Den za Den -

Den za Den was a Yugoslav jazz-rock band from Skopje in modern-day Macedonia. In 1980, the band released a self-titled album on ZKP RTVLJ.

Members: Vladimir Jankulovski (bass), Dragiša Soldatović (keyboards, piano, Moog), Dimitar Čočorovski (drums, percussion), Siniša Stojanovski (guitar, 1978), Arian Dema (guitar, 1978-80)

Background

Den za Den formed as an instrumental jazz-rock quartet in December 1977 in Skopje when keyboardist Dragiša Soldatović assembled drummer Dimitar Čočorovski, bassist Vladimir Jankulovski, and guitarist Siniša Stojanovski. Dragiša and Dimitar played in the early lineup of Leb i Sol.

The group recorded “Taka treba” and “Letna ljubov” at Radio Skopje in January 1978 with producer Slave Dimitrov. Den za Den played Omladina ’78 and a Saraj summer-garden concert before Stojanovski cleared for ex-Pu guitarist Arian Dema. The revised lineup appeared at BOOM ’78 in Novi Sad, then returned to Radio Skopje in February 1979 and performed “Svadba,” “Vodopad,” “Ciganka,” and a new version of “Taka treba.”

Den za Den represented Macedonian radio at the Opatija festival and played two Zagreb concerts. The group also appeared at Omladina ’79 in Subotica and the Days of Macedonian Culture event in Ilirska Bistrica.

Den za Den

Den za Den released their self-titled album on June 3, 1980, on ZKP RTVLJ.

The album presents instrumental jazz-rock with folk-rock inflections, performed by bassist Vladimir Jankulovski, drummer Dimitar Čočorovski, guitarist Arian Dema, and keyboardist Dragiša Soldatović, who juggles piano, Moog, and Fender Rhodes e-piano.

“Svadba” careens through fast-cut motifs, abrupt section turns, and crossed scale patterns. “Galeb” glides through a straighter opening pattern before a keyboard-led passage resets the track. “Fatamorgana” opens with wider spacing, then shifts into a denser middle section with sharper upper-register turns.

“Čočor Ritam” compresses the album to a one-minute drum solo with compact strokes and quick fills. “Vodopad” erupts from distorted guitar and synthetic bubbles into high-speed ensemble drive. “Jutro i noć” pivots through stop-start accents and a calmer central passage. “Tako Treba” vaults from soft electric-piano figures into hard-edged group passages before a clipped solo cuts through the final stretch.

A1. “Svadba” [Wedding] (4:08) – Soldatović
A2. “Galeb” [Seagull] (3:56) – Soldatović
A3. “Ciganka” [Romani Woman] (3:03) – Dema
A4. “Žeđ” [Thirst] (3:30) – Jankulovski
A5. “Fatamorgana” [Mirage] (4:02) – Dema
A6. “Čočor ritam” [Čočor Rhythm] (0:59) – Čočorovski

B1. “A bila je tako draga” [And She Was So Dear] (4:08) – Dema
B2. “Letnja ljubav” [Summer Love] (3:25) – Soldatović
B3. “Vodopad” [Waterfall] (2:41) – Soldatović
B4. “Jutro i noć” [Morning and Night] (3:55) – Soldatović
B5. “Tako treba” [That’s the Way] (5:50) – Soldatović

Sessions occurred in November 1979 at Studio Akademik in Ljubljana with producer Ivo Umek and egineer.

Slobodan Živković designed the sleeve: a surreal airbrushed painting of a human figure fused with metallic and organic forms against a blue sky and horizon.

Postlude

After Den za Den ended in November 1980, keyboardist Dragiša Soldatović and drummer Dimitar Čočorovski formed Paskvelija. Čočorovski left within months and joined Avtogram, which cut several Radio Skopje titles during its 1981–1986 run.

Soldatović led Paskvelija through its early-Eighties festival work. The group played the 1982 and 1983 Novi Sad Days of Jazz events. In 1995, Soldatović formed Labish Trio with bassist Zoran Pavlovski and drummer Koki Dimuševski. The trio issued Labish Trio in 1996 on SJF Records. Soldatović recorded the 1998 SJF album Dream with bassist Darko Mučov and drummer Goce Stevkovski. On March 22, 2008, Soldatović died in Skopje.

Guitarist Arian Dema joined Izlez, a short-lived Skopje group formed in 1981 by keyboardist Kokan Dimuševski and drummer Garabet Tavitjan after their departures from Leb i Sol. Izlez played Skopje city square on June 7, 1982, then supported Bijelo Dugme during a 45-day Bulgarian tour. Dema recorded Založnik with guitarist Ramiz Jusufi Ciki, a former member of Pu and Leva Patika. On June 24, 2016, Dema died in Skopje after a long illness.

Discography: