Srečna mladina

Srečna mladina was a Slovenian alternative band from Ljubljana, active from 1993 until 2022. It took its name from a song by the punk band Niet and began as a primary-school punk group, with a first concert at the Vito Kraigher school. Over seven studio albums, an EP and twelve music videos its sound changed with its line-ups, and its music was used in many films and stage plays.

After changes in 1994 and 1995 the band settled around guitarist Vlado Mihajlović, drummer Andrej Zavašnik and bassist and singer Tomi Demšer, joined by saxophonist Tim Kostrevc. The cassette Eko alter (tenstan krumpir je kul) came out in January 1996. In 1996 rapper Dado Sheik joined on vocals, and the band called its new sound a rap-psycho-jazz-metal mix. After a well-received set at Novi rock in 1997 it released Đa Balkan Rasa in February 1998, and in March won the Maršev Gojzar award for debutants of the year. That July it represented Slovenia at a meeting of rock bands of the former Yugoslavia in Bugojno.

Dado Sheik left at the end of 2000. Keyboards and percussion came into the sound, and the album Srečna mladina., produced by Julij Zornik, came out in 2002 with the videos "Pop-muzik", "T.t.r., t.t.r., t.t.r." and "Roller-roller". Bassist Anže Langus, who also played with Tinkara Kovač, joined, and in 2003 the band won the Bumerang award for breakthrough of the year. Guitarist Peter Dekleva, who had played in the backing bands of Tinkara Kovač and Anika Horvat, was a member in these years too.

The tenth-anniversary record 10. letnik (2004), with the video "Bob'Street", was followed by Listen to Srečna mladina (2005), the soundtrack of Jaka Babnik's skate film. The band appeared on the compilations Pankrti '06 and the 15th-anniversary live album of Big Foot Mama. ...pa srečno v prihodnosti! came out in May 2010 and won the TRESK award for the best Slovenian record design. The band also played live music in the ŠODR teater plays "To so Gadi" and "Navajeni na šok", whose soundtrack it recorded.

In 2015 Tim Kostrevc returned while Peter Dekleva left, and the band, working only by improvisation, released the double vinyl 15~18 in December 2018. Bassist Gašper Gantar, who also played with Red Five Point Star, left after the recording, and Vlado Mihajlović after the release. The remaining trio wrote music for a theatre play in 2021, and in January 2022 Srečna mladina broke up.