one night.
November 30, 2009 at 2:26 am
jennifer- i am almost always at wierd! i'm actually djing there this week, come on over and say hey!
December 1, 2009 at 3:39 am
frankie – i wish i could come this week! i work tues-wed-thurs out of town, but come out to Weird when i'm in town on a wednesday! probably will make it there over the winter break sometime though. hung out there before thanksgiving and had a great time! Do you spin often?
June 2, 2010 at 8:05 pm
This is so cool, someone sent me a link to their 'Don't Stop' video and three clicks later I find the entire Sizike album posted by one of my favourite blogs, things do not get much better than this!
I have really got into 'Eastern Bloc' music from the late 70s/early 80s..I love how western genres such as disco and synth-pop were subverted and stamped with their own indigenous flavour…curiously some of the music from the communist era sounds less dated than its western counterparts because of this.
Anyway, great post!
July 27, 2010 at 6:47 pm
re-up on mediafire maybe? zshare is slow on download speed.
September 6, 2011 at 3:40 am
Thanks so much for sharing this!! What a treat. When I first stumbled across this band randomly on youtube I was blown away and have been hunting for them everywhere.
October 15, 2012 at 9:55 am
Anyone heard of them if seriously was or is into electronic synth-pop music in ex Yugoslavia. Šizike were side project of Master scratch band (Zoran Vračević, Zoran Jevtić, Milutin Stoisiljević); also their other side project was Data, which was pure synth-pop music influenced by Depeche Mode sound in the early 1980’s. There was also ex YU band called Max & Intro (Miša Mihajlović), Romantične boje from serbian city of Niš which was great synth-pop band but only with demo songs. A band called Beograd (Dejan Stanisavljević, Ljubodrag Bubalo, Milan Bubalo, Slobodan Stanić) with their Remek depo album and a single T.V./Sanjaš li u boji? Slovenian band Videosex: Videosex, Lacrimae Christi, Ljubi in sovraži, Svet je zopet mlad, Arhivideosex; Croatian band Denis & Denis (Marina Perazić & Davor Tolja), … all of these mentioned ex Yugoslav bands are treasure and jewels which testify of times that never will be repeated again!
http://marialovesmegoth.blogspot.com/
Here’s link to my bands site, feel free to listen to our songs, download and write comments if you like. Thanks!
May 2, 2014 at 1:02 pm
That song called “Don’t Stop” is so awesome it wont stop playing in my head. Thanks so much!!