Berlin – Founded in 2011 by Andrija Spicanovic and Stevan Cirovic, VVHILE is a punk rock band that has done what many bands in their native Serbia have managed to do as of late, escape the boundaries of their small eastern European country and make an impact throughout Europe. Blending elements of experimental and pop music into their punk rock sensibilities, the duo has enough vocal power and musical skill to put bands twice their size to shame. Further proof of their growing influence on the music scene is their upcoming return to Berlin at the end of May.
I recently had the opportunity to ask Andrija about the band and their plans.
Serbia is becoming known as a hot spot for great music. Describe the music scene for those that have never entered your borders?
Andrija: Your observation is very interesting because from where we stand, it seems that whatever is happening here is almost, or completely invisible, and we are not talking about the music that can be considered “mainstream” in Serbia at the moment.
There has always been a very vibrant music scene in Belgrade, Serbia and the whole of what used to be Yugoslavia for that matter. The situation is the same now. There are so many great people creating outstanding music all over the place. The most interesting thing is that each band is very unique and kind of a world of its own. Even in genres like hardcore punk or garage rock where you could expect to, you still can’t find two similar bands.
On the other hand in a place like Serbia, there is no music industry and that encourages freedom of expression. Since it’s not connected to other music markets, artists and bands are not trying to copy what is going on elsewhere or make what can be easily sold. Somehow, we can maintain our raw artistic personalities and this is one of the most important virtues of the yet to be discovered Serbian musical island.
Who are your musical influences and how have you incorporated them into your music?
Andrija: We have been influenced by too many artists to list here. We both used to be in a lot of other bands with different formations and ideas about how things should sound. But of course, that doesn’t apply only to songwriting. Sometimes we were more influenced by the artist’s politics and the way artists were producing not only music but their image as well.
We were, and still are, deeply rooted in punk culture which will always have a significant place in our lives. We also have great admiration for the music, production and innovation of psychedelic and kraut rock of the 70s and melody structure of sunshine pop of the late 60s. We try not to be restricted by genres. We go for whatever we feel has potential as a song. Sometimes we recognize influences and we are happy about it and sometimes we just don’t care.
With VVhile in particular, probably the most encouraging thing for me was seeing a No Age show in Belgrade in 2011. Stevan and I had just started to play together and we were trying to figure out what our sound would be. We were discussing whether or not we needed a bass player or whatever else would work.
That amazing show persuaded us that a duo can function just fine. So, we decided to try it as a two piece. Soon after that, what was supposed to be simple proto-punk became more layered and complex rock and roll, it became VVhile.
Belgrade is gaining momentum for it’s growing status as one of the best cities for artists, similar to Berlin. What makes Serbian nightlife so special?
Andrija: Well it depends if you are talking about artists coming to perform or exhibit in Belgrade or you are talking about local artists who are living here?
Belgrade certainly has the spirit of an easy going city that one can embrace very quickly. It is something that you will probably find very liberating as a visitor. As everywhere else, and especially in Serbia, the repressive political environment did produce a few good things, one of which is that suppression of any kind can generate significant creativity. The atmosphere might seem to be similar to Berlin, but I would say Berlin is distinct by choice, which is not the case in Belgrade.
I know very few Serbian artists who can make a living from their art, not that it’s easy anywhere. But if I compare it with music scenes elsewhere, it’s the lack of a music industry that makes our scene pretty much DIY, which is actually a beautiful thing.
The night life is really something memorable, I agree. In the first place its about warm hospitality, which is an integral part of the Balkan mentality. In general, people are very kind and open to visitors.
The musical genres presented in your music run the gamut. If one was to describe your sound in a catch phrase, what would it be?
Andrija: That’s a tough one. We are definitely having lots of fun walking through genres and trying to define a comprehensive sound out of it. But if I have to describe in a phrase let’s try with layers and layers of noise with beautiful pop melodies.
Do you have a process when it comes to your songwriting and musical production?
Andrija: Yes, actually we have. In the beginning, songs were written completely in our living rooms. But soon after we established a sound that we could both identify with, we began writing everything together in our rehearsal space. We’ve been doing it that way for a while now. The process is pretty much limited because we have only a guitar and drums, so we are trying to make things interesting using loops and samples, or adding bass guitar and synths. In some songs minimal arrangements function well and in other something is always missing. So, we go for “the more the merrier”.
We usually work on a song until we become completely comfortable with it. This is when the magic is complete.
Sometimes we are thinking about the sound production during that process, but sometimes we let things happen in the studio and that’s another level of comfort that we are aiming for.
This means that some songs are getting to the point where we have to go back to them and reproduce what we created in the studio. But, it’s fun. I think the song isn’t finished until you can effortlessly enjoy both listening and playing it.
Who were your musical idols growing up?
Andrija: For a teenager growing up in a small Serbian town in the 90s, the local punk scene was our whole world. When the war was raging in Ex-Yugoslavia and every person was turning into a nationalist or clerical fanatic, those punk kids and metal-heads were playing music with strong anti-war lyrics, organizing protests and spreading ideas about positive rights. To this day, I still admire their courage to stand up to the chaos that was happening around us. Even though they were only a few years older than me, in my eyes they were bigger figures than Kurt Cobain.
Much later, I started to idolize Guy Picciotto, J. Mascis, Kevin Shields and Greg Sage.
Nowadays it’s easier to communicate through social media and I want to believe that positive ideas can still change someone’s world, on or off the web, and inspire people to do their own thing. I also hope that I can pass the light, as the people I idolized had.
How has the current status of the music industry changed the way you produce and release your music? Is the industry dying or is it in a state of transition? Your Thoughts?
Andrija: I don’t see that the industry as dying, but seems that everyone is making more money than musicians. The industry has always been transitioning along with technology and this will not change. The thing is that the music industry became a part of the information industry. Artistic content on the web is the same as any other information. A music file is nothing but a collection of bites, that’s the same as a photograph of a painting or todays news. The nature of music is so ephemeral and the only way you can perceive it is through experiencing it. That experience is exactly what changed, or as you said is in transition.
Our experience is temporary and accessible at all times from anywhere. So everything is dependent on an attention span, everything is important and not important at the same time. There is no difference in such singular experiences and every experience is temporary. That’s why, I think, big rock and roll bands are “dead”.
But since we are still bound to the material world, we still crave the artifacts of culture that we can create our own experience with. So, if I say live performance is more important than it ever was, then having a physical release is also more important than it ever was, because you can create a connection with a physical realization of the music and recreate the experience of a live show, making a connection to the content. This is why I think physical formats of music are coming back, not because of a trend but because of the nature of living in a material world. The circle has to be closed.
Having music available online is of course a wonderful thing because it is available to everyone. And as a musician, a promoter and a manager at the same time, I have to think about everything and try to find the most operable way to spread our music. World wide media only amplified things from what they used to be, positive became more positive and negative became more negative. We are trying to find a happy medium between those too.
Who would you like to collaborate with?
Andrija: It would be great to tour with Dinosaur Jr., do a 7” split with No Age, make a video with Spike Jonze and record an a cappella song with the Pope.
What upcoming projects are on the horizon for VVHILE?
Andrija: We have lots of shows and European tours coming this spring and autumn. We are halfway through writing the new record and we will record it in October. So hopefully, we will have a new release out in March of next year. I am sure something interesting will also pop out in the meantime.
Read our review of VVHILE’s LP MORE here.
Triston Brewer
artist, writer, event organizer, and promoter. As a
freelance journalist, he has covered both the underground and
mainstream aspects of the arts, culture, music, entertainment, travel, and
fashion in several cities, including New York, London, Berlin,
Istanbul, Sydney, Bangkok, and Hong Kong to name a few. Fluent in
English, German, Dutch, and Spanish, Triston has been published in The
Huffington Post, Trespass (London), FashionTV, as
well as featured in publications such as the New York Times, Vogue
Italia, Turkish Huriyet, InStyle, and other on-line and print
magazines in the U.S. and internationally. He recently released the first volume
of his memoir on life in Europe, 'Heaux Confessionals: The
Sintroduction'. As a solo performer and with his project band $kandal
Du$t, he has toured in some of the world's most renown clubs,
simultaneously maintaining an underground renaissance,
blurring the lines of all that is traditional and leaving his
indelible, and ultimately unforgettable impression. There is no divide
- brace yourself.
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