Rundeck, Darko

Haustor was founded in 1979 by Srjan Saher (bass) and Darko Rundek (guitar, vocals) with drummer Zoran Perisic and guitarist Ozren Stieglich. Damir Pritsa (saxophone), Nikola Santro (trombone) and Zoran Vuletić (keyboards) added to the original composition of the group. The group, which was significantly influenced by reggae, Latin American and African music, was at the top of the music scene of the former Yugoslavia, repeatedly gathering thousands of people at their concerts.

The group released four studio albums in the 80s: Haustor in 1981, Treći Svijet in 1984, Bolero in 1985 and Tajni Grad in 1988; three singles: “Moja prva ljubav” in 1980, “Zima” in 1981 and “Radio” in 1982. The live album Ulje je na vodi was recorded in 1982 and saw the light of day in 1995, and 81-'88 (The best of) was also released in 1995.

Darko Rundek began his solo career in 1995 with the Croatian music festival “Fiju Briju” in front of an audience of 10,000 people, at which he presented new musical material intended for subsequent tours in Croatia.

With significant support from the Jabukaton record label, the Apokalipso album was recorded in 1997 with many musical instruments and artists. Stylistically, the album turned out to be very colorful, ironically and poetically observing the post-communist era. Apokalipso became the 1997 music event in Croatia. He received 5 Porin awards (song of the year, hit of the year, best male artist, best video, best vocal collaboration) and 4 Black Cat awards (song of the year for Apokalipso , best rock singer, best rock collaboration, best video).

The album U širokom svijetu was more attracted to folklore influence. Mandolin, bagpipes and flutes gave eclecticism to the style of songs. In general, the sound of the album was more acoustic, the atmosphere more intimate and inward. The recording group, becoming more stable in composition, conducted a series of tours in Croatia and the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

Ruke's album grew out of a desire to find ideas for collaboration with other musicians through extensive improvisation. Isabelle, Jani Pervan, Dusan Vranic and Vedran Peternel began work on new songs of Darko Rundek. Isabelle's mill in French Burgundy, with its collection of exotic instruments, provided the best conditions for working on the album. A year later, the album was recorded and simultaneously released by the publishers of Menart in Croatia and Metropolis in Serbia. The authorship of some songs was shared with the other members of Rundek. During the tour to promote the new album, the group was supplemented by three more musicians and finally turned into Darko Rundek & Cargo Orkestar.

The project originally arose from the authorial songs of Darko Rundek, rich in content and visual images. Musicians from the new collective rallied the musical tradition with an openness to the influence of a wide variety of musical trends: Balkan, Central European and Mediterranean music, reggae, Latin American, Eastern and African motifs.

Isabelle (a violinist from Switzerland), Jani Pervan (drummer), Dusan Vranic (pianist), Vedran Peternel (sound designer) and Darko held a ten-day improvisation session at the rebuilt Isabelle water mill on the outskirts of a Burgundian village. When the musicians finally folded their instruments, they already had the basis for the Ruke album (as evidenced by the camera of Bilyana Tutorov, whose video shows became a feature of Cargo Orkestar concerts). Trumpeter Igor Pavlitsa (a longtime friend of Rundeck for Haustor and the solo period), Emmanuel Ferraz (trombonist) and bassist Bruno Arnal joined Cargo Orkestar during a promotion tour in 2002.

In 2004, the album Ruke was released by the Berlin publishing house Piranha Musik and was released for sale in 25 countries. The live album Zagrebacka magla was released in 2004 under the label Menart-Zagreb, and the album Mhm A-Ha Oh Yeah Da-Da was released in 2006 by Piranha. Plavi avion was released by Menart-Zagreb in 2010.

Currently, Darko Rundek's band performs in abbreviated format Rundek Cargo Trio with violinist Isabelle and universal musician Dusan Vranic. At its concerts Rundek Cargo Trio combines new and old works from the rich repertoire of Rundek, maintaining the atmosphere of intrigue and unpredictability in the hall. The informal atmosphere and openness to contact with the audience are distinguished by the collective's performances, both in small concert halls and in large stadiums.

In 1982, Darko Rundek received his diploma as a theater director at the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb . His thesis was staged by America Hurrah! based on the playwright Jean-Claude van Italy. Rundeck staged several plays, performing in some of them and as an actor. However, the main contribution of Rundeck to the theater is the contribution of the composer, who wrote more than 30 works, both for the children's theater and for large international productions.

Darko Rundek wrote and produced a large number of musical works for cinema, where he also sometimes acted as an actor. For the role of Herman in the Burgerhof film, Ruševine received an award as the best male actor in Slovenia.

Between 1982 and 1991, Darko Rundek directed about 50 radio shows and documentaries for the Zagreb radio drama department, for which he also wrote music. Some of the productions represented Radio Zagreb at various international festivals: Prix Italia, Premios Ondas and Prix Futura.

• Official website of Darko Rundeka