Electronic music is perceived as apolitical and exclusively for clubs and festivals, and there are few producers and DJs who criticize social injustices through their work. Mostly, these are cheerful rhythms that make you want to dance, with positive messages.
But there are also pioneers who still want to leave a mark and speak openly about what bothers them. This trend is slowly coming to the Balkans thanks to a Montenegrin DJ and producer. Lado Raičković who in his new single "Land of Absurdity" does not skimp on describing today, but shoots straight at the target. Sharp, insightful, unerringly accurate, Lado "opens his soul" in his new single, using his art as a platform for social criticism, while the lyrics that carry a clear message are accompanied by melancholic music.
Lado talks about his new single "Land of Absurdity" for Vijesti...
Lado, there's a new single on the air. I would say that this is something different from what the audience expects from a DJ and producer. You managed to send a clear message not only through music, but also through lyrics. However, most producers and DJs send nicer vibes through their music, while the lyrics are mostly cheerful and singable. What was the turning point that made you decide to address the audience in this way?
If I had to identify myself, I would say that I am primarily a producer, because I started by creating music, and then through researching it, I opened up the DJing part, or more precisely - music selection. However, I have never gone that deep into scratching techniques and the like, even though vinyl is, so to speak, “my weapon of choice” when it comes to playing and listening to music.
To be brutally honest, when I make music, the audience is my last priority. I don't make it to please anyone, nor to impress anyone. It may sound cliché, but the best explanation has been said many times before - we are just conductors of creation. Although I would add that there are different types of conductors made of different materials, and these materials are built from life experience, everything that has influenced us to be who we are and feel what we feel at a given moment. The end result of true creativity is the fusion of a higher consciousness, a higher purpose, and ourselves.
This last point is one of the reasons why I find it difficult to listen to certain genres that are made exclusively for the masses and that boost all those lowest frequencies in people - genres that are completely in line with a distorted value system, especially in the Balkans. I somehow believe that it is always necessary to create, and honest creation will at some point find its way to those who need it and who can relate to it.
In the poem you say that “nothing reaches the poisoned brain anymore” and you blame the media for that. Is the media most responsible for the situation we live in today, or are we ourselves to blame because it is easier for us to believe in colorful lies than to realistically look at the situation?
I wouldn't generalize - there are different media, just as there are different authors, columnists and journalists. Those who do their job professionally by reporting truthfully about events have a lot of respect. But, unfortunately, there are far fewer of them than those who manipulate information, create illusions and testify untruthfully. Those who criticize the system only when they don't benefit from it, and praise it when they do. Or those who attack it not because they want changes, but because they are funded by some interested party - not with the aim of changing the system, but to seize power and continue the same, and often worse.
At this moment, it is extremely difficult for the average citizen - the group to which I belong - to know what reality is. Each media outlet claims that it is the one that presents the truth, while the other side is misleading. When we add to that the fact that anyone with a phone and a computer "can be" a journalist, presenter, researcher or self-proclaimed expert on everything - medicine, architecture, sports, music, film... well, absolutely everything, and in a production that visually and technically often looks more professional than big television and newspapers, how can we expect the average citizen to clearly distinguish truth from manipulation? Add to all this the bots in the comments of portals, forums and social networks, which only further blur the picture. It would probably take 40 years of meditation in Tibet to be able to intuitively feel what is reality and what is illusion.
To generalize and say that the problem is only in the media or only in people would be wrong. I believe that, as in many other things, the cause is in the faulty system we live in. As a society, we have fallen to a very low level of consciousness. Let's just look at what is consumed the most, from music to movies and series, and we will clearly see where we are and where we are going.
And when we talk about Montenegro, the attitude of society towards culture is… with exceptions, but one could say non-existent, equal to the budget allocated for it. But the problem is not only in culture. I would say that the same pattern can be applied to all important aspects of society.
And let's be clear, the title is Land of Absurdity, not State of Absurdity, for a reason, because this is not a problem only here. The whole world suffers from the same disease - an outdated system that does not care about people, but only about itself. A small percentage of people manage to break this chain, recognize the mistakes in themselves, the system and their own environment, decide to resist. But such people are often ostracized, misunderstood, rejected, strange, eternally wrong and condemned because the majority must always be right.
In the end, the system that supports this state of affairs and requires individuals to fit into a norm that has long been distorted is to blame. The way we raise children, the way we educate people, politics, the media… We ourselves are to blame, because we remain silent and suffer until we break. And nothing will change as long as people continue to deal with things that are essentially irrelevant to their existence. It will not change as long as, instead of psychologists, we go to psychics, sorcerers and magicians (because we are not crazy). It will not change as long as national, religious or ethnic affiliation is more important to us than basic human values. I propose a free DNA analysis by the Ministry of Health, to be included in the ID card. I am sure that many would be surprised what their tradition really is, whose descendants they are and how absurd these narratives are. Nothing will change as long as culture, education, mental health and general quality of life are in last place. Nothing will change as long as the system hires people based on their nationality, party or religious affiliation, family and friendship ties, instead of knowledge, experience and real qualifications. Nothing will change as long as citizens do not have real decision-making power. As long as we do not know exactly who we are voting for. As long as there are no clear deadlines and accountability for fulfilling promises. As long as we go to the polls to vote against someone, instead of for the ideas we believe in and the people we trust will implement them. As long as there is no option to clearly express our dissatisfaction, say by circling the number 0 - to say: "I don't like any of you. You have all completely failed. I want new people, new ideas, clear positions, concrete goals and accountability in the form of an autokick + ban from the server option if you do not fulfill the plan for which I voted for you."
This plan must encompass every segment of life. From salaries and pensions, to healthcare, culture, production and tourism. Because not even a bank will approve a loan without a business plan with a clear business projection. And every few years, we entrust the entire country with trust, without any guarantees, guided by nice words and short-term benefits in just one segment.
Given the current state of society, many would expect a more aggressive sound, but your lyrics have a melancholic tone. Do you think a harder sound would distract from the point and message of the song?
Aggression is just one way to express the emotion caused by this condition I'm writing about. Sometimes it's the only tool people have left, but I would say it's also the most dangerous because it rarely brings true change. I've always believed that there are more subtle, but more powerful ways of expressing themselves through art, music, words, ideas. And that's why aggression is the last resort I would rely on. I didn't think about it this way at the time of creation. You may be right, this was my attempt to fit everything in so that it sounds pleasant to me, but also carries a sincere emotion. I believe that for most creators from this region, this melancholy is inevitable. Maybe because it's a reflection of the time and space we live in, maybe because it's in our nature to transform emotions into something deeper, something that lasts longer than the moment it was created.
Most of us grew up on fairy tales, and certain lines remind us of the world of Alice in Wonderland, where illogicality and chaos reign. Given that an individual cannot change the world, how powerless does that sometimes make you feel? Are these pioneering attempts to raise people's awareness and make something finally happen? If we are just silent observers of the chaos, do we become complicit?
Silent or loud - we are all, in some way, part of the chaos. Whether we remain silent and adapt or loudly point out problems, we inevitably participate in its maintenance even in trying to change it. In one of the previous answers, I listed a few things that I wish I could influence, but I often feel powerless. I would like my child not to have to go through the same obstacles that we went through. That he does not grow up in a system that goes around in a circle, where mistakes are repeated, and people are forced to choose between accepting or fighting windmills. People's consciousness is constantly changing, and it would be great if anything I do could contribute even a little to that change. If even one sentence, one action, one deed causes a driving spark in someone's thinking.
There's a quote that stuck with me since early childhood: "I'm not saying I'm going to change the world, but I guarantee I'll light a spark in a mind that will change the world." That would be really great. Because maybe we can't change everything on our own, but we can start something that will one day bring about change.
You say that “The most beautiful dream is immediately blocked,” but we cannot expect a better tomorrow if we do not dream. Have we brought ourselves into a state of indifference precisely because nothing shocks or surprises us anymore?
Personally, I wouldn't call it indifference. I would say it's accepting reality as it is - not as giving up, but as adapting and searching for a new path to achieving dreams, ambitions or desires. Because what should logically work, often doesn't. But fortunately, it's in our nature as creatives to imagine new, illogical ways. When one path doesn't lead to the goal, it doesn't mean the goal is unattainable, it just means we have to invent a new direction, a new method, a different perspective. Perhaps it's this ability to think outside the box that keeps us moving forward despite everything.
What feeling do you want to evoke in your listeners with this song - anger, awareness, melancholy?
I don't have any specific expectations, but I would like them to tell me what they felt or what was awakened in them while listening. I would be interested to hear that, because I'm sure the answers would be interesting and completely different - from those who felt melancholy, to those to whom it brought inspiration, peace or even restlessness. Music always evokes something, and what exactly, depends on the person listening to it.
With the announcement of the song, you wrote that it was written seven or eight months ago. However, although chaos in all areas has been going on in Montenegro for a long time, it seems to me that it has culminated in the last month. Many will understand this single as support for the protests and everything that is happening in our country right now. Why did you decide to speak out through the song right now?
Honestly, I had to let go of this song so I could continue working on other projects in peace. Sometimes some music just has to go to make room for something new. All the protests that are happening in the region right now, including these local ones, only confirm that I am not the only one who sees this and that I am not the only one who feels the need to say something. If the ideas and values behind these protests are in line with those I spoke about earlier, then they have my full support. But if it is something completely different, something that is not based on real values, but is just a means to effect change that will keep the same system, then I will continue to protest in my own way - through music.
As you said yourself - “the absurd becomes more and more obvious and bigger, and the bots never go away”. On the other hand, art is there to warn and criticize. Is it absurd that so few artists dare to do something like that?
Well, not that much. As I said before, it's hard to tell what's genuine and authentic these days, and what's just a mask. Not everyone is inspired to talk about these topics, nor should we expect them to be. Someone is there to brighten our day, to make us laugh, to create something that will distract us from reality for a moment, and that's perfectly fine. It all has to come from within. There's no point in engaging in any kind of activism or talking about certain topics just because they're popular at the moment.
You get involved when you feel you can contribute something, and if you have nothing to add, it's better not to contribute. In the end, everyone has the right to choose how they will use the time they are given on this planet. And that should be respected.
How much will this composition change your work and your view of music in general?
My view of music, I hope, will never change - I can only love it even more. Every composition brings something new and improves the work. This one will too, I'm sure. In the end, I'm more experienced for another song.
As someone who knows how to play the piano, are your compositions created exclusively on the computer through software programs, and how much do you use keyboards in the creative process?
I wouldn't say I'm a master of any instrument, because, unfortunately (or fortunately), I taught myself to play. However, I'm happy to use any instrument I have at hand, or at least try to use it when I need it for a song. I mostly play synthesizers and keyboards - a combination of analog equipment and software. But I don't have strict rules. Where the sound takes me and what I feel the song needs, that's the only thing that guides me.
Many musicians are protesting the use of artificial intelligence in music. How do you see this kind of “assistance” and how will it affect art in general?
If you use AI as a tool to spark inspiration when you're creatively blocked or to help you solve technical problems faster and more accurately, I have absolutely nothing against it. But if you're part of a creative industry and you're presenting something that was generated entirely by AI as your own work without attributing the AI to it, that's shameful.
On the other hand, the fusion of artists and AI technology or inspiration gained through an AI tool is a whole other topic. In the end, it all depends on how much of it is truly yours and how much is the result of lazy creativity.
It is very interesting that at the very beginning of the commercialization of AI tools, the creative industries, designers, writers, musicians were immediately targeted. So instead of focusing on boring technical jobs that people shouldn't even be doing, the very thing that fulfills them most as creators or consumers is slowly becoming meaningless. However, a much bigger problem in the music world right now are platforms that exploit musicians for profit, while giving them almost nothing in return. These same platforms are now already using AI tools like Suno to produce huge amounts of artificially generated music, thereby further making the already difficult path of musicians meaningless.
The biggest example is Spotify, which has long been known for this approach. Unfortunately, it has become an unavoidable platform because it has by far the best algorithm for the user, but it literally gives nothing back to the artists. As of January 2025, Spotify will only pay artists when they reach 1.000 streams in the last 12 months. In other words, an artist earns about $3.000 to $4.000 per million streams. Imagine that you are a musician from Montenegro and you need to collect a million streams. Also, imagine how many million people are in one square, who come to hear just one of your songs, and you get 3.000 euros from all of them. Isn't that the best definition of the Land of the Absurd?
Basically, the best platform for artists right now is Bandcamp, where the listener can directly buy the music for a fixed price or even pay more if they think it's worth it. Bandcamp takes a 20% commission, which is fair, and once a month they even remove that, so that the artist gets 100% of the profits that day. In any case, I think the combination of AI + Spotify is disastrously bad for the future of music.
Culture is one of the most profitable products
As someone who graduated in music production in London, but also performed in clubs and festivals, last year you decided to share your knowledge of production, sampling and composition with anyone interested in learning more about this musical genre. What was the interest, considering that today, thanks to technology, many can easily engage in music? Is production learned more through theory or practice?
The interest was surprisingly high. Of course, the current capacity was not enough for larger groups, so I had to limit the number of participants. But I can say that I got some phenomenal young people who are already working on their music, and I'm quite pleased with how everything has gone so far. I can't wait to hear what incredible things they will create in a few years.
Somehow I've always believed that one of our ultimate purposes is to pass on experience and knowledge, and to open up opportunities for people who want to follow a similar path as us. I hope they are as satisfied as I am, and excited about what's next.
One of the goals is definitely that in Montenegro, people who want to create music have the opportunity to learn, that they do not have to go abroad to gain knowledge, but that a suitable environment is formed here for the development of the music scene. In its formation, one of the biggest roles is played by the media, especially the state media, which should promote domestic performers, use the enormous potential of creators and provide them with opportunities through engagements and support. I emphasize the state media, because they are the only ones that do not have to "chase after profit" and can have space for every musical direction. At the same time, they also bear the greatest responsibility towards domestic authors. This is nothing new, every developed country has been doing this for a long time. The largest and most influential countries have realized that culture - music, film, art, is one of the most profitable products and the strongest representative of the country, and they have been using it, developing it and living from it for a long time.
Bonus video:
