Milan Djurdjevic - piano, hammond organ, synthesizer,
vocals.
Founder and creative leader of the band, keyboardist,
vocalist, author of music and lyrics, arranger and
producer...simply - the soul of the band.
Born in Valjevo, on March 31st, 1967, since young age,
he plays classical music.
At 11, he starts playing on Valjevo's Youth Centre and
already at 13 - with Vlajko - he creates his own band
and performs his own compositions.
With a band called "Nova Zemlja" (New Land), he wins a
prestigious Guitar Contest in Zajecar in 1983 based on
the decision of an audience and a professional panel
of judges. He records an album "Letaci" which is
released in 1985 by PGP RTB.
"Nova Zemlja" becomes a cultish sympho-rock band and
the first band from Valjevo to release an album.
In 1984. he moves to Belgrade with Vlajko and becomes
one of the most sought-after keyboardists.
In 1986, he is invited by one of the greatest bands
from the former Yugoslavia "Smak" and spends 2 years
with them.
He records an album "Smak 86" and goes on tour with
one of the best groups in the history of YU Rock
Music.
This lineup of "Smak" was to be remembered: R.M. Tocak
- guitar, Zoran Milanovic - bass, Kepa Stojanovic -
drums, Boris Arandjelovic -vocals and Milan Djurdjevic
- keyboards.
Towards the end of 1987, he goes to Ljubljana to serve
in the Army (YNA - Yu National Army). In late 1988,
upon returning from his Army Service, with his brother
Vlajko, he reunites with "Nova Zemlja."
Due to some problems with releasing new material and a
lack of understanding from publishing houses, the band
moves in another direction - covers.
In a very short time, the band becomes the most famous
and most popular band in the entire Yugoslavia.
Their visits to Istria (which back then was the scene
of all mainstream cultural happenings in the region)
will be remembered as the pinacle of all.
Foreign managers immediately reacted and "Nova Zemlja"
spends 1989 almost entirely abroad while playing
numerous clubs and discos.
Milan was receiveing unbelievable offers - from being
a promoter of different synthesizers in world's big
store chains to several serious offers from producers
to join various bands in the West.
He rejects all offers because of his original ideas
which were, even then, very complex and required a lot
of patience when it came to visions of music, career,
and realistic presentation in the music industry.
As a leader of the band that had some serious quality,
Milan endured a big boycott of certain cliques and
music critics, especially from the realm of
alternative music.
As a man who firmly believed in his ideas, he chooses
a road which, at this moment, seemed like the only
solution: concerts, performances in clubs all over the
country and Europe.
Within a short period of time, "Nova Zemlja" becomes
the most sought-after band in the country and Milan -
keyboardist with the greatest number of fans and the
greatest respect from young musicians.
As a keyboardist, he played in many sessions with all
well-known musicians from the former Yugoslavia.
In 1991, along with Vlajko, he joins a group called
'Frenky" and records an album "Plakao bih al nemam s
kime". Already at "Mesam" (Annual Music Award Show),
that same year, he gets an award for Arrangement of
song "Ljubim a znam" (also voted 2nd place by the
audience) and in 1992, he also wins at "Mesam" with a
cultish sympho-rock composition "Saga", which set some
new standards in Serbian pop art culture.
At the beginning of 1993, with Vlajko and a drummer
Cedo Macur (soon they are joined by a guitarist Bane
Jelic and later Billy King), he makes his very own
first project "Neverne Bebe" (Unfaithful Babies).
Early in 1994, he releases an album " Neverne Bebe I",
which to this day is one of the most popular and most
covered albums among young musicians in the country.
He plays Fusion, Ethno & Classic Music, prepares an
ambiental solo album in which he had put much time and
energy and whose realization was nearing an end.
He writes film music and at the same time participates
in a creation of spiritual music
as an eminent author, arranger and producer.
He collaborated with various artists and as a studio
musician, he played on many domestic pop and rock
music albums.
With his energy and perfectionism, he is also
well-known outside of music circles. With his band,
he set a standard of up to 100 to 140 highly
professional concerts a year.
Plus his work in the studio, plus rehearsals.
It is said that he DOES NOT DRINK and DOES NOT SMOKE
and that he has a similar rule for his band - no
alcohol before and during the concert.
While very controversial in life, many stories circled
around him, but with his great quality and attitude
towards life and music, he proved that he was
absolutely born to write, compose and perform music
and is grateful for a God-given talent and love of
esthetic values of art.
Musical role models: Pat Metheny, Pink Floyd, Sergei
Rachmaninov.
Equipmment he currently uses: Yamaha T 80, Yamaha
Motif 7, Korg CX 3, Korg, Carma, Korg N 364...
.... Life is what we manage to discover in ourselves
out of the God-given talents we have at birth...If I
succeded in making happy just a couple of people on
this planet with my music, then my life absolutely
makes sense...
- Milan
"From reality to illusion" -Book of Rock Lyrics and
Songs of psychological/Love content.(currently working
on this project)
