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otomelavenderhaze · 5 years

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11/11/11 Tag

Tagged by the sweetie @guardians-of-las-vyxen (gal, I love you forever for tagging me on this).

I will took the liberty of speaking about Neshaa and May.

1. What is your OC’s favorite pattern or print?

Neshaa would like anything with stars/galaxies/nebulas (in red or in dark blue/black) and of course May would like anything in flowers patterns (in a color that matches her and with a balanced/artistic desing).

2. What do you like best about your OC?

I like how Neshaa is so cheerful, she really feels like a sun to me - warm, bright and captivating - and that comes from everything that she is: her back story, her desing, her personality and even her powers - I love how she is not “normal”.

May’s “voice in my head” is alot more emotional and calmer than Neshaa’s. I love how May is mature and still so sweet, so full of feelings and flaws.

3. What annoys you most about your OC?

Neshaa’s desing KKKK is the thing that I love about her and also the thing that annoys me. Cuz its so hard to not forget the freaking butterfly in her cheek, SO HARD! *sobbing*

May’s hair- it is a nightmare to draw it in her normal hairstyle. Thats why I created the “loose” version, cuz I wanted to enjoy more draw her :’)

4. What fandom or original work is your OC from?

Mcl and Mclul (Neshaa don’t really exist in mclul, its basically a complety different environment that I created for her and Armin after mcl, you can say that the only thing that I didn’t changed in it was the fact that Alexy will meet and be with Morgan).

5. What inspired you to create your OC the way you did?

Neshaa was inspired in anime characters as such: InuYasha and Tomoe (kamisama hajimemashita). And honestly, any character that have powers, is kinda problematic, need to hide their powers and struggle with two sides of them.

I was very inspired for Hamilton to create May, more specifically Szin’s desing for Angelica. She also have a little bit of Eliza on her now that I think about it, I tried to come up with a character that looked more like me in my personal tastes, because I liked the idea of Candy being in a Art Major and I really wanted a character that I could relate better to, maybe have more fun with. I wanted May to be a poc, hardwork, independent, but very emotional woman (my sister, even in this very fine day, still calls May of Angelica just to tease me kkkkkkk).

6. Has your OC changed any from their original design?

Not much besides their hair. Neshaa had like... 4/5 different hairstyles? I guess when I started playing at first Neshaa had brown hair and brown eyes too, but that changed pretty quickly and didn’t changed much since.

When I was trying to figure out what I wanted for May, I nearly did her with silver/grey eyes - but that changed shortly too.

I can’t say about major changes, because my art style is so inconstant.

7. What is your OC’s sexuality? Did you choose it for any specific reason?

Neshaa is bissexual - cuz there is not enough bissexuals characters out of there and, as being bissexual myself, I didn’t wanted her to be straight. I didn’t much with her sexuality... cuz she did ended up with Armin and such. Thats why May is straight kkkkkkkk cuz I knew that she would end up with Rayan kkkkk but I don’t mind if other’s ship her with female characters at all.

8. If your OC has a pet, what is it? If they do not, what sort of pet would they want?

PFFF, I LOVEEEE THE PET QUESTION AND I WILL ALWAYS ANSWER THE SAME THING: Neshaa is the pet! KKKKK When Rocket dies, she and Armin wouldn’t have another pet, because of her fox form. Neshaa normally scares small animals with her presence - Rocket tho, was the weird exception. Neshaa is not much of a pet person.

And May will have a cat, I didn’t decided the breed yet but it will probably be a stray cat (Rayan is going to give it to her after she quitting her second job, there is a whole long ass hc about that).

9. Does your OC have a power? What is it?

Neshaa have 3 forms (human, fox and kitsune), she can summon ghost fire (blue) that can burn or not burn ppl (when it don’t burn, its purifies things), she is also strong than a normal human (if she don’t control her strength, she can easily break somebody’s bone) and still she is physically weaker than a normal kitsune. Neshaa can also enter in other’s ppl dream for a short time period and create small illusions.

Also, its not really a power, but humans can feel easily attracted to her (in a friendship sense and in a sexual sense sometimes) - its not super duper strong, there is ppl that absolutely hate her, but its like a defense mechanism that helps it blend in better.

Seems like she is pretty op, but y’all should check out what normal Kitsunes can do kkkkk some can dirtorce the time and space :’) (but maybe I overdid it, just maybe kkk)

May’s super power is know how to use painting and draw better than me, what is not very hard *sobbing*

10. What has been your favorite part of creating your OC?

Is see how their personality and backstory is taking shape and changing - that you only learn with the time and how they interact with different situations, different characters and experience new things.

11. Do you have any current fandom interests or original content in the works that you are in the process of creating characters for?

I’m always in process of doing something and never finishing them complety... I was working in my Stardew Valley ocs (now I have two), I have a idea for a oc in mclul that works in the Snake Room (that I’ve in my head but I have never drew him)... and lately... I’m beeen thinking about something that i prefeer not say now :’) I want to show when I have it done.

Now, my questions:

What kind of song your two favorite main ocs like hearing?

What would be your oc’s favorite movie when they were kids?

What takes to make your oc fall in love for someone? And why?

What is the craziest scenario that you ever pictured your oc in?

If your oc had 3 wishes to make, what would she/he choose?

What inspired you to create your OC the way you did?

What oc that you created and grew dearly to you with time?

What was the most painful thing that you writed/drew with one of your ocs?

What would be your favorite oc Hogwards house? Why?

Describe a place where your own would feel safer and more peaceful?

Do you have any current fandom interests or original content in the works that you are in the process of creating characters for?

I will tag: @otome-aeriie, @badgalasuna, @kurohabl, @dailygila, @colombia-chan, @murdererowl, @irene-yorokobi, @loonylein, @moonywithoutpadfoot, @hipster-writer-official (for some reason I couldn’t get to tag you).

Anyone that feels like it, feel free to do so and maybe tag me!

#May #Neshaa #long post #this one was already done since yesterday

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theantoniomabs · 4 years

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This is a Yeti you probably know it by it’s more generic name, a waterbottle (hydroflask). Essentially a really cool water bottle. Literally. It can keep your liquids cold or hot for over a day.

It comes in many sizes, and colors.

People love them! I love them!

Statistics show that every second 20,000 plastic bottles are being bought and consumed around the world.

Imagine a world in which every one has their own plastic bottles. A world that opts into global awareness, and decides to reduce their plastic waste. That’s a world I’d want to live in .

Not only is it cheaper, and more efficient in the longer, you can also make it your own!

The customization of personal water bottles or hydroflasks, like the Yeti has in the recent months garnered quite a following. In Youtube alone we have seen a huge spike of hydroflask customization videos with videos reaching the 10 million views mark in just a couple of months. However the tunnel extends even further, within this hydroflask customization community there exists also subsets. 3 of them (so far in what I’ve found):

1- Custom hand painted hydroflasks

2- Custom Stickers hydroflasks

3- Vinyl Decals hydroflasks

Hand Painted Customization

This method of course is one of the longest and most difficult. If you’re just starting out with a hydroflask, I would not recommend it. It takes skill to create beautiful pieces of art, and whilst the general Yeti (the one I use and know) is relatively inexpensive compared to plastic bottles in the long-run, it is not necessarily an item I would consider buy several times cause I painted something ugly on it.

However, if you feel you have the skill and the idea to create something beautiful on your hydroflask. Go for it! Lord knows people can paint some beautiful things and you might be one of them.

Quick Tip: Use Acrylics and coat that with a clear gloss for some extra protection from the elements.

Custom Stickers

I have been working with custom stickers a while now creating over 30+ desings in the past year, and collaborating with great artists like Nahir Alejandra (@alero.lai), Laurie Modesto (@fesmt_) and Sara Rae Hoagland (@spirit_inspo).

You can find these and many more stickers by clicking the image.

I’ve found that there is a very big market online and offline for selling and making stickers, especially for hydroflask users. As an artist the success I have garnered from this type of work has been tremendous, and the low cost of investment is for sure a great way for any artist at any level to start monetizing their art.

The profits stack up! I wish I had started making and selling stickers 10 years ago.

If you’d like to get up and running with creating stickers today, just pick your favorite designs. Cut it the way you’d like it to look, save it to a .png and send it over to Sticker Mule, they’ll give you exactly what you need at quite an affordable price.

If you’re undetermined about sizes, here’s my rule of Thumb:

Characters should be 3″ or larger.

Texts, logos and business circle designs can be 2″ or larger.

Use this and you’ll be starting your sticker business right now. Not only are they great for hydroflasks, but people love them for notebooks, skateboards, tables, diaries, walls and many other personal items.

If you’re interested in moving your business online after you buy your designs. Write it in the comments section and I’ll write a blogpost about it.

Vinyl Decal Customization

This technique of customization is one of the most widely known as well as the one with the most practical use ever.

For example, not only can you customize your hydroflask with beautiful designs using vinyl, but this method also offers waterproofing and the glossiest and best quality material around. If you’re looking for long lasting. This is the technique for you.

There are two major ways of doing this.

1- Get it done by a professional.

2- Do it yourself.

If you’re gonna get it done by a professional, get it done by BenAmor Creations I use their services often and with their 2$ per inch service on vinyls, you are getting the best bang for your buck.

They have a ton of experience with hydroflask customization already, so consult someone that knows.

Custom Decals by BenamorCreations

If you want to customize more than just your water bottle, try customizing your car. They do that too.

The second method is hard and messy, but if you want to try your hand it. Check out this video.

youtube

Something a professional can provide that doing it yourself won’t are these very satisfactory and meme worthy cutting timelapses.

You’ve officially learned how you as an artist can start monetizing your art for honestly pennies on the dollar. Start today and let me now, what questions you have in the comments section below. I would love to help you on your journey with my blog posts.

The Art of Customization This is a Yeti you probably know it by it's more generic name, a waterbottle (hydroflask). Essentially a really cool water bottle.

#art #customization #customizing #decals #hydroflask #monetizing #original stickers #sticker art #stickers #vinyl #watterbottle #yeti

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jonathanbogart · 7 years

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Yugotones: Balkan Communist Pop and New Wave

Part six of seven (probably). Parts one through five can be found by clicking the tag “my mixology career” at the bottom of this post; probably wait until you’ve clicked through to the full post before you do that, though. (Yes, I am explaining Tumblr to people who are not on Tumblr.)

The YouTube playlist for this mix is here. The tracklist is below; my notes on the mix, the background, and the songs are below that.

Bebi Dol, “Rudi”

Xenia, “Troje”

Zabranjeno Pušenje “Zenica blues”

Data, “Neka ti se dese prave stvari”

Dorian Gray, “Za tvoje oči”

Borghesia, “On”

Idoli, “Bambina”

Film, “Boje su u nama”

Bastion, “Hollywood”

Slađana Milošević, “Ja sam neka čudna vrsta”

Bliski Susret, “Kao nekad”

Plavi Orkestar, “Suada”

D’Boys, “Mi smo D’Boys”

Denis i Denis, “Program tvog kompjutera”

Gjurmët, “Të shtrirë mbi kanape”

Zana Nimani, “Što ne znam gde si sad”

Paraf, “Fini dečko”

Crvena Jabuka, “Nek’ te on ljubi”

U Škripcu, “Siđi do reke”

Videosex, “Moja Mama”

Josipa Lisac, “Ja bolujem”

Yugotones: balkan communist pop and new wave

For a long time when I was planning these mixes, I was going to lump all of Eastern Europe together into one Behind The Iron Curtain mix. But the more I listened and read and understood, the less snugly that seemed to fit the facts. Not just because Yugoslavia had broken away from the Soviet-aligned Eastern Bloc in the 1960s, siding with Maoist China in the Sino-Soviet split, but because Yugoslavian media — print, radio, and television — did not wholly abjure the decadent West. State-owned record labels issued foreign and local beat groups in the 60s and prog and hard rock groups in the 70s, with the result that the Balkan punk wave hit roughly contemporaneously with the French, Spanish, Italian, etc. waves. (Meanwhile, in the Soviet sphere, Fifties and Sixties rock signifiers were only just starting to gain official approval, as we will see.)

There was, and is, far more complexity to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as it existed between 1945 and 1992 than I can hope to convey here, even if I fully grasped it all, which I don’t remotely. But put simply: ethnic tensions, especially between the richer, more populous, and administratively overrepresented Serbs and minority populations like Croats and Bosnians, were always high. The 1980 death of President-for-Life Josip Broz Tito, who came to power fighting Fascists in the 1940s, accelerated those tensions, and ghouls like Slobodan Milošević would take advantage of the power vacuum to stoke the flames of ethnic resentment: the horrific post-breakup wars of the 1990s, which are all most of us know about the Balkans, were far more the product of sustained propaganda campaigns than of any regional propensity for violence — indeed, propensities for violence are inculcated by means of sustained propaganda. (Which is how toxic masculinity, to choose an example not at all at random, operates.)

But very little of that grimness, tension, or rage is present within this music, which like much of the rest of European pop in the early 80s is both excited and wary about new technology, eagerly devouring the new and rummaging through the old to see what can be relevantly cannibalized, and giddy with its own creative strength. Although Eastern European and Balkan rock has since the 80s gained a certain reputation for seriousness, not to say dourness, that’s only partly true here — mostly, granted, because my own predilections privilege the froth and giddiness of pop rather than the grim chug of rock, but also because Yugoslav society (to the extent it was a unified society) was much freer and more open in the 80s than it had been for decades. The death of Tito functioned much like the death of Franco had in Spain: the old truths (and especially the old censorships) no longer held, and all kinds of material rose to fill a marketplace which had weathered thirty years of the Cold War better than any other in Eastern Europe.

In fact, you have to go to MTV in the Us or Top of the Pops in the UK to find as much solid pop-video work as there is in this mix: most of the biggest songs had several different videos, because there were a lot of competing pop shows on Yugoslav television and sometimes they each commissioned their own video.

There is still plenty of Communism represented in the mix, though: notably the predominance of the state record label, Jugoton, as the issuer of most of the music below. Variants mostly reflect the city of origin, to which point: Yugoslavia was a federation of six socialist republics: Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Macedonia, and Montenegro, as well as two autonomous communities within Serbia, Kosovo and Vojvodina. Linguistically diverse (Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, and Montenegrin are all to some degree mutually intelligible, but Slovene, Macedonian, and Kosovar Albanian are not), ethnically and religiously heterogeneous, and with a long history of nominal administrative unity but distinct local practices, Yugoslavia represents the point in these mixes where my slender grasp on the languages in question fails entirely.

There are seven Serbian, seven Croatian, three Bosnian, two Slovene, one Macedonian and one Kosovar songs, not that I could distinguish any of them except diacritically. Albania, the Balkan socialist republic bounded by Yugoslavia and the Mediterranean, is not represented at all except linguistically (Kosovo is largely ethnic Albanian); state repression of non-folk popular music was enforced in Tirana until the 1990s.

I think that’s all the hedging I wanted to do. Although this project has been called a “deep dive,” I think of it much more as a surface skim. Anyone with the patience to click around on YouTube, fact-check against Discogs, and use Chrome’s translation tools could do the same. You can too. If you like anything you hear, you should.

1. Bebi Dol Rudi PGP RTB | Belgrade, 1983

We open with perhaps the most perfect pop song produced in Eastern Europe all decade: a valentine to Rudolph Valentino, sung by Serbian pop starlet Dragana Šarić. Her stage name is such deliberately infantilizing phonetic English that the breadth of her music, far from being lolita-esque dance-pop, can take the unwary by surprise. Her work was influenced by jazz, Arabic pop, and traditional Slavic folk as well as international pop: and despite its puppy-love lyrics, “Rudi” is structurally surprising, as she takes a basic pop song and unfolds unexpected harmonic filigree in post-chorus vocal flights. The voluptuous sweep of the melody fits in well with the plush erotic fantasies enacted on screen by Valentino: one video clip has Šarić intercut with scenes The Sheik, which helps elucidate the colonialist trappings of Western commodified (heterosexual) desire.

2. Xenia Troje Jugoton | Zagreb, 1984

What I always think of as the Blondie model of pop — a sharp pop-rock band fronted by a cool, attractive woman — was extremely popular in the early 1980s, and in Yugoslavia every major ethnicity had their own. Xenia was the Croatian version: singer Vesna Vrandečić was the singer, although on this single (“Three”) she cedes the chorus to the band’s guitarist and songwriter Robert Funčić’s laid-back almost-rap. Since it’s a song about the drama of men fighting over a woman, and the chorus is first-person from one of the men, it makes a kind of sense: but overshadowing both singers is the tense, blustery edge of the music, all paranoia and bluster, replicating the physical sensation of being in the room for such a fight.

3. Zabranjeno Pušenje Zenica blues Jugoton | Sarajevo, 1984

Although one of the smaller and poorer republics in the Yugoslav federation, Bosnia was one of the few to engender an honest-to-goodness local cultural movement (as opposed to merely imitations of Western models) in the 1980s. The “Novi primitivizam” (New Primitivism) that swept Sarajevo between 1981 and 1987 was a jocular proletarian reaction to the self-serious New Romanticism of British import (and Croatian popularization, as we will see) and Slovenian Neue Slowenische Kunst (we’ll see a bit of that too). Zabranjeno Pušenje were perhaps the foremost Novi primitivizam band: a folk-punk outfit like the Fugs or the Mekons, their music was characterized by local slang (often borrowed Turkicisms), simple melodies, and rudimentary instrumentation. Their low-key anthem “Zenica blues” (sometimes “bluz”) is a Johnny Cash-like tale of petty criminality, prison sentences, and the gloomy garrison at Zenica.

4. Data Neka ti se dese prave stvari Jugoton | Belgrade, 1984

YouTube comments are full of how this is a copy of Depeche Mode’s “See You,” but a synthesizer doing the wedding-bells riff from the end of “Then He Kissed Me” isn’t exactly an original thought. Regardless, it’s a beautiful synthpop gem from associates of Serbian synth-funk collective the Master Scratch Band. The three members of Data, who also played behind the Scratch Band’s girl group Šizike, only produced a single 45 under that name, but have been endlessly compiled and reissued on the strength of it.

5. Dorian Gray Za tvoje oči Jugoton | Zagreb, 1985

The Croatian adoption of the British New Romantic ethos found its greatest exponents in a band named after an Oscar Wilde character, whose first single, “Sjaj u tami,” was a Scott Walker cover, and whose singer, Massimo Savić, ran the gamut of glam-rock masculinity from David Bowie fey to Bryan Ferry louche. “Za tvoje oči” (For Your Eyes) was the title song from their second LP, a crooning, brooding masterpiece but commercially disappointing; the following year, Savić went solo, and has become an elder statesman of glamorous, elegant Croatian pop.

6. Borghesia On FV Založba | Ljubljana, 1985

The most famous musical wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst (New Slovenian Art; the German title is intentional) was the long-serving industrial band Laibach — since they primarily sing in English, they don’t appear here. But fellow-travelers Borghesia, also industrial, electronic, and dark, primarily sang in Slovene. “On” (He) is a full-on Electronic Body Music song, as developed by Belgian group Front 242: arpeggiators and screams soundtrack lyrics to a descent into fetishism which even in choppy Google Translate makes Venus in Furs read like Mother Goose. The video needs no translation: it’s not remotely safe for work.

7. Idoli Bambina Jugoton | Belgrade, 1983

More or less the founders and guiding spirit of the Serbian new wave, Idoli (Italian for idols) came to prominence in 1980 with songs like the post-punk “Retko te viđam sa devojkama” (I Rarely See You with Girls), about closeted homosexuality, and the Cossack-ska “Maljčiki” (Boys), mocking Soviet socialist-realist aesthetics. By 1983 they had produced several of the landmark albums of the era and had little left to prove; their final album Čokolada (Chocolate) was a huge-selling last hurrah, full of pop hooks and complicated sentiment. “Bambina” sounds like a love song, but the lyrics are actually full of suspicion and resentment.

8. Film Boje su u nama Jugoton | Zagreb, 1983

The Croatian standard-bearers of new wave — so much Idoli’s counterparts that they co-headlined a joint tour in 1981 — by 1983 Film were closer to the shiny guitar-pop of classic rock than to the twistier, more acerbic edge of new wave. Their 1983 album Sva čuda svijeta (All the Wonders of the World) leaned into the Hollywood signifiers suggested by their name: album opener “Boje su u nama” (We Are Made of Stars) includes Dirty Harry, Kubrick, and MGM references before the song even kicks in. When it does, it’s a blissed-out relative of “Start Me Up,” as hippy-glam as Marc Bolan at his best.

9. Bastion Hollywood PGP RTB | Skopje, 1984

The sole representative of Macedonia in this mix, Bastion was a four-person operation: one on synths, one on bass, one on vocals, and one on songwriting and visual art. The result of that skeletal operation was a surprisingly dubby approach to synthpop, as singer Ana Kostovska’s Lwin-y vocals wander around an endless funk-bass echo chamber punctuated by all kinds of sounds. The lyrics are the usual trenchant commentary on the dream factory that you would expect from the title, but the bass is the reason to listen.

10. Slađana Milošević Ja sam neka čudna vrsta Jugoton | Belgrade, 1983

My choice of this song to represent Slađana Milošević (her first name can also be written Sladjana) is perhaps eccentric, but it fit too well in the mix to not. Something between the Grace Jones and the Nina Hagen of Serbian new wave, she had weathered controversy in the late 70s for her Patti Smith-inspired rock, and was such an international pop star that her 1983 record Neutral Design was recorded in Munich with German musicians. It’s a hell of a record: every song made it onto Yugoslav television, often in multiple videos, and they’re all good. This, the closer (“I’m an Odd Sort”), is unexpectedly light and breezy: a witchy, jazzy calypso in which she mostly sticks to a high, soft register to sing about forbidden knowledge and how poor an adept the song’s “you” is.

11. Bliski Susret Kao nekad Jugoton | Zagreb, 1984

It wouldn’t be an entry in this mix series if I didn’t include at least one single that has never been reissued and is only available on YouTube. The Croatian act called Bliski Susret (Close Encounter) only issued a single song (the B-side is the same song in English), this beautiful slice of studio-based nostalgia, all production and sentiment. It was a one-man show: Željko Bošković, whose real career has been as a studio owner and producer in Zagreb, producing some of the best Croatian pop of the last thirty years. “Kao nekad” (Like Before), which sums up romantic pop from Spector to Gainsbourg, remains a swoon-worthy calling card.

12. Plavi Orkestar Suada Jugoton | Sarajevo, 1985

Bosnian pop in the 80s was not at all just the New Primitivism, although no doubt its emphasis on stripped-down structures and folkloric origins had some influence on Plavi Orkestar, who sound exactly like what a Western conception of “Balkan pop-punk” might be. Anatolian rock riffs, all-comrades-together shouted choruses, and lovelorn lyrics about a faithless woman — and in the middle eight, about forgetting the faithless woman by going out on the town with your boys — made “Suada” a huge hit, the first of Plavi Orkestar’s long and enviable career.

13. D’Boys Mi smo D’Boys Jugoton | Belgrade, 1983

There are more differences than similarities, but the act that kept coming to mind as I dug into the D’Boys discography was Wham! Like George and Andrew, they were dismissed as lightweight pop fluff compared to the Real Rockers surrounding them; like George, Peđa D'Boy (Predrag Jovanović) assimilated a host of influences and went largely unrecognized as an innovator who predicted much of the trashier end of the European 90s. Which doesn’t mean that the Laughing Gnome effect which opens this drum-machine-and-guitar-bash anthem isn’t a throwback; but it’s also a sound I’ve heard a lot more often in global pop in the 2010s. “Mi smo D’Boys” means “We Are D’Boys,” and Peđa’s party (in both senses) sloganeering over its dumb-brick simplicity makes me think of such ironists as Morrissey, Neil Tennant, and Jarvis Cocker — another D’Boys track, “Sexy Sexy,” sounds unaccountably like “Common People.”

14. Denis i Denis Program tvog kompjutera Jugoton | Rijeka, 1984

Comparing Croatian synthpop duo Denis i Denis to British acts like Eurythmics or Yazoo is probably less illuminating than otherwise; but the general set-up is equivalent. Davor Tolja was the synthesizer maven, Marina Perazić the voice and sex symbol: her gasps and strangled sobs during recording were as important to the band’s electronic-erotic aesthetic as her low, singing voice. This single (Your Computer Program) was their biggest hit, but they were so consistent between 1983 and 1988 that just about any record could have gone in.

15. Gjurmët Të shtrirë mbi kanape RTP | Pristina, 1985

The sole representative of Kosovo on this mix, Gjurmët were very nearly the first rock act to sing in Albanian ever, and probably the first recorded. Their only release during their years of activity in the 1980s was a cassette delayed by the censors for over a year due to perceived Albanian nationalism, but later reissues, as both Albanian and Kosovar culture has become more open, have kept their memory faintly alive. “Të shtrirë mbi kanape” (Sprawled on the Couch) is their best uptempo song, urgent and moody, with superb new-wave guitar heroics from Bekim Dyla.

16. Zana Nimani Što ne znam gde si sad Jugoton | Belgrade, 1986

If Xenia was the Croatian Blondie, the Serbian edition was Zana, with a series of sparkling power-pop hits over the early 80s. But when singer Zana Nimani, for whom the band was named, left in 1985, the band carried on with a succession of new singers and little diminution in popularity. Nimani’s only solo album, 1986’s Noćas pevam samo tebi (Tonight I Sing Only for You) was recorded in Sweden, and this minor hit (I Don’t Know Where You Are Now) sounds like it: shiny and heartfelt, only her melodramatic voice gives her away as Balkan.

17. Paraf Fini dečko ZKP RTVL | Zagreb, 1981

In these mixes I’ve had little patience for straight-up punk or its immediate descendents, but Paraf are unique and strong enough to be an exception. They began as a shouty punk band, and were important enough to make the 1979 compilation documenting Zagreb’s punk scene; but after their first album in 1980 singer Valter Kocijančić quit, and female singer Vim Cola (Pavica Mijatović), and keyboardist Raul Varlen joined. They moved towards anthemic post-punk, as documented by this first single in the new line-up. “Fini dečko” means “FIne Boyfriend,” and the lyrics document how weirded out Cola is by a good, clean, upright boy. They would go on to make some of the most politically righteous music of the Croatian new wave, but this single, with one foot still in punk, is their most fun.

18. Crvena Jabuka Nek’ te on ljubi Jugoton | Sarajevo, 1986

Don’t be fooled by the huge glossy opening chords: Crvena Jabuka (Red Apple) aren’t a Sarajevan Van Halen (not that that would be a bad thing). They’re closer to a Bosnian Enuff Z’Nuff: a shiny hard-rock body over a winsome 60s-pop chassis. Named after the Beatles label, their self-titled debut album in 1986 was an immediate hit: but several months later the lead singer and the bass player were killed in a car accident. The remaining members forged on, and achieved even greater success, becoming one of the key figures of late 80s and early 90s Yugoslav rock; they still record today. “Nek’ te on ljubi (Kad ne mogu ja)” (Let Him Love You [If I Cannot]) is a power-pop gem that had unexpected resonance after frontman Dražen Ričl was replaced, and surpassed, by keyboard player Dražen Žeri.

19. U Škripcu Siđi do reke Jugoton | Belgrade, 1983

This shouldn’t be your only exposure to Balkan pop: there’s so much I haven’t included, from synthpop pioneers Boa and cross-dressing glam-funk star Oliver Mandić to stuff I don’t even know about. But after hearing it, I had to include “Siđi do reke” (Come Down to the River) by post-punk band turned New Romantics U škripcu (In a Heartbeat) no matter who I bumped. A hovering, almost ambient piece, equal parts “In Every Dream Home a Heartache” and traditional Serbian folk song, it’s one of the magnificent centerpieces of 80s Yugoslav pop.

20. Videosex Moja Mama ZKP RTVL | Ljubljana, 1983

The Slovene equivalent to the Croatian Xenia and the Serbian Zana was Videosex, who were probably the best of them all: singer Anja Rupel had more personality and the band was more versatile, jumping from straight-up synthpop like “Moja Mama” (My Mama, a mocking pout about stepmothers) to the noirish “Detektivska priča” (Detective Story) and even reaching back to 1940s swing for “Tko je zgazio gospođu mjesec” (Who Was the Lady of the Month). Rupel would go on to sing with Laibach; but this early giddy work remains unspeakably delightful.

21. Josipa Lisac Ja bolujem Jugoton | Zagreb, 1987

Comparisons to Kate Bush would be arrant nonsense: Croatian singer Josipa Lisac had been a distinguished art-rock singer for a decade before “Wuthering Heights,” both with beat group Zlatni Akordi and on her own. But in the neon 80s her eccentric sense of style was given room to flourish, and she made a series of crucial recordings halfway between pop, electronic rock, and local art-song traditions. When she presented “Ja bolujem” (I’m Suffering) at the 1987 MESAM festival in a dress that moved on its own as dancers below it ran through an intricate choreography, it was a magnificent capstone on the first half of her career. She’s since gone on to a more sedate Céline-like goddesshood, but her voice is still one of the most powerful instruments in the Balkans.

Next: “Eastern Europe” is a vast territory to cover. Whatever I do, I will not do it justice. My only comfort is that I haven’t done justice to anywhere else either.

#my mixology career

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