, 1980]]An industrial/techno music group, formed June 1 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia, Laibach represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) art collective, which it joined as a founding member in 1984. The name "Laibach" is the German name for Slovenia's capital city, Ljubljana. The more popular industrial/metal group Rammstein are generally considered to have been heavily influenced by Laibach.
Laibach are notorious for never stepping out of character. Their releases feature artwork by the anti-Nazi artist John Heartfield, and their concerts are held as political rallies. When interviewed, they answer in wry manifestos, showing a ridiculous lust for authority. http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/laibach/bio.jhtml
Richard Wolfson wrote of them:
Other notable covers include the entirety of the Beatles album Let It Be and their album Sympathy for the Devil which deconstructs the Rolling Stones song of the same name with seven different covers of the song. Opus Dei also features a cover of Queen's "One Vision" with the lyrics translated into German under the title Geburt einer Nation, starkly revealing the ambuiguity of lines like "One race one hope/One real decision". In NATO, they also memorably rework Europe's fatuous hair-metal anthem "The Final Countdown" as a Wagnerian disco epic.
Slovene singer and radio announcer Anja Rupel has performed with the group.
Milan Fras, vocals
Ivan Novak
Dejan Knez
Ervin Markosek
Tomaz Hostnik (died 1982)
Laibach (ŠKUC/Ropot, 1985),
Nova akropola (Cherry Red, 1985),
Baptism (1986)
Opus Dei (Mute Records, 1987),
Let It Be (Mute Records, 1988),
Sympathy for the Devil (Mute Records, 1988),
Macbeth (Mute Records, 1990),
Kapital (Mute Records, 1992),
Ljubljana-Zagreb-Beograd, (The Grey Area/Mute Records, 1993)
NATO (Mute Records, 1994),
Jesus Christ Superstars (The Grey Area/Mute Records, 1996),
WAT (Mute Records, 2003),
Anthems (Mute Records, 2004, compilation).
Richard Wolfson, "Warriors of weirdness", The Daily Telegraph, 4 Sep 2003.
Official web site
The Unofficial Laibach Site
Laibachkunst includes images of early visual artworks by Laibach and also pieces by fellow NSK members Irwin.
The NSKSTATE The website of the NSK.
Controversial style
, 1990]]Laibach have frequently been accused of Germanophilia thanks to their costumes, which often resembled Nazi officers' uniforms, and also thanks to the Wagnerian stylistic aspects found in some of their music, notably the thunder in "Sympathy for the Devil (Who Killed The Kennedys)". Laibach always denied this strongly, pointing out that, as fascism needs a scapegoat, they had become their own scapegoat in the name of satire. Milan Fras, the lead singer (who is instantly recognisable by his staring eyes and gruff, growling voice), is quoted as saying "We are fascists as much as Hitler was a painter" when confronted with such accusations. http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/laibach/bio.jhtmlLaibach are notorious for never stepping out of character. Their releases feature artwork by the anti-Nazi artist John Heartfield, and their concerts are held as political rallies. When interviewed, they answer in wry manifestos, showing a ridiculous lust for authority. http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/laibach/bio.jhtml
Richard Wolfson wrote of them:
Laibach's method is extremely simple, effective and horribly open to misinterpretation. First of all, they absorb the mannerisms of the enemy, adopting all the seductive trappings and symbols of state power, and then they exaggerate everything to the edge of parody... Next they turn their focus to highly charged issues — the West's fear of immigrants from Eastern Europe, the power games of the EU, the analogies between Western democracy and totalitarianism. 2003
Subversive cover versions
, 1988]]Laibach are also known for their cover versions, which are often used to subvert the original message or intention of the song - most notable being their cover version of the song "Life is Life" on the album Opus Dei, which completely changes the meaning of the song from the original writers' intentions. Whereas the original is a feel-good hippie anthem, Laibach's subversive interpretation twists the melody into a sinister, rolling military march. The refrain is at one instance translated into German, giving an eerie example of the sensitivity of its lyrics to context.Other notable covers include the entirety of the Beatles album Let It Be and their album Sympathy for the Devil which deconstructs the Rolling Stones song of the same name with seven different covers of the song. Opus Dei also features a cover of Queen's "One Vision" with the lyrics translated into German under the title Geburt einer Nation, starkly revealing the ambuiguity of lines like "One race one hope/One real decision". In NATO, they also memorably rework Europe's fatuous hair-metal anthem "The Final Countdown" as a Wagnerian disco epic.
Visual art
Although primarily a musical group, Laibach have sometimes worked in other media. In their early years, especially before the founding of NSK, Laibach produced several works of visual art. Probably the most historically important was MB 84 Memorandum (1984) an image of a black cross that served as a way to advertise Laibach's appearances during a period in the 1980s when the government of Yugoslavia banned the name "Laibach".http://www.artmargins.com/content/review/griffin.htmlSlovene singer and radio announcer Anja Rupel has performed with the group.