The well-known alternative Belgrade band “E-PLAY” performed on the night of December 14 (2019) at the “Alternativni Kulturni Centar” (eng. Alternative Culture Center) in Jagodina. The introduction to the concert began with samples from the song “Lucky Pressure” by Roni Size, and immediately after that they raised the atmosphere with their hard guitar riffs.
Their topics have always been somehow social, often intimate, but after recording the video for the song “Šamarčina” (eng. “big slap in the face”), where the main topic is to draw attention to the problem of domestic violence, a good part of the public began to perceive them as a socially engaged band. “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women” (November 25) was recently, so we asked Maja Cvetković (vocals and bass guitar) a question on this topic as well:
We recorded only one video related to that. The song doesn’t talk about that, but the video talks just about that – about domestic violence, first of all. My personal message to everyone is that you can report it anonymously, which most people don’t know. Maybe someone is afraid to do it or there is no opportunity, but when you see, hear that it is happening, you can do it anonymously instead of other person. People need to know that it is anonymous and not to be afraid of anyone. My message to everyone is that if they are in any problem, to try to get out of it as soon as possible because there is only one life and it should be kept, they should fight for themselves. That is the only message in any problem. – said Maja.
The band “E-PLAY” has five studio albums behind them, a large number of performances (both solo and festival), as well as the “Megafon” award for the best single of the year. The last in a series of albums “Sloboda” (eng. “Freedom”) was released in 2018, and Maja Cvetković says about the exact motive behind the title of the last album:
Well, it’s about freedom of opinion, freedom to be what you are, not to put yourself in the grip, freedom to say what you want, what you think, not to be afraid of anyone, to be able to function somehow freely, to play freely, not to go to the masses, that you don’t have to do something for someone other than yourself , simply – the freedom to express yourself. – she points out.
For those interested, we also asked the question – how did the name of the band “E-PLAY” came about?
When I was young, there was a club in Budapest called “E-PLAY”, and it meant “electronic play”, which I really liked, and when I was making the band that club stayed in my head as a very pleasant memory so I called it “E-PLAY”. There is no actual deeper meaning, but that place was very dear to me. It was something new, innovative, and I liked it. – Maja explained.
E-PLAY: Facebook, Instagram, X, BandCamp, Deezer, YouTube.
Official web-page: www.eplaymusic.com
Photography: alxspirit | Video: YouTube/EplayBand
Note: The article had its first press release, in a slightly different form, on December 18, 2019.
alxspirit 