Laboratorija Zvuka

Laboratorija Zvuka, "Sound Laboratory", was a rock band from Novi Sad, founded in 1977 by the brothers Predrag "Peđa" and Mladen "Bata" Vranešević. It was known for its eccentric style, erotic lyrics, unusual line-ups and circus-inspired stage shows, and its music moved between avant-garde and art rock, new wave, pop rock and synth-pop.

The brothers were no beginners. Predrag had co-founded the Belgrade folk rock band The Best of Nothing in 1964, and Mladen had sung with Falkoni and Neoplanti before both joined Med in Novi Sad. From 1971 they wrote music for theatre, film, radio and television, eventually for more than 150 films, and in 1976 they made the play "Gastarbajter opera" with director Želimir Žilnik, which caused a minor diplomatic incident with West Germany.

The band's first line-up had a crowd of singers and players, among them Dina Kurbatfinsky Vranešević on vocals and Olah Vince on violin. Their debut single, "Dok vam je još vreme", was sung at the Opatija festival in 1978. The concept album "Telo" followed on Jugoton in 1980 and sold about 60,000 copies, with their biggest hit, the ska song "Ska-kavac joj zaš'o u rukavac", built on quotes from Vuk Karadžić's collection of erotic folk songs. Concerts of the time had a 13-piece line-up, with a bodybuilder training on stage.

"Duboko u tebi" (1982), with a cover by Igor Kordej, brought the synth-pop single "Devica 69". In August 1984 they played five evenings at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts as "La Boratoria". "Nevinost" (1986), with Zoran Bulatović of Pekinška Patka on guitar and Ivan Fece "Firchie" of Ekatarina Velika on drums, was a radio success with "Daj mi bugi, dam ti vugi" and "Vili, Vili". Mladen also helped Plavi Orkestar in their early years.

After the album "Nema niđe te ljepote" (1996) Laboratorija Zvuka officially stopped. Mladen Vranešević died on 15 July 2006 and Predrag on 6 February 2022. In 2006 "Ska-kavac joj zaš'o u rukavac" was ranked 84th on B92's list of the 100 best domestic songs, and in 2007 the band received a lifetime achievement award at the Belgrade Festival of Short and Documentary Film.