Jewy Sabatay | Interview | “Long-lost album finally released”
Jewy Sabatay was a post-punk/alternative/stoner/doom band from Pančevo, Serbia. They lasted from 2000 until 2010 when bassist and one of the founders, Vladimir Dimitrijević, tragically lost his life.
Their third and last self-titled album, released for French label Chabanes, is now considered one of the best alternative records in the Serbian rock scene. Guitarist and frontman of the group, Velibor Nikolić later formed the critically acclaimed Brigand. Jewy Sabatay’s second album, ‘Nihilist’, recorded in obscure conditions in 2006, was self-released in 2007 exclusively on CD, with only 200 copies printed. Since that period, except for a couple of videos, the album had no presence on the web and was considered lost. In early 2022, Velibor discovered a copy of the album in his cellar and started the remastering process, cleaning unwanted noise and clipping.
Microphonia Records recently released ‘Nihilist’, one of the darkest and heaviest Serbian albums of all time. With 14 songs and more than 80 minutes long, it requires listeners of acquired taste but it also represents how deep Serbian underground really was.
“Formal training in music can have detrimental effects when you play destructive music”
Would you like to talk a bit about your background?
Velibor Nikolić: Hello, my name is Velibor Nikolić. I am 38 years old and I hail from the city of Pančevo in Serbia. I hold a masters degree in Andragogy by trade, but rock music has been my life for almost 25 years. Guitar is my primary instrument, but I also play bass, sing and do some drums and production when I am in a good mood.
What was the scene in Pančevo, Serbia? The town of Pančevo is quite near Belgrade. What was the alternative scene back in the late eighties there?
In the eighties, there was that big “new wave” thing, where children of military commanders were told to play something newer than that utterly boring and blent 1970s rock. Thank God, some of them were actually talented and the results were quite influential on Yugoslavian scene. Pančevo and Belgrade included of course. During the nineties and later, Serbia usually followed world trends in music, with some local quirks and twists. But yes, alternative rock was almost always neglected by the media, because profit. Just like the rest of the world. But the scene existed, way more diverse than the average country of our caliber.
Did any of that influence you to start your own band?
I have been obsessed with the idea of being on a rock since I was a little kid. So I picked up small details and things from literally everywhere. I have no formal training in music. Formal training in music can have detrimental effects when you play destructive music.
I’m guessing Jewy Sabatay is your first band? What were some of the early influences for you?
No, it wasn’t. It was Sublimacija, more than obscure “hard-rockish-punkish” band from little town of Alibunar, where I lived before moving to Pančevo. But we had our own songs. I was always oriented to song-making, I avoided playing covers as much as I could. That was smart, because it is very sad to see a grown man that plays “his own” music and cannot shake his influences.
Can you elaborate on the formation of the band?
Well, we were kids and we loved rock music. Quite usual starting point since we were 17-year olds. We also knew that we could score more easily with the girls than if we play rock music, which is very important when you are young. Now, people look at you like you are some vampire or a ghoul if you play rock music. Times had changed.
What’s the story behind your debut release, ‘Angelin osmeh’?
I don’t want to act like Efrim Menuck, but I am really not proud about that record and it’s best to not talk about it. We have a saying in Serbia: “Firstborn puppies are thrown in water”.
Your second album ‘Nihilist’ was recorded in obscure conditions in 2006, was self-released in 2007 exclusively on CD, with only 200 copies printed. Tell us what were the circumstances behind it?
We were completely underground, but we played regularly, usually in front of 20-60 people, and we were constantly making songs. Complete lack of media support didn’t stop us, so we made that record mostly for us and our friends. We didn’t care about the genre, we knew it was heavy and different, and we didn’t want to go around that to be liked by people. The Serbian scene at that time was more into hair metal and the cheapest possible “punk”-rock. Terrible times, that mid-2000s. Now we are more diverse, and actually there is some decent media that covers alternative music.
There seems to be a certain concept behind the lyrics, am I right?
It always was. In Jewy Sabatay, we always were looking for strong lyrics. No banality, pure psychology. Kevin Shields once said, “There is no worse thing than bad lyrics”. No good music can repair that if you are a sentient being.
What kind of effects did you use? The sound is truly raw to its bone.
‘Nihilist’, Marshall Jackhammer, DOD Chorus, and Digitech Delay connected to a Mesa Boogie amp that I borrowed from a friend. I played that rare Ibanez Ergodyne-X model, which had a mechanical flaw and completely fucked up bridge that I turned into advantage, and got me to learn bending techniques which I exploit now all the time. Now, my pedalboard is much bigger, haha. During the mixing I only used Sonitus EQ and some crappy reverb. It was like, 17 years ago. For bass, we had some Behringer preamp which we bought from some money that we got from Pančevo City Council as part of our “project”. Can you imagine that this record was actually supported by the local government at the time? Now, they wouldn’t support it even if a new Mozart knocks on their door. Colonization is the most efficient killer of one culture.
You are currently promoting the remastered version. Where did you store the original recordings?
I found the CD in my cellar. I was haunted by the idea of remastering it for some time, so I did it and published it under old/new label Microphonia Records which I revamped for some other releases too. I plan to release some other new stuff on that label. I want to thank people who already bought the albums, this time it means more emotionally than existentially.
Were there any other Serbian underground bands that you enjoy or are worth mentioning?
The scene is really huge, you just google “Serbian alternative rock” and you will find tons of things. Serbia is not your typical Eastern European country where only folk-rock and “world” music exist. Yugoslavia was quite liberal considering the import of Western culture. We had some very cursed bands even in the seventies. Currently, I am obsessed with the eighties. That Dobri Isak record is insane, in some aspects better than Joy Division. There I said it.
Tell us about your last album from 2009?
That was the only remotely “normal” record Jewy Sabatay did. We were in a real studio, with a real producer (Marko Jovanović), and were pretty prepared and tight for that session. Not that I can remember the tuning. But that record remained, and it will remain listened to. Probably more when I die. After that record, people started taking us seriously, even from long established elitists from the scene and media. It is incredibly hard to gain attention from proto hipsters if you are considered “redneck”. People expect when you are a son of an electrician from a small town, that you should play only Deep Purple, not Swans. Fuck that.
A member sadly passed away and the band stopped.
Due to respect for him and his family, I will not go into details. But yes, it was a suicide. It was very hard for me to continue to do music after that. Several people even took advantage of that and thrived on Vladas death and my mental state after that (we were such a different people and a band, now it seems logical to me), and tried to score some gains for themselves. I will never forget that.
Is there a chance to hear ‘Rare & Not Optimistic’? Those were probably the very early recordings from the band issued only on CD-R.
Everything before ‘Nihilist’ is dead to me.
You moved on and formed Brigand.
Well, about eight month after Jewy Sabatay was done, I felt that I may be capable of trying to form a new band. I wasn’t sure, but here we are now, 11 years, 100 gigs, and three albums behind us. Not too shabby. Brigand is the band that, in a way, saved my life. Gained some popularity too.
Several albums followed with the last one being released in 2020. Please share a few sentences about each of the albums.
‘Zaplešimo Grešnici’ had some songs that were intended for the never-recorded fourth Jewy Sabatay album. I always consider that record something most accessible that I ever was involved with. But that was my saving grace, if that flopped I probably would never have touched guitar again. Next record, ‘Daleko Je Vavilon’, was much darker and heavier, somehow more self-indulgent and not radio-friendly, but that was the climate in the band at that period, and not to repeat myself, we don’t go around being liked by people. Third and last record, ‘Iza Crne Duge’, is completely different from anything before (Jewy Sabatay included). Milan, Stefan and I introduced more shoegaze and blues elements, without losing the edge and heaviness. I am still in love with that record. Too sad it wasn’t promoted live because of this COVID shit, we had only one promo gig. It was very well received and was on many “album of the year” lists. I am not sure if we can do better than that, haha.
What about Alvarez?
That was my side project during the Jewy Sabatay period. I printed like, 20 copies of it and gave it to people around me. It was just me practicing songwriting.
What currently occupies your life?
Well, I am constantly writing and recording. So, I may put out something solo this year. Don’t know if it is going to be a single, EP or full album, but it sounds fun to me. I just did one song a couple of days ago, it is called ‘Devils Trumpets’, ideal for substance abuse. Who am I kidding, I have recorded a solo album and I don’t know what to do with it. My kind of “fun”. I call it ‘The Cat Album’.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favorite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
Anything that Michael Gira or Thurston Moore touched, of course. My brains hard-disc is full, so I hardly listen to new music. For years I listened more to ambient stuff like The Caretaker or Basinski, or vaporwave. On the pop side, I enjoy the complete decadence of Lana Del Rey and bestiality of Billie Eilish. Pop mainstream is in better condition now than ten-twenty years before, when everything sounded and looked like cheap deodorant ad. Out of guitar music, Nothing and Whirr were the last decent bands that I heard from the “West”, but I am sure in the underground there are many great bands. In the world of so many Coldplays and Foo Fighterses, it’s hard to do serious alternatives and be heard.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: Jewy Sabatay
Jewy Sabatay Bandcamp
Microphonia Records Bandcamp
Brigand Facebook / Instagram / YouTube
