The Street of Illusions by Petar Janjatovic
"Rock" magazine, 1987


On the thirtieth anniversary of a radio show "Rendezvous with music" Radio Novi Sad published two albums, one of a band La Strada and one of rex Ilusivii. The LP of Rex illusive "Disillusioned" was made in a cooperation with youth magazine "Stav". Both of the records were published in 500 copies but they represent valuable document and show us that this is the only way for quality but noncommercial records to be published.


Without Illusions


Mitar Subotic - Suba alias Rex Ilusivii alias King Of Illusions is trying to explain with this record that he is Disillusioned. His destiny is like a destiny of almost all musicians in Novi Sad. Rex represents a kind of a specific individual in our circles but his work is still in "off spaces". Demo recordings of a song "Plava jutra"(with Marina Perazic for who this is actually the best song she ever recorded) and version of "Sex Machine" with Milan Mladenovic were real treat for radio program. For couple years we were waiting for his new records where he would represent his work with different authors. But like before with band La Strada nobody was interested to publish his record.
"Everything is too late now, this songs were recorded a long time ago and if I made them today they would sound completely different. Technology and work in a studio are the things that are important to me and they advanced during the years so I would make the songs completely different. I didn't want to put on this record songs "Plava jutra" and "Sex Machine" because they have already been heard so many times on a different radio stations. Things like this I would hardly do again." - Suba once said.


On this record beside Rex worked also Milan Mladenovic (vocals, text, guitar), Uros Secerovic (percussion), Massiomo Savic, Zoran Radomirovic Svaba and Branka Parlic. They worked on it since March 1985 till June 1986. Through the music Rex mixes different influences playing with different styles. First two themes "Nabor na postelji" ang "Courage!" are a variation of the same theme and text, while themes "Facedance" and "Alice" have completely different atmosphere. Peaceful instrumentals introduce us with Ino's ambiental themes. On B side there are ambients done on music of Eric Sati called "Thanx Mr.Rorschah". Eric Sati is not so famous in Yugoslavia but we can recognize Suba as his excellent follower and propagandist. After all let me use the words written by Madame Ornela Volta from Foundation of Eric Sati in Paris: "It is our great pleasure to find in Yugoslavia a musician Mitar Subotic - Rex Ilusivii who composed some interesting pieces, especially one -a homage to Sati - and that piece was done just in a way Sati preferred - in a way that everyone can find his own way and his own personality. Music made by Rex Ilusivii represents realization of that formula, of that procedure."


As things now stand this record represents an end of one phase in music of Rex Ilusivii. I hope that we'll have an opportunity to find out what he'll do next. However judging by this record I think that Rex would be very successful in applied music especially in film music.



Bruce Gillman: Suba - The Work of an Avangardist - (original)

Petar Janjatovic: Rex Ilusivii - from "Ilustrated Yu Rock encyclopedia" (Geopoetika, 2001)

Zvonko Ninkov: Odlazak Kralja

Lee Gardner: A Taste of Brasil (Bebel Gilberto Review) - (original)

Petar Janjatovic - "The Street Of Illusions" (magazine "Rock", 1987.)

Petar Lukovic - "Angel's Breath Review" (magazine "Vreme zabave", 1994)
Goran Tarlac - Mitar Subotic Suba - Prica o kralju (Reporter, 2002)

 
     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

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