If he were alive today, Edward Bernays, the US pioneer in the public relations field, would probably be appalled - or maybe flattered - by the fact that rock bands have started to name themselves after him. It surely isn't a trend, but Bernays Propaganda, a four-man group from Skopje who were inspired by Bernays' 1928 book 'Propaganda', have caught the Balkan music scene by surprise. Although formed merely 2.5 years ago, the Croatian daily newspaper Jutarnji List recently named the quartet "the best new indie-band in the region". The reason? Their debut album, Happiness Machines, released this April through the Slovenian independent label Moonlee Records.
Right after the record hit the shelves, it garnered much praise in the regional media and among music bloggers. This happened even though the band hadn't had a single live show outside their home country. That changed drastically as soon as the disc was promoted in Skopje this February.
"We are satisfied because we’ve managed to play plenty of shows because of this record", says Vasko Atanasovski, the band's guitarist, and adds: "Watch out for the vinyl and tape versions in September when we will tour Europe again".
Bernays Propaganda recently confirmed their second, 30-day concert tour in Europe, starting on the 11th of September in Zrenjanin, Serbia and ending on the 10th of October in Vienna, Austria. This tour will coincide with the release of the vinyl version of their debut album, published in a limited edition of 500 copies, which will mainly be sold at the gig venues. The band finished its first European tour, which included around 40 concerts, on the 19th of April in Skopje, in front of a massive home crowd.
Besides Atanasovski, the band's founder, members of BP are: Kristina Gorovska (vocals), Džano Kuc (drums) and Nenad Trifunovski (bass). Atanasovski confirms the suggestion that the stage, however big or small, is their most natural habitat.
"Yeah, you can say that our primal idea is to play live as much as possible. Playing in a bunch of shows in the EU, in an era of isolation for our country, we feel that touring is a political act as well. Kind of like direct action against the border and segregation system of thinking", he points out.
Much like Edward Bernays or Adam Curtis, the British television documentarist who created the miniseries The Century of Self (of which Happiness Machines is the first of four parts), Bernays Propaganda are a politically conscious and a socially active collective. They often perform on charity shows for musicians or bands in need, on festivals that try to improve the position of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population (LGBT) in society, or on events whose goal is to raise the awareness for a greater protection of the environment.
Much of this can be credited to the background and experience that the members have from working on the DIY (Do It Yourself) punk/hardcore scene. Vasko, Džano and Nenad played in F.P.O. (Forever Positively Obsessed), a straight-edge trash group that existed from 2001 to 2008, a period during which they played almost 140 gigs in the region and toured Europe for a couple of times.
"As always, having an attitude was the most important thing for us. Music style is not that important. People trust dancing bands", says Atanasovski, who in the late 90's was also a vocalist for Bumbiks, probably the first rap/crossover band in Macedonia.
Unlike the previous groups in which Atanasovski was involved, Bernays Propaganda differs in the fact that - beside the intellectual and often rebellious side - they play music that people can actually dance to, not just "rock out". Although all the members have quite a broad taste in music, in terms of rhythm, writing style and sound, Atanasovski underlines that the four groups that have influenced them the most are Gang of Four, Fugazi, Crass and Gossip. This is quite apparent if one listens to the songs from their debut album, like Anonymous Enemy, Everything Will Fall Apart or A Day Before I Disappear. And this could also be heard when Bernays Propaganda played on the last years edition of OFF Festival in Skopje as a support band for the dance-punk icons Gang of Four.
"It was a fantastic opportunity to meet one of the greatest bands ever. Even more fantastic was the fact that they are great people as well. When they wrote on their web page about playing together with us in Skopje, we couldn’t believe that it’s true. Another example proving that great people are simple and nice", Atanasovski concludes.
**The European Commission does not accept or recognise in whatever form or content a denomination other than “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. All references, direct or indirect, to this country used in this article are those of its author.
