O VREMENU PROŠLOM: MUZIKA NOVOG VALA U SARAJEVU 1978-1984.
RECALLING THE PAST: NEW WAVE MUSIC IN SARAJEVO 1978-1984

Summary/Abstract: Observing the 40th anniversary of the Yugoslav new wave and the 60th anniversary of the Sarajevo Pop School, a missing link in the music of Sarajevo has been identified. It is a general opinion that, before the emergence of new primitivism movement, Sarajevo did not spawn a new wave scene in the early 1980s comparable to Belgrade, Ljubljana or Zagreb. The paper aimed to analyse the historical context behind new wave, both globally and in Yugoslavia, its social and cultural significance, and to examine the thesis on the absence of new wave in Sarajevo. By taking the concept of authenticity, the paper recognises the Yugoslav new wave as a culturally significant movement that created the original local rock scene and opened the possibilities for young people to express their attitudes often addressing wider social issues. Besides the autobiographical method showing the presence of new wave in the everyday culture of the early 1980s in Sarajevo, the paper uses qualitative contextual analysis of the local musical texts, genres and styles and compares them with the general characteristics of new wave. For this objective, a sample of 20 songs and eight phonographic releases of Sarajevo's artists published 1978-1984 has been selected. In the former case, the marginal influence of new wave has been detected among the artists of the older Sarajevo Pop School generation. In the latter case, several bands of the younger generation showed a more authentic approach to new wave. Results of this research indicate that Sarajevo's music production in this period was also influenced by new wave. Although in terms of discography Sarajevo's new wave was not on par with its Belgrade, Zagreb or Ljubljana counterparts, three albums by Sarajevan bands (Bonton Baya, Valentino and Kongres) are recognised as its most qualified representatives.

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