BRANKO KOSTELNIK (Zagreb, Croatia)

Croatian Popular Music in the 90's: The New Paradigm of Popular Music - Croatian Experience

The Croatian popular music of the 90's has undergone great and radical changes. After Croatia became independent and had to experience war there have been many changes in Croatian society. Most of the changes have been reflected by the local popular music. In the 80's Croatian popular music was widely popular within the borders of ex Yugoslavia, especially its strong new wave movement and its mainstream pop, based mainly in Zagreb, and its Dalmatian school. In the 90's Croats can experience a new popular music phenomenon: the Cro dance music. There were three essential causes for its development: 1. social and political context. 2. tradition of Croatian pop music and 3. global trends in popular music.

Yet the Cro dance music has many special characteristics. It consists of many components and fuses many styles: Western techno and disco rhythms and melodies from Croatian mainstream pop. Croatian dance music has even become a Croatian export product, yet only the one exported to the countries of the ex Eastern Europe, particularly to the ones of ex Yugoslavia. On the other hand it is a very controversial phenomenon: 1. even though it has been a means of protection from folk and rural music for local urban youngsters it has soon grown to an important wave inside the mainstream Croatian pop and rock; 2. it has experianced a strong influence of folk music and other hybrids of rural popular music; 3. it is a local substite for the subcultures of the 90's (techno, rap hip hop); 4. it does not respect the rules of the Western dance music and because of that it has grown to a hybrid musical product aimed at the small Croatian market and at the musical markets of the neighbouring states, such as Slovenia and Serbia.

During the 90's the rock bands, alternative acts and other musical personalities of the Croatian independent scene have struggled for survival, waiting for the changes in the local industry of entertainment and in the local media. They are still waiting for their chances.