Avtomobili - rock band
It seems that Nova Gorica’s Avtomobili set out on their own path right from the beginning of their career and never looked back. The idea for the band emerged in 1982 from brothers Mirko (keyboards, backing vocals) and Marko Vuksanović (vocals, bass guitar), considered by many to be one of the most captivating voices in Slovenian rock, whose charm somewhat recalls the whimsical Morrissey of The Smiths (formed in Manchester in the same year). The original lineup also included Roman Nussdorfer (guitar), Valter Simončič (drums), and Mitja Mokrin (saxophone).
An important milestone for the band was their performance at the Novi rock festival in Ljubljana in 1983; the following year they won the youth festival in Subotica, which opened the doors to concert venues across Yugoslavia. In 1984 they released their debut album Mjesec je opet pun, followed a year later by their second album Dugo toplo ljeto, while their last album in Serbo-Croatian, Krenimo, came out in 1987. The 1980s were an intense period for them, as they mostly performed across the republics of former Yugoslavia, only later shifting their focus more towards the Slovenian space. After several years without releasing new material, they issued their first albums in Slovenian, Mraz (1992) and Skozi leta (1994). Recognition from the Slovenian public came in 1994 and 1996, when they received the Zlati petelin award for best Slovenian rock band. This was followed by releases such as Drugi svet (1995 – compilation), Navaden dan (1997), Največji zadetki (1998 – compilation), Enakonočje (2000), Mesta železniških postaj (2006), the live album Klub klubov (2008), Pozna pomlad (2012), Daleč (2016), and Sijaj (2022). In 2023, the band was shaken by the death of bassist and producer David Šuligoj, who had been a member of Avtomobili since 2006. Alongside Mirko and Marko, the current members are Boštjan Andrejc (guitar, backing vocals), David Morgan (drums), and Uroš Trebižan (bass guitar). Their latest “greatest hits” album, Potujemo (2024), released by ZKP RTV Slovenija, includes highlights from more than forty years of their musical career.
Avtomobili are one of the longest-standing names of the Yugoslav new wave, a band whose discography has had a strong impact on the Slovenian music scene, especially through classics such as Skozi leta, Ljubezen stanuje tu, Hočem biti s tabo, Argentina, Ona nosi uniformu, Enakonočje, and Pot domov. From the very beginning, they have been a distinctly author-oriented group, focused on expressive and meaningful lyrics and on quality rather than commercial pragmatism. With his gentle and pleasant vocal style, Vuksanović has shown how melodic and romantic the Slovenian language can be. As a band, however, their path was not always easy. Vuksanović, for instance, recalls some of their concerts at Zeleni gaj, where they performed for more than two decades, as stressful experiences. At a time when most bands played covers of popular songs, from Croatian to international hits, they were a group performing highly specific original music—something of black sheep. Yet their persistence, vision, and loyalty to their own ideals have nevertheless secured them a place in the pantheon of Slovenian rock music.
Avtor: Jaša Bužinel