After the Association “Zdravo da ste” equipped and opened a free practice room and made it available to young musicians and bands from Banja Luka with the support of Creative box, as a further step in the direction of revitalizing the pop-rock scene and returning the culture of music, young and talented people were given the opportunity to send a message to the society in which we live through music.
In the period September – October 2023, a public challenge was announced for the provision of technical and mentoring support to young people to realize their musical ideas and become part of a musical ensemble. After the closing of the call, the participants were invited to an audition under the guidance of mentor and producer Petar Šućur and Branislav Ristić, the project coordinator, and after the assessment, the selection of the members of the musical ensemble was made.
The selected young musicians expressed their interest in social engagement through their artistic skills. Aware of the political situation in which we find ourselves as a society, through rehearsals and meetings they received input and support on the topic of social systems, activism and general participation in the community, and gained new knowledge about participation in decision-making processes at the city of Banja Luka level and both at the entity and state level.
The musical team continuously worked on the arrangements and lyrics of the songs, and in cooperation with the music producers and audio experts, the group was prepared to enter the studio through a workshop organized in the Change Record music practice room. The workshop resulted in a demo recording that crystallized the preparation for studio recording.
Streptocarpus band consisting of Emilija Najdek – vocal, Ivana Ocvirek – acoustic guitar, Rea Rakić – percussions, Tadija Šeatović – bass guitar, Andrej Samardžić – piano, Sandro Radulj – synthesizer, Filip Čulić – electric guitar, Željko Radovanović – electric guitar and Luka Stanić – Bubanj recorded two songs, “Zamisli/Imagine” and “Kolektivno ludilo/Collective madness”, which we present with pleasure.
