Joining Last.fm, I found group descriptions like ''actually, I just wanted my own group'' funny. In April this year, I was tempted by the possibility of making one of my own, so I tried for it to be as reasonable as possible. Apart from procrastination, the group has a purpose of promoting and informing about my ''d.j.'' activities. The list of people I played with, announcements of future events, concerts, interesting links etc, all in one place: http://www.last.fm/group/star%C4%8Dajldova+%C5%A1arenica
(now defunct, as everything else on this new version of Last.fm...)
Also, a good opportunity to say something about my ''d.j.'' experience:
It all started when a couple of friends - Paspa & Strippy (members of a DJ team Riffs), one night at Indie-Go at Kalemegdan, proposed my ex, Tazza, and me to play in a club called Dollar in October 2005. Anecdote: Tazza passed out hearing the news. I started with a pseudonym The Star-Child with nights dedicated to glam rock (everything from Electric Warrior to Velvet Goldmine soundtrack, until everybody become fed up), and then Tazza took over and we played Manchester nights dedicated to Mancunian bands, as well as a couple of variations: one Joy Division special and a night dedicated to Steven Patrick Morrissey and Ian Curtis. It was the beginning of The Star-children. And I have become known as "Zvezdan".
After two months of our part-time hobby and ''job'', Xenia appeared - proposing to make a night dedicated to Croatian electro pop/trash/clash group Lollobrigida. The night was held on 24th November, one week after the proposed concert, named Elektro Centrala ("Power Station", "Kraftwerk"), and that was the first Kerozeena & The Star-children collaboration. Later on, during the winter, spring and start of the summer 2006 in club $ we played Manchester, Igranka: muzika njihove mladosti (Party: the music of their youth, 50s & 60s dance night), Kako smo preživeli TURBO! alternativna domaća scena '90-tih (Turbo! or how we survived turbo folk - Serbian 90s alternative scene)...
Our musical style became a mix of new wave, novi val (Yugoslavian new wave), post-punk and synthpop. That was our playlist (with more or less variations) in clubs Povetarac (Breeze, 2006), Akademija (Academy, where we had our regular night in the small club - Mali klub, 2006-7), Šipražje (Thicket, 2007-8), Letnja Šikara (Summer Underbrush, 2008), once in Hector and Underworld (2008), Supernatural festival (2008), kafe Šikarica (cafe Small Thicket, 2009) and Jelen pivo live festival (2009).
We also made an international NEW WAVE - NOVI VAL night at Akademija club, night devoted to 50s & 60s music and dancing at club Letnja Šikara and played many times at Šikarica. Once at Šikarica, when we had the whole club literally packed with people, a neighbor reported us to the police, which came and ended the party. I tried to play smart and while they were going away, slowly started playing Paraf's line "nijedne nema bolje od naše policije" (there's none better than our police), but was silenced by the barman and my colleagues.
More anecdotes: we organized a new year's eve at $ 2005/06, where our main security guy was an enormous dude who introduced himself as Mrvica (Crumb). Also in $ we had many encounters with skinheads (since the club's previous incarnation was their place, as I've heard), who were not actually making problems, just asking for a football hymn every time and thinking that Joy Division were nazi fans. Still, we were intimidated every time, and once, after most of the club's visitors remained outside drinking upon encountering skinheads inside, a friend Vuk heard about it and caring about us, approached the skinheads with words "Hey dudes, you're scaring everyone off, let's go outside and grab a cheaper beer!" Luckily, he knew a couple of them and it all ended... happily?!
And now - collaborations! With a colleague and a friend grof Krišćanski Takač I (count K.T. I), Kerozeena and Starchild played three nights called "Mutant Pop" at Akademija club during the end of 2006 and beginning of 2007. With Brother Ray, another friend (who later played in a DJ team Betty Boops), Starchild made a night dedicated to The Velvet Underground before the Lou Reed concert in Belgrade in 2006. Other colleagues include: Vienna DJ A Nurse Called Mike (Visum Wien, Vienna Decay, Crazy Hospital), Starchild's civil army friend Dawngreeter (Cheap Velvet, Debris-Files), forum friend and a musician Mali Robot (bands Ex-Misha, Grupa Kao Takva, Čelik Promet), friends Cheshire Cat & Coin-Operated Boy (at Ventil), Blaxploited (at club Red Room), and Gypsy Wizard (band Dažd, at Ventil).
Also, we had our DJ set before and after concerts of several bands, such are Grupa Kao Takva, Krš (at Akademija), Stuttgart Online and Multietnička Atrakcija (at DNA SKC). Once, at Letnja Šikara, we played at an LGBTQ event, as part of accompanying Belgrade Pride events.
As time passed, Tazza dropped from team and fell in love with Ariel Pink, Kerozeena and Starchild tried making some extra cash by playing in a more commercial club called Tramvaj (Tram), testing their subverting techniques (and nerves) with the mainstream-orientated playlists adding some odd bands or/and lyrics, but it just didn't work. The group is now on a temporary hiatus. We're re-forming for weddings, crazy parties, concerts, house parties, festivals, bar nights...
Starchild was playing from time to time at bife Ventil (buffet Vent Pipe, 2009-10) mixed electrical and punk nights, circus punk and dark cabaret, while Tazza, apart from participating at multimedia poets' events called Pesničenje, played in a pub Brod (Ship) indie, lo-fi and new weird america music.
More about our nights with pictures, playlists and music we like(d) at: http://www.myspace.com/kerozeenastarchildren
If anybody is interested, we were regularly present at forums like Popboks, IndieGo, B92, Debris-Files. (all the flyers and posters made by Kerozeena & The Star-Children except for Akademija flyers and NEW WAVE - NOVI VAL poster made by Vanja)
