It could be rightfully argued that the rock scene in Serbia was much stronger and more developed during the 1990s. At the time hardcore was hardcore, and nowadays some metal bands are classified as hardcore. The year 1993 is one of the most significant ones for the hardcore/punk scene in Smederevo. The radio show "BREAKING THE SILENCE" (BTS) was born that year. At its conception it was bearing a different name, but it presented the same phenomenon, and that is the weekly dose of punk and hardcore on the radio waves.
In those days it was really hard to hear this kind of music genre anywhere, and I believe that if there wasn't this radio show, not a lot of people would exist in the hardcore scene. People who were working on the show at the time, and us, the younger generations later on, had to work extra hard, and had to find different ways of finding the new releases (at the time we did not have the internet :) ). A lot of publishing places met our needs and helped us out, and we stayed in contact with them to this day. In some years, the list would be really extensive and as many as 20 to 30 publishers would send us their promo material. We even received discs (CDs) up to a month before their official release dates and got exclusive rights to be the first ones to air them. So the people who listened our show knew that they would hear certain editions here for the first time. Except for presenting the new albums we also try to air a lot of old tracks and in that way we are familiarizing the new and younger audience with the older bands. You can see our
playlists and you would understand our mission (philosophy).
After 15 years of work, BTS branched out as an organisation. Since nothing much happened in our town regarding the hardcore concerts, we decided to take matter in our own hands. Money has always posed the biggest problem. Some people wanted to organise gigs but due to the financial crisis that is lasting here for the past two decades, they never fully managed it. Now in the BTS organisation there are 15 to 20 of us who put together our own money and manage to pay to the bands to come and play here. We always end up with a deficit, but at least that loss is equally divided among 15 to 20 of us, and we had great hard core concert.
BTS show exists to this day, and this year in August we will celebrate our 17th birthday. I am not sure of present existence of any older hardcore show in Europe. I love to live in conviction that we are the longest lasting ones. It's not important who works on it, it is important that it exists.
BREAKING THE SILENCE - HARDCORE/PUNK RADIO SHOW.
