Dejanie is the name behind the Macedonian singer-songwriter Dejan Markovski from Bitola.
He has been playing music for 13 years, while for the last four years he has been traveling around Europe and performing as a street performer.
He has been a member of several cover bands, but also of two bands performing original material, including Nine weeks and KULI.
In recent years, he has been performing as a solo musician, while he says that his songs are the result of experimentation and improvisation, with relatively abstract lyrics.
So far, he has recorded about twenty songs, but he points out that releasing an album has never been never his goal.
Babilon (Serbia)
Babilon (former Tehacerosi) is a band from Novi Sad whose music is a combination of rock and roll, reggae, local ethnic music and other music genres.
The band consists of Dragan Gvozdenović (drums), Srđan Nadrljanski (bass guitar, backing vocals), Roland Zališevskij (electric guitar) and Marko Stojčić (vocals, ukulele).
They play with various musical genres that they mix in their songs, and they have also covered themes from Rukoveti by Mokranjac. The influence of reggae is notable in their music, while some songs are in a classic rock style.
They recorded demo versions of all their songs at a local studio in Novi Sad.
Stefan Mihajlović (Serbia)
Stevan Mihajlović is a twenty-year-old musician from Paraćin who creates under the pseudonym STEVXN.
The Novi Sad audience had the opportunity to see him perform at last year’s Takt Festival, where he won the first place.
He presented himself to the audience in the region as a participant in the Croatian show Supertalent.
In April 2024, he released his first album I’m not perfect which contains 12 songs in English, including The rain, Time, Isabel, Flowers, Better and others.
VIS Delfini (Serbia)
The music group VIS Delfini was founded at the end of 2021 and consists of Milan Milanović – violin, Mišel Zorić – guitar, Aleksa Kljajić – guitar, and Danijel Gecin – guitar.
This is the second time that the Novi Sad audience will have the opportunity to see them perform at the Street Musicians Festival – Gradić Fest.
Ivan Jegdić (Serbia)
Ivan Jegdić is a young singer-songwriter from Belgrade.
He started playing the guitar at the age of 12, while he wrote his first original songs at the age of 14.
He had his first performance at Kantfest in 2015.
He has participated in numerous festivals of singer-songwriters, and he presented himself to a wider audience in the show I have talent with the song Zalazak Sunca in 2016.
After that, he spent two years busking, and in 2018 he released his first single, “Dezerter”. The songs Cezar, Bolji čovek, and Kazaljkefollowed soon after.
In March 2021, his debut album Neka čuju me was released.
The Bad Week (Serbia)
The musical group The Bad Week was created in July 2020 in Novi Sad as a street band that started working on the sidewalks in the city center, contributing to its atmosphere and energy, and later expanded their art by performing at clubs and festivals throughout Serbia and the region.
The members of this Novi Sad band are Strahinja Jajić – vocals, guitar, Stefan Stefanović Gile – harmonica, and Danijel Seethaler – drums/cahon.
They released the album So it was , which contains 12 original songs, in May 2022, while their second album It is how it iswas released in February this year and includes 14 tracks in English.
In addition to original songs, this group is also known for performing country-blues covers.
The Kitnikez (Serbia)
The duo The Kitnikez was founded in the fall of 2013 by Dunja Dorčić – vocalist and Bogdan Spasić – guitar and vocalist, two friends in terms of musical taste.
They decided to offer the audience a repertoire made up of carefully selected songs, ranging from old hits to new hits in their acoustic interpretation.
Fans of the Beatles, Stones, Josipa Lisac, Alanis Morissette, Dusty Springfield, Marvin Gaye, as well as of newer artists, will have the opportunity to enjoy the performance of the band Kitnikez, who are coming again to the 25th Street Musicians Festival – Gradić Fest.
Duo Padella (Italy)
Duo Padella from Italy is bringing a punk circus to the streets of Novi Sad in a performance that celebrates friendship and play!
This duo is bringing an unusual combination of circus, improvisation and pure fun.
The two friends have been defying the routine of everyday life for almost ten years, and now they are bringing us a show that breaks all boundaries.
Without many words, but with a lot of movement, laughter and unpredictable rhythm, they create an anarchic game world where everything is possible.
Viewers are invited to rediscover their playful, rebellious side.
They are coming to the stage with the acrobatic bike Betsy, juggling, unusual percussions, chainner of two awards – Vassalli, for the best Italian street-circus production, and Experimenta, for the new identity of the theater in Bergamo.
The play is intended for audiences of all ages and lasts 45 minutes.
Teatro Due Mondi – FIESTA (Italy)
FIESTA is a traveling show that turns the streets into a festival with South American spirit. The beat of drums, three-meter-high figures with papier-mâché faces, colorful costumes made of patches, flags, whistles and fire: the FIESTA passes by and people begin to follow this fantastic and cheerful parade.
Suddenly, the parade stops: the spectators form a large circle, while Erendire’s suitor and his rival fight and chase each other, run, dance and jump on stilts.
In this performance, the actors tell small burlesque stories, inspired by the works of Gabriel García Márquez.
Step by step, the city is changing its face, adapting to its new function as a theatrical scenography.
The director of this traveling play is Alberto Grilli, while the cast consists of Federica Belmessieri, Denis Campitelli, Tanja Horstmann, Angela Pezzi, Maria Regosa and Renato Valmori.
Rusty Brass Bend (Italy)
Rusty Brass Band is an Italian band from Brescia, which is bringing the sound of trumpets, trombones, tubas and percussions to the festival.
The project was started in 2017 as an attempt at reconciliation. Namely, a guitarist friend hired a talented vibraphonist and arranger, Olmo Chittò, to put together a small ensemble of brass instruments and percussions for an afternoon serenade, with the aim of reviving a troubled relationship. Although that attempt did not work out as planned, the notes of the song “Can’t Help Falling in Love” planted the seeds of a new love – Rusty Brass Band.
The band settled down to eight members, offering different performances depending on the occasion. From the very beginning, they have worked to make their performances recognizable, with a focus on creating an original repertoire.
That repertoire covers a wide range of musical genres, including funk, jazz, Balkan music, Latin, New Orleans style, disco and reggae.
In addition to concert activities, Rusty Brass Band is also committed to initiatives for social inclusion in its region. They have performed with homeless people, in prisons, youth shelters, as well as at humanitarian events.
El Nopalito Clown (Mexico)
This street theater performance, which includes clowning and juggling, is based on improvisation, which means that each performance is unique and unpredictable.
On stage, the performer from Mexico draws inspiration from the environment and the audience, creating a dynamic and interactive atmosphere that tries to involve everyone in the performance itself.
Body expression is a key element of the performance. The actor uses his body as a vehicle to convey emotions and tell stories, creating a dialogue that transcends language barriers.
Mapo Keys (Serbia)
Mapo Keys is the original pop-funk project of jazz pianist Filip Bulatović.
This musician received his musical education in Belgrade and Cologne, while he perfected his jazz pianist skills in New York. In 2012, he released his first pop single, Love and Trust, which announced the direction in which Mapo Keys would later go.
In New York, he founded a band with some local musicians and performed for the first time under the name Mapo Keys at the prestigious club Nublu, where he performed several times. In that period, he recorded two singles – What Did You Do To Me, with singer Saeed Renaud, and , in collaboration with house Boyfriend producer Jafunk.
After returning to Belgrade in 2020, he continued to develop his sound – this time also as a singer.
In Belgrade, he has performed with a great funk band and musicians such as AleksandraBijelić, Dragan Ivanović, Peđa Milutinović and Luka Ignjatović.
After experimenting with sound, he formed a line-up with Peđa Milutinović and IsidoraOrlović. This combination depicts the evolution of the Mapo Keys project and finally unites Filip’s vision as an author – from composing and songwriting, to dance, performance and music.
The Tall Chinese (Serbia)
The Tall Chinese moved from his homeland at the end of last year to work in a sponge factory in rural Serbia. With no hope of finding a decent job back home, and coping with the death of his mother – the only family member he had ever known – nothing was stopping him from moving to a completely unknown country on the other side of the world.
After several months of physical labor and exhausting working hours, thanks to discipline, he managed to get a position in the labor chain that allowed him a few hours of free time every day. He spent those free hours walking around the small town, trying to learn the language and connect with the locals.
During one such walk, he met a beautiful Serbian woman, and they soon discovered that they had some common topics to talk about, and the chemistry between them was enough to start a romantic relationship. This life-important experience for him was interrupted after only a few meetings, when she moved to another city for work, thus ending their newly started relationship forever, leaving him in emotional ruins.
In an attempt to save himself from ruin, he asked a local friend to help him somehow express his feelings. The friend had basic musical equipment and suggested to The Tall Chinese that he write songs, in order to get it all out. Together, the two have created enough material for an entire album, despite the fact that The Tall Chinese had no prior musical experience.
Weird Fishes (Serbia)
Weird Fishes is a melancholic indie-pop duo from Belgrade, formed in 2016 as an acoustic cover duo, but they soon moved on to creating original music material, drawing inspiration from artists such as Radiohead, Massive Attack and Roisin Murphy. Their sound combines soothing vocals, gentle guitar riffs and dark electronic beats, resulting in a signature atmospheric style.
In 2017, hey released their debut singleShades of You, produced by Srđan Popov, also known as Sergio Lounge. A year later, they released their second single, Over and Out, while their first song in Serbian, Ovde, followed in 2019, produced by Pavel Popov.
In the years that followed, Weird Fishes began working with a new producer, Marco Benini. With him they worked on several new songs and released their debut album Šta ako, with the standout singleVoda zove.
Continuously developing their sound, the duo experimented with different production styles and collaborated with members of the band Retrospektiva on the trackVerujem – a much more optimistic and upbeat track that contrasted their signature melancholic tone.
Their latest single, Panika, is a collaboration with rising singer-songwriter Zhiva. This collaboration came about naturally, as their paths had previously crossed through joint live performances, while the singer of the band had already appeared on Zhiva’s debut album.
In the last few years, Peđa and Kaja have expanded their concert line-up, adding two more members: Sava Živanović on bass guitar and Luka Sovrlić on drums. With this fuller sound, they have performed on numerous Belgrade stages, building a strong local presence.
Zubi (Serbia)
Zubi is a newly formed duo from Novi Sad consisting of Dušan Prentović and Bojan Vuković.
The band was created in a hurry, without thinking too much about how and in what form it will appear. Reaction to action, drums to silence, voice to bass, step by step and they ran before they walked.
They have recently released the single “Samo me nađi”, announcing their first album.
Peki Pele (Croatia)
Peki Pele is a Croatian musician who started his career in 2015.
He grew up in a house where Steely Dan and George Benson, Pekijev Prvi Bend, Mornar & Blitva were often played.
In 2020, he released his debut single Guska u magli, which brings disco rhythms, as part of his debut EP, called Deguté.
The Deguté album is all about love – of yourself, of others and of life.
In 2023, released the singleNosi me na duši in collaboration with Marko Vuković, the frontman of the band Svemirko.
Peki emphasizes that through his artistic work he looks for the beautiful in the ugly, but also the ugly in the beautiful.
Modern Quartet plays Suba (Serbia)
Modern Quartet is an experimental electronic band from Novi Sad who combine elements of jazz, drum’n’bass, house and ambient electronics. Created as an original project of Ivan Milinkov (Vanjus), the band later evolved into a creative tandem with Igor Lečić (Leka), with frequent performances with guest musicians. Their sound is characterized by a combination of digital and analog instruments, improvisation and a multimedia approach that turns their performances into a unique audiovisual experience.
They are accompanied on stage by the pianist Dušan Šević (Duke Savage), known for his work with the Simić Quartet and Love Hunters, further enriching the live dynamics of the band. The project Modern Quartet plays Suba was developed for the needs of the multimedia initiative Suba Soba, dedicated to the legacy of Mitar Subotić – Suba.
After the recent performance in Paris, the band will present their performance to the audience at the Street Musicians Festival in Novi Sad, continuing their mission of connecting improvised music, urban culture and contemporary sound.
Modern Quartet’s tracks have been also published on compilations such as Belgrade Coffee Shop, Modern Jazz Movement, and Electric Gypsiland, confirming their presence on the regional and European music scenes. They attracted considerable attention with their participation in the compilation Suba:Tribute to São Paulo Confessions, as well as with the album The Dark Side of the Mood from 2004, released on the B92 label.
Today, Modern Quartet is a small hedonistic refuge for the preservation of musical and personal integrity, of changeable number, form and style.
Mapo Keys (Serbia)
Mapo Keys is the original pop-funk project of jazz pianist Filip Bulatović.
This musician received his musical education in Belgrade and Cologne, while he perfected his jazz pianist skills in New York. In 2012, he released his first pop single, “Love and Trust”, which announced the direction in which Mapo Keys would later go.
In New York, he founded a band with some local musicians and performed for the first time under the name Mapo Keys at the prestigious club Nublu, where he performed several times. In that period, he recorded two singles – “What Did You Do To Me”, with singer Saeed Renaud, and “Boyfriend”, in collaboration with house producer Jafunk.
After returning to Belgrade in 2020, he continued to develop his sound – this time also as a singer.
In Belgrade, he has performed with a great funk band and musicians such as AleksandraBijelić, Dragan Ivanović, Peđa Milutinović and Luka Ignjatović.
After experimenting with sound, he formed a line-up with Peđa Milutinović and IsidoraOrlović. This combination depicts the evolution of the Mapo Keys project and finally unites Filip’s vision as an author – from composing and songwriting, to dance, performance and music.
ELEVEN (Croatia)
ELEVEN is an independent musical project of Ivan Levačić, drummer of the bands ABOP, Chui and Kries.
With the help of his hybrid setup, sequencer, sampler, rhythm machines and analog synthesizers, he delivers solid dance grooves and bass parts, along with acid grooves, resulting in a potent dance-floor mix he calls Mindful Techno.
First EP; it came out this year on JeboTon.
Levi has already left a deep mark on the regional music scene as an author and active member of the aforementioned bands, former drummer of the bands Pridjevi, Lollobrigida, Pips, Chips & Videoclips and Mayales, as well as backing drummer for Natali Dizdar and Dino Dvornik.
JAL (Serbia)
The band JAL was created in Novi Sad in 2009. Vedran Ferizović is the initiator of the idea, the singer, songwriter and composer of most of the songs, while the band signs all the arrangements.
JAL brings together musicians of different performing styles and affinities, therefore their music cannot be tamed by only one of the well-known directions of rock and roll.
Most of their creativity relies on ska/reggae forms and rhythms. Their musical styles that expand the possibilities of alternative music in their mutual contact are also rock, blues, folk, jazz, punk.
The current sound image of the band consists of: drums, bass, rhythm guitar, solo guitar and a brass section that is variable according to the needs of the song. The lyrics deal with social, urban-philosophical and love topics using irony, poetry, rhyme, simile, jokes, and most of all wordplay, which is one of the main features of this group, starting with the band’s name itself.
JAL is a band that supports the multi-layered nature of rock and roll and thus keeps up with the modern era, but still, their faith and ideals are largely rooted in bygone times and old values.
Fujčinela bojs 3/4 (Serbia)
At this year’s 25th Street Musicians Festival, 3/4 of the Fujčinela Bojs band will perform – FTP Cojkana, Kene Beri and Đomla Bekfleš.
The icon from Novi Beograd, FTP Cojkana, is known as a member of the rap duo FTP, he is also part of the rap group Fujčinela Bojs. He is one of the pioneers and most prominent bards of alternative hip hop in the region. He has several group and solo projects behind him, and he has been actively making music and performing throughout the country and region over several decades. He has a dog called Gana, named after the country of the same name in Africa.
Kene Beri came into the music public’s spotlight through the SoundCloud music platform, through which he established himself as a crucial factor on the alternative rap scene of the region. He is active in the country and region, where he leaves his musical mark in solo performances, but also through collaborations with artists close to him. He is part of the group Fujčinela Bojs and a close associate of the Zicer Inc collective.
Đomla Bekfleš is Đomla from Bekfleš. He was. Now it’s just Đomla, the good spirit of Novi Sad and the face of the city, one half of the group Bekfleš, a quarter of the group Fujčinela Bojs and a ninth of the group Klika. Known for his delicate vocals and gentle melodies, he has produced and authored numerous evergreen hits over the years. He shows no signs of slowing down with his creativity, but gallops full steam ahead with the Fujčinela Bojs on the Balkan streets. He too loves dogs.
Jimmy Fitzsimmons (Serbia)
Jimmy Fitzsimmons is a musical group from Novi Sad that mixes garage rock with funk and hip-hop. Their music is wild and rhythmic, but what really sets them apart is their performance. The frontman leads the audience as if they were in church, while the band plays as if they were all armed with their own ADHD.
Their performances are unpredictable, physical, and deeply entertaining – even for their first-time audiences. Jimmy Fitz knows how to get attention and how to keep it.
Jimmy Fitzsimmons’ debut album, Too Much, Too Soon, is a concentrated dose of high-octane garage rock that doesn’t take itself too seriously – but knows exactly what it’s doing.
With riffs that seem to trip over each other only to fall perfectly into the beat, and arrangements that feel relaxed in all the right ways, the album offers a thoroughly alive sound for dancing.
Filip Grujić decided to try his hand as a DJ because, as he says, he was disappointed with the selection of music played by DJs in Novi Sad and he wanted to bring the audiences closer to the sets of songs he likes and which he himself would like to hear during a night out.
He performed at the Exit festival in 2018, which he considers his best set so far, as well as at several already well-known venues, such as KC Lab, Boris’s studio, Pascal, Puberaj, Soc.
Beton i Šljokice (Serbia)
Beton i Šljokice balances between two worlds – music and directing – connecting them in one portal – the stage.
At the Street Musicians Festival, this concept goes out of the club and into the street, turning the square into a stage and the passers-by into an audience.
Through DJ sets (disco halal, afro house, funk, hip-hop, yugo disco, electronic, dance, turbo) and live improvisations, Beton i Šljokice builds a hypnotizing narrative for every party.
You never know what’s next: a row of concrete – a row of glitter – something for everyone.
The street becomes a scene, and the scene becomes a game.
Vitamin Disco (Croatia)
Vitamin Disco is a night program born at the end of 2018 at the iconic music club Zagreb Jabuka, as a spontaneous initiative of two DJs from Zagreb – Dante Sentimenta and Toćha. What started as a musical experiment quickly grew into one of the most impressive disco events of the domestic underground scene.
Inspired by the aesthetics and energy of the New York clubs of the late 70s and early 80s, Vitamin Disco brings not only music – but an audio-visual spectacle that celebrates freedom, passion and togetherness on the dance floor.
What characterizes each performance is energy, an almost cathartic moment where the audience and the DJs together let go of everyday life and build their own universe with rhythm and glitter.
Cinema: Suba, moj drug (France)
The video material entitled Suba, moj drug (Suba, my friend) shows a romanticized and slightly imaginary story about Mitar Subotić Suba by Igor Antić, a visual artist and sculptor from Novi Sad who has lived and worked in Paris for years.
The video in question is made from archive material in the possession of Suba’s family, which Igor has been collecting for years, as well as video material from Brazil.
The author points out that it is an art film, not a documentary, in the spirit of Suba’s achievements and experimental projects.
All film screenings within the cinemas of the 25th Street Musicians Festival are free.
Cinema: Grandpa Guru (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Grandpa Guru is a portrait documentary that shows the continuity of the work of the band Kultur Shock in an eclectic style, with a special emphasis on the interesting life, music and art of their singer and frontman Srđan Gino Jevđević. In the film, writers Silvio Mirošničenko and Sanjin Hasanefendić shows Gino’s spiritual journey in search of his own identity and place in the world, after leaving Sarajevo’s war environment and arriving in Seattle, where he meets Krist Novoselic from the group Nirvana and Jello Biafra from the band Dead Kennedys, who encouraged him to continue playing music.
Gino is haunted by the question of belonging and the feeling of being torn between life in America and Sarajevo and the mother to whom he is very attached. This is the story of one person’s transformations in difficult times, his escape to the end of the world and the demon that follows him.
After the premiere at ZagrebDox, the documentary film Grandpa Guru was shown at the Sarajevo Film Festival, which was followed by a screening at festivals such as Liburnia Film Festival in Opatija, Dok & Rhythm Festival in Belgrade, SEE Festival in Novi Sad, Adelaide Film Festival in Australia, Underhill Fest in Podgorica, as well as at the Buenos Aires International Film Festival.
Cinema: Sanjalice (Serbia)
The feature-length documentary Sanjalice (Dreamers) shows the first female rock and roll band in this region.
Director Vladimir Petrović tells the story of teenage girls Ljiljana Ilić, Slobodanka Miščević, Ljiljana Pavlica and Snežana Jušković Stajić, who founded VIS Sanjalice in the 1960s and conquered the Yugoslavian music scene.
Under the complex circumstances and in times when electric music was a nuisance to the guardians of public morals, because it was spreading the spirit of rebellion, teenage girls Doda, two Ljiljas and Nena founded VIS SANJALICE and conquered the music scene of Yugoslavia, side by side with male bands.
Admission to all film screenings within the 25th Street Musicians Festival is free.
Cinema: Praslovan (Slovenia)
Feature-length documentary film Praslovan, directed by Slobodan Maksimović,
talks about Zoran Predin’s youth in working-class Maribor, fame and popularity
which he gained in Yugoslavia with the group Lačni Franz, as well as about his remarkable independent career with numerous hits that became classics.
His most famous songs in the film reflect the significant social changes of the time, as well as personal turning points in his life. This intimate portrait doesn’t just show the good times – the camera doesn’t look away even after dark, it keeps watching how it all affects his friends and family.
Important musical and cultural figures of the former Yugoslavia also appear in the film, including Đorđe Balašević, Branko Đurić and Gabi Novak.
Admission to all film screenings within the 25th Street Musicians Festival is free.
Cinema: Priča o Subi (Serbia)
The documentary film Priča o Subi (The Story of Suba), directed by Andrej Milinović, tells the story of the life of one of the greatest composers, producers and authors from this region, who created in Yugoslavia but also in Brazil.
Different in everything, and above all in the creativity of his work, Suba spread around him the spirit of art and musicality different from everything that had existed in Yugoslavia until then. The documentary brought to life the legend of one of our greatest artists, and not only from this region. In Brazil, there is the Institute Suba, his compositional and production works are still present in all parts of the planet, a quarter of a century after he tragically lost his life, and how much he actually went ahead of his time under the pseudonym Rex Ilusivii, was emotionally and unconventionally shown in this documentary in which his mother, closest friends, collaborators and the rich archive of the Mitar Subotić – Suba Foundation and Radio Television of Vojvodina tell his story.
The former music editor of Radio Novi Sad, Jovanka Beba Stepanović, listening with a lot of emotion and without a single spoken word to the old tapes on which the radio shows and interviews she did with Suba were recorded, guides the viewers through the entire film, which is a kind of Subotić’s biography where we get to know him from his boyhood days, his first artistic steps in Novi Sad, to prestigious world awards, scholarships, life and work in Paris, which he left for Sao Paulo, where he on November 3rd, 1999, at the age of 38, he lost his life in a fire that broke out in his apartment.
From the first instruments he played, accordions and pianos, through various synthesizers, keyboards, to everything that could produce sound, in the film Priča o Subi (The Story of Suba) and its modern animation and design, we get to know the main character who, as a musician and producer, worked with Ekatarina Velika, Haustor and the most important names of the great Yugoslavia in the 1980s. He was also the author of the music for the radio and television commercials, fashion shows, and theater performances of that era.
Suba’s versatility was not only related to music, especially experimental and electronic music, with which many associate him, but he was also involved in writing, philosophy, studying the music of Indios, Afro-Brazilian rhythms and the infinity of his interests and activities, for which he is known on all continents.
The album Angel’s breath, from 1994, was recorded in Brazil with Milan Mladenović, the guitarist and singer of the band Ekatarina Velika.
The film’s team of authors remind us with this documentary that Suba is still present among us.
