Animatori

Animatori were a Zagreb rock and pop-rock band with roots in the new wave, active from 1980 to 1999. Krešimir "Krešo" Blažević had moved to Zagreb from Slavonski Brod in 1977 and joined an older, symphonic rock group called Animatori. In 1980 he founded the new band, singing and playing guitar, with Andro Purtić on bass, Vatroslav Markušić on violin and Tomislav "Toco" Brezičević on drums.

In 1982 they released the single "Male curice" and came second at the youth festival in Subotica. Their debut album, Anđeli nas zovu da im skinemo krila, came out on Jugoton in 1983, and its title song was their biggest success, staying at number one on the "Hit mjeseca" chart for several months. "Ostat ću mlad" was used in the 1983 film S.P.U.K., and a second album, Svi momci i djevojke, followed in 1984.

That year the band paused while Blažević did his military service. During the break Brezičević left for Karlovy Vary and Markušić joined Plava trava zaborava, so Dražen Šomek came in on drums and Toni Markulin on keyboards. Animatori returned with Dok ležim cijeli dan u sjeni (1987), which included "Bijeg". In the 1990s they recorded Proljeće je zakucalo/Duhovi iz prošlosti (1992, Orfej) and Sanjarica (1996, Croatia Records), alongside the compilation Reanimatori (1995) and K.B. & The Footballers (1998), an album recorded back in 1985.

The band said goodbye with a concert at the Kulušić club in Zagreb on 19 February 1999, released as the live album Ima još puno vremena. Blažević went on making music with other projects. After a New Year performance in 2007 he decided to bring Animatori back and began writing new songs, but he died suddenly on 19 March 2007, aged 49.

A tribute concert was held at Tvornica kulture on 20 June 2007 and released as Ostat će mlad – Sjećanje na Krešu Blaževića, and Croatia Records collected the first three albums in a 3CD box the same year. Every year around 19 March a memorial is held for him in Slavonski Brod.