Yugoslavia - six republics, four decades, one dictator and a single record label that ruled them all: Jugoton (Zagreb, Croatia). Jugoton was by far the country's largest label with the strongest and most diverse output that stretched from Balkan roots to contemporary trends and the sound of tomorrow. The early days of Yugoslavia featured strong censorship but by the end of the '60s the Communist party views softened up to a large degree. Westernized music already had a solid presence and the first James Brown influenced compositions were released. Yugo funk, a term coined by DJs and crate diggers from the Balkans, encompasses a wide variety of performers and genres: from the 60's Merseybeat rock bands, prog rock groovers, and big band jazz orchestras to the late 70's sophisticated 4x4 funk and essentially everything in between. Jugoton Funk Vol.1, a first of it's kind, celebrates the pioneer years of funk-infused music released by Jugoton. While in pursuit of these treasures all over the Balkan region and beyond, the compilation's selectors, Dr. Smeđi Šećer & Višeslav Laboš, both active as DJ's and crate diggers from the sole beginnings of the ex-Yu craze, wanted to capture the authentic and idiosyncratic funk sound of Jugoton and Yugoslavia. So here it is, comb your mustache, light up a fat one, turn up the amplifier and headbang away to these amazing tunes remastered from original master tapes dug out of the Jugoton vaults (now Croatia Records).
