Rex Ilusivii by Petar Janjatovic

Mitar Subotic Suba presented his music by a pseudonym Rex Illusivi. He was born in 1961, graduated on Academy of Art in Novi Sad on a department for composition and orchestration. His interest for alternative music was shown during the studies so he attends a course in electronic music on Radio Belgrade in a class of a saxophone player Pol Pinone, an Englishman on a temporary work in Belgrade. At that time Suba did his first recording based on syntisizers and electronics: His first recordings could be heard on Radio Novi Sad in a show of Dragan Gojkovic called " New perspectives - the other side of pop scene in Yugoslavia". Rex Illusivi made new music for every show and revealed his identity only after one year. Then he presented himself to the public by his performances in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Zagreb, Ljubljana, Sarajevo and Subotica.

A recording "Zla kob" was published on a compilation "Ventilator Vol.1" (PGP RTB, 1983) and song "Arabia" with Igor Popovic from band Jakarta on compilation "Ventilator Vol.3" (PGP RTB, 1985). In the same time he worked with Milan Mladenovic, Margita Stefanovic, Marina Perazic, Massimo Savic and recorded songs that became a real radio hits. With Milan Mladenovic he adapted a James Brown's song "Sex Machine", for Marina Perazic Suba wrote a song" Plava Jutra" but those materials where never published. On a concert CD "Bez struje" (MTS Records) that was recorded on the unplugged performance in Centar Sava, Belgrade in January 1994 was published the song "Plava jutra" but performed by Ana Sofrenovic. Mitar Subotic managed to record his debut LP "Disillusioned" thanks to involvement of Vita Simurdic from radio Novi Sad. The record was published in 1987 as a sign of celebration 30 years of radio show "Rendezvous with music" and on it participated Milan Mladenovic, Uros Secerov, Massimo Savic, Zoran Radomirovic-Svaba and piano player Branka Parlic. Mitar Subotic did music and Milan Mladenovic wrote the lyrics. On this record you can find a theme
"Thanks Mr.Rorschach - ambients on music of Eric Sati" dedicated to this famous French composer. Suba used Sati's piano compositions inspired with Rorschach psychological test and made his own musical associations listening to Sati's music.

In the mid of 80s Mitar Subotic moved to Paris and later to Brazil (Sao Paulo). There he managed real quickly to fit into music life, recorded some music for theatre, fashion shows, commercials and worked as studio musician and producer. In spring of 1994 Milan Mladenovic and Brazilian musicians: percussionist Joao Parahyba, guitar player Fabio Golfeti, singers Mariza and Madalena with Suba recorded a CD "Angel's Breath" on which are mixed alternative sound with Brazilian and Balkan ethno motives. They worked for whole 3 months on tjis CD and recorded some great songs like "Crv", "Assasino", "Praia do ventu eternu".

In November of 1999 Mitar Subotic published a CD "Sao Paolo Confessions". Crammed Discs published this CD for Europe, for USA Islandlife, for Japan Sony and for Brazil Trama Music. Leading singers were Cibelle, Katia B and Taciana, jazz guitar player Andre Gerraisatti, percussionist Joao Parahyba and participated also members of a band Mestre Ambrosio. Phill Asher remixed some of the materials but those versions were published only on vinyl edition.
On November 2 1999 Mitar Subotic was killed in his studio in Sao Paulo and that was also the day of promotion his CD "Sao Paulo Confessions". That CD got excellent reviews in different music periodicals all over the world.

Taken from "Illustrated YU Rock Encyclopedia", Geopoetika, 2001
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