Zok
Zoran Cvetković Zok, born in the former Yugoslavia (today Croatia), found fame and notoriety under his signature childhood name ‘Zok’ … a naughty child for sure.
That rebellious streak served him well as he struck out on his musical career, initially co-founding the punk band Ciferšlus in 1977, changing their name to Prljavo kazalište, signing firstly to Jugoton, and then Suzy, they would become one of Croatia’s most popular bands and a continuing thread throughout Zok’s musical exploits.
In 1979 Zok joined Parni valjak and recorded the album ‘Gradske priče’, including the stand-out songs “Stranica dnevnika” and “Ulične tuče”, but the following year along with bassist Dubravko Vorih and drummer Dražen Scholz, left to form the band Parlament, releasing the album ‘Imena I Legende’ on Suzy’.
Zok’s next venture was as a solo artist with the release of his eponymously titled album in 1982 on Jugoton, before he joined the band Dorian Gray working on their 1985 album ‘Za Tvoje Oči’, achieving great success commercially and critically with their hit songs “ti si tu” and “Za tvoje oči”.
Having retreated to a more background role over the ensuing years, Zok then found himself back in the fold with Parni valjak, contributing to the tour and subsequent live album ‘E=mc2’ to commemorate their 10 year anniversary, as well as 1987’s ‘Anđeli se dosadjuju’ long player, and in between collaborating with many other known artists from today’s Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo and North Macedonia – contacts of which he still maintains to this day, before returning for the Parni valjak album ‘Sjaj u očima’, immediately following which Zok took a one way trip to London…
…it was here that Zok’s focus turned from performer to facilitator forming a recording, publishing and production company under his own name and releasing iconic concept albums globally featuring artists such as Viv Stanshall, Gary Moore, Cozy Powell, Manfred Mann, Phil Collins, John Goodsall, Gary Brooker, Robin Lumley, Jack Lancaster, Percy Jones, Alvin Lee, Keith Tippett, Stephane Grapelli, Jon Hiseman, Chris Spedding, Brian Eno, Brian May and Freddie Mercury.
Reuniting with Prljavo kazalište in the mid-90s, Zok featured on and produced the studio albums ‘S vremena na vrijeme’ and ‘Dani ponosa i slave’, as well as the live albums ‘Bozicni koncert’ and ’20 godina’, the latter recorded with Zagreb’s National Symphony Orchestra; as well as returning for the celebratory ’25 godina’ live concert and DVD, at the end of 2002.
The ensuing years saw Zok following a political path outside of the music industry (yet still leading The Hague’s in-house band), and whereas the music had initially informed the politics, it was now the politics more directly feeding back into the music, as Zok sought to combine his views on society and the desperate need for fairness and tolerance in this increasingly divided World.
And now after many years away from music Zok is returned, re-energised – a man with a mission, a rebel with a cause, uniting fresh young talent and seasoned musicians who have worked with artists as diverse as Tom Waits, Adam Ant, PJ Harvey and Black Sabbath (the ballet!), together they are Zok and Revolution 33, spearheading ABI Live commencing Summer 2026.