Darko Rundek on 'Bolero' at 41: Proud of the Album, Advocating for a World Without Slaughterhouses

Darko Rundek, a prominent figure in the Yugoslav new wave scene, is set to perform at Zagreb's Šalata venue on July 11. The concert celebrates the 41st anniversary of Haustor's seminal 1985 album, "Bolero." Rundek will be joined by fellow original Haustor members Damir Prica Capri and Zoran Zajec Zex, as well as his current band, Ekipa.

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On the Šalata, the greenest island closest to the center of Zagreb in the Medvednica archipelago, we will play in honor of the wonderful diversity of life on Earth. Rundek & Ekipa will be joined by Capri (saxophone, piano) and Zexa (electric guitar). The three of us were Haustor on the albums 'Bolero' and 'Tajni grad', so there will be songs from those albums, in the original lineup, with, of course, the support of Ekipa. The concert at 'Zelena Šalata' will be dedicated to the world without schnitzel – the liberation of animals in industrial farming and the closure of all slaughterhouses, including wars!

Rundek shared his enduring pride in "Bolero," an album that achieved remarkable longevity with most of its songs remaining popular decades later. He recalled the creative process, noting that after the departure of original members Srđan Sacher and Ivan Gulić Gulić, he took on more responsibilities, including programming the rhythm machine and playing bass guitar on many tracks. Despite these challenges, Rundek found inspiration and energy in collaborating with Capri and Zex to complete the album.

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I must say first that at Šalata on July 11, Capri on saxophone and Zeksa on guitar will be joined by Ekipa, which includes Igor on trumpet, Ana on saxophone, Silvio playing drums, Miro on percussion and vibraphone, and Roko on bass guitar. I have been playing with Ekipa for almost ten years. It is a great joy to play with such musicians and friends!

The concert's theme extends beyond musical celebration. Rundek announced that the performance will be dedicated to "a world without schnitzel" – advocating for animal liberation from industrial farming and the closure of all slaughterhouses. He also linked this to the cessation of wars, highlighting his and his wife's strong ecological and animal rights activism.

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I liked Jergović's text, but that statement primarily referred to 'Ena'. For me, 'Bolero' is a very precious album. It has never happened to me that I wrote so many songs in such a short time that have remained alive and present for so long after their release. Today, as 41 years ago, I am proud of that album. When the cover was finished, I said: That's it.

"Bolero" holds a special place in Rundek's discography. He noted that it was the first Haustor album where his songwriting creativity fully came to the forefront. While acknowledging Miljenko Jergović's description of the album as "sad" in his writing, Rundek personally finds "Bolero" to be a very precious work, especially given the rapid pace at which he composed its enduring hits.

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On the album 'Treći svijet', I primarily put myself in the service of Sacher's vision as a lyricist, so on the next album, I expected something similar from him and found myself, when Sacher and Gulić left, in a situation where I didn't have the rhythm section and collaborators I was used to. For a good part of the songs, I programmed the rhythm machine, played bass guitar on all the songs, and Gulić still helped out for the songs where there was a live drummer. Capri and Zeksa were excellent collaborators, and we carried the album with a lot of energy and inspiration.