Laufer

Laufer was a rock band from Rijeka, formed in 1986 and best remembered as the band in which Damir Urban became a singer. The group was founded in Rijeka and stayed a Rijeka band until it split up in 1996, with its last concert in Bjelovar on 9 March that year.

Late in 1985 Alen Liverić founded the group together with guitarist Veselito Mudrinić. Liverić gave it its name and was its first singer, with Danijel Benčik on keyboards and Boris Milaković on bass, but he left in 1986 to study at the drama academy in Zagreb. Damir Urban, who had played bass in his own band La Bellona, came over in 1986, played bass for a short time and soon took over the microphone. The line-up that had the most success was Urban with bassist Ljubo Silić, for a while a member of Let 3, drummer Alen Tibljaš and rhythm guitarist Vlado Simčić, both from the band En Face.

Their first recordings appeared on compilations, among them "Iz mase" and "Ona zove se nebo". In 1989 they won the Gitarijada in Rijeka and made a video for "Ljubav je bol". An album recorded in Split in 1990 was never released; only "Moja voda" from those sessions became known. Concerts and television appearances in Slovenia led to two self-released EPs and the single "Ljubav kao heroin".

The first album, The Best Off..., came out on the Slovenian label Corona in 1993, produced by Janez Križaj, and "Moja voda", "Svijet za nas" and "Lopov Jack" topped charts such as Hit depo. Two sold-out nights at Zagreb's Jabuka followed. The second album, Pustinje (1994), with "Hej tata", "Govorim u snu" and "Mjesečev rog", won the Porin for best rock album, and a mini CD came in 1995.

Disagreements ended the band in 1996, and Urban went on to a successful solo career. Laufer met again in Rijeka in 2003 and played reunion concerts in 2005, including a packed Dom sportova in Zagreb, when the best-of Epitaf was released. That album is the playlist here.