VIS (Vocal and Instrumental Ensemble) “Roboti” was a notable rock and roll band from Zagreb, Yugoslavia, active from 1961 to 1969. They earned a reputation among music critics as the “Yugoslav Rolling Stones” due to their strong rhythm and energetic, wild songs.
VIS “Roboti” had its beginnings at the Secondary Technical School in Zagreb, which served as a breeding ground for Yugoslavia’s early electronic bands. The original line-up consisted of Mladen Hajchic-Hajac, Vasilij Chaplinskij-Chaplja, and was later joined by Ivica Chokalj, Ivica Chizhmek, and Predrag Drezga. Initially, they performed under the name “Mladi tehnichari”.
They began their musical journey by covering songs by Cliff Richard and The Shadows. However, in 1963, they ventured into recording their own original songs, “Nena” and “Zalazak sunca.” Interestingly, their popularity surged to the point where they even outperformed the Zagreb Big Band and took them off the Yugoslav charts.
Following some line-up changes when members like Zharko Danchuo, Ivan Chizhmek, and Vasilij Chapljinski departed, Toni Studeni took on the role of the vocalist, and Ivica Percl began playing the bass guitar. With this new line-up, they embarked on a tour in Austria, during which they played their popular hit “Mramor, kamen i zheljezo” in German (“Mramor, stein und eisen bricht“). After returning to Zagreb, they recorded this cover on an EP.
After this hit, the band went to Rome, where they performed at the renowned dance club “Pepper.” Due to the name “Roboti” already being in use by another band in Italy, they changed their name to “Five Up.” Over the years, the line-up underwent several changes, and “Roboti” recorded four EP’s. Eventually, in 1979, after Ivica Chokalj’s departure from the band, “Roboti” definitively disbanded.
It’s fascinating to note that “Roboti” ventured into covering traditional Bosnian sevdalinka “Bosno moja,” as well as many Dalmatian folk songs, which surprisingly became hits among the younger audience. Moreover, playing on the same stage with the Rolling Stones, even in front of a slightly smaller audience of 6,000, is a significant achievement. During a concert in Vienna they were guarded by 800 policemen!
(Photos taken from: Jukebox no. 3 dated 03/07/1966. Photographer: Chedomir Uroshevic.)
