Vještice

Vještice are an ethno rock band from Zagreb, Croatia, mixing ethnic sounds and folk melodies over a rock base, a style now gathered under the name world music. Bassist Srđan Sacher, co-founder and one of the creative forces of Haustor, decided to form a new band after leaving it, and was joined by drummer Boris Leiner of Azra and guitarist Mladen "Max" Juričić of Film: a band made of former members of three important Zagreb new wave groups. Leiner had also played in Haustor's first lineup and with Naturalna Mistika, and after Haustor Sacher had passed through Brojani, Ayllu, Naturalna Mistika and Dee Dee Mellow.

Their debut album, Totalno drukčiji od drugih, came out on Jugoton in mid-1989, together with a single of the title song, which became their best-known hit. On the record Sacher sang and played bass, Leiner played drums and Max Wilson guitar, with Davor Slamnig mixing. It was followed by Bez tišine (Plavi Pilot, 1991), the live album Live in Schwarzwald (1991), Djevojke u ljetnim haljinama volim - live (1995) and Kradljivci srca (1996). Besides their own songs they arranged Croatian folk songs, and their hits include "Ljubav se ne trži", "Da li su to bili topovi ili lupa moga srca", "Nema mjesta suzama" and "Neobičan dan".

Vještice often played outside Yugoslavia. When the Log Revolution broke out around Knin in 1990, Leiner moved to Berlin to try to sell the band in the West, and in September 1992 they played the Rock Against the War concerts in Prague and Berlin, broadcast by MTV, alongside Ekatarina Velika, Električni Orgazam and Partibrejkers. They toured Europe and won awards at European ethno festivals, and according to Croatian Wikipedia they were the first Croatian band entered in the AllMusic encyclopedia. Leiner stayed with them until Sacher left.

Many musicians have passed through Vještice over the years, among them Jurij Novoselić, Zvonimir Bučević and Janko Novoselić, and Sacher's own site gives the band's years as 1987 to 2012. In 2012 and 2013 they released the singles "Ajmo se di bilo, curica", "Poljubi me N.A.T.O." and "Takva stvar da je stavi se na usta".