Oko -

Oko was a Yugoslav hard-rock band from Ljubljana, Slovenia, that issued a single on ZKP RTVLJ in 1975, followed by the album Raskorak on Jugaton in 1976.

Members: Pavel Kavec (vocals, guitar), Miro Tomassini (bass, 1972-75), Jani Tutta (drums, 1972-73), Dragan Gajič (drums, 1973-1975), Tone Dimnik (drums, 1975-76), Franjo Martinec (bass, 1975-76), Zlatko Klun (drums, 1976-78), Igor Bošnjak (bass, 1976-78)

Background

Oko (Eye) formed in 1972 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, then part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Guitarist and vocalist Pavel Kavec assembled the original trio with bassist Miro Tomassini and drummer Jani Tutta.

In 1973, Tutta cleared for Dragan Gajič, formerly of the local act Ansambel Jugoslavija, a starting vehicle for singer Jernej Jung. Through 1974, Oko performed blues-inflected hard rock built around Kavec’s expressive, Hendrix-inspired playing, gradually expanding their arrangements with elements of jazz-rock.

In early 1975, both Tomassini and Gajič departed for Jutro. Kavec rebuilt the lineup with drummer Tone Dimnik and bassist Franjo Martinec. This trio recorded Oko’s debut single, “Vse sem dal ti” backed with “Spet nazaj,” released later that year by ZKP RTVLJ. Sessions took place at Studio Akademik in Ljubljana with producer Dečo Žgur and engineer Miro Bevc.

A. “Vse sem dal ti” [I Gave You Everything] (4:25)
B. “Spet nazaj” [Back Again] (3:18)

Raskorak

Oko released their singular album, Raskorak, in September 1976 on Jugoton.

Guitarist/singer Pavel Kavec composed and arranged six tracks, performed with drummer Tone Dimnik and bassist Franjo Martinec, who wrote the instrumental “Tema IV.”

Guest percussionist Miha Vipotnik adds bells to “Hoćeš li sa mnom” and “Raskorak.” Both tracks feature keyboardist Andrej Konjajev, who also plays on “Tema IV” and “Sam Sam,” the latter with singer/lyricist Zlatko Manojlović.

Raskorak opens with “Hoćeš li sa mnom,” a driving up-tempo piece that intersperses Kavec’s clipped vocal lines with spiraling guitar fills, scattered backward effects, and watery tape textures. “Sve sam ti dao” slows into a bass-forward pulse with clipped snare accents and ascending guitar phrasing over a grainy electric haze. “Hej mala” veers between a mid-paced shuffle and heavier syncopated breaks, layered with Moog effects and fuzz-chord diversions. “Sam sam” attempts a ballad structure with sustained organ, but its drawn-out pacing and exaggerated falsetto derail the mood.

“Tema IV” introduces a lighter dynamic: Rhodes textures and rounded Moog leads glide over a nimble bass pattern and crisp hi-hat figures, balancing laid-back flow with harmonic clarity. The title track begins with suspended guitar phrases and chimes before accelerating into a freewheeling jam. A lengthy exchange between wailing guitar and oscillating synth runs unfolds over churning bass and tightly wound drumming, creating the album’s most intense and elastic passage.

A1. “Hoćeš li sa mnom” [Do You Want to Come With Me] (4:07)
A2. “Sve sam ti dao” [I Gave You Everything] (4:03)
A3. “Hej mala” [Hey Girl] (3:41)
A4. “Tema IV” [Theme IV] (5:40)

B1. “Baj baj” [Bye Bye] (2:53)
B2. “Sam sam” [Alone Alone] (6:17)
B3. “Raskorak” [Misstep] (8:06)

Sessions occurred in 1976 with recording by Aco Razboršek under the supervision of producer Džerald Kazaferović. Dečo Žgur supervised the recording of “Raskorak.” Album published by JEM–Jugoton and printed by Jež (Belgrade).

Raskorak features a cover designed by Kostja Gatnikm whose surreal illustration shows a giant eyeball emerging from concentric ripples of liquid beneath a red-orange sky. The image is framed within a blue border bearing the band’s name in stylized mirrored typography. The bold contrast and graphic layout evoke the disorientation suggested by the album’s title (Raskorak = “straddle” or “misstep”), visually reflecting the tension between grounded form and abstract suggestion.

Postlude

In the early 1990s, Kavec reactivated Oko with drummer Dragan Gajič and his son Mitja on bass, releasing the 1994 album Hočeš z menoj. A 1996 lineup featured Kavec, Tomassini, and Zlatko Klun. In December 2000, Kavec recorded a live set of Hendrix covers with drummer Marko Bertoncelj and bassist Ernie Mendillo.

Discography: