Once upon a time (2003) in a dubious corner of the world and a land called Bosnia and Herzegovina, a group of friends decided to form a band. But this was no ordinary band, and they did not form under ordinary circumstances. True, along with local Balkan flavors, musical influences came from all over the world: ska, punk, reggae, electronic, hip-hop. Yet, there was no music industry, few concerts, and no space for cultural or political expression among the new crop of plugged in youth. In fact, the entire region was reeling from a deep moral and economic post-war stagnation. It was from this environment that Dubioza Kolektiv was born, and not quietly, but kicking and screaming, presenting no-go topics front and center, and demanding to be heard. In doing so, they created a phenomenon. For a quick rundown of the band’s history, their selfentitled first album DUBIOZA KOLEKTIV was released in 2004, and was instantly met with an enthusiasm not seen on the Bosnian scene since pre-war times. Next came the EP OPEN WIDE, this time featuring dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah and Mush Khan from Funda-mental. Then came their second full-length CD DUBNAMITE and this is when their popularity began to spread beyond Bosnian borders. By 2008, with the release of FIRMA ILLEGAL, their bold and uncompromising stand against the nationalist establishment elevated them to fame across the entire Balkan region. In 2010, album number four titled 5 DO 12 followed, and in an open snub to ultra-capitalist music labels and as an expression of commitment to their fans, Dubioza made the album available for free download at dubioza.org It was around this time that Faith No More’s Bill Gould discovered Dubioza Kolektiv, and his label Koolarrow Records, picked up their fifth album Wild Wild East and introduced the band to the international stage with worldwide distribution.

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