Editing Laibach (section)

=== The beginnings: Laibach with Tomaž Hostnik (1980–1982) ===
Laibach evolved from the band Salto Mortale, formed by [[Dejan Knez]] in 1978 in a [[mining industry]] town of [[Trbovlje]].<ref name="Janjatović169">{{harvnb|Janjatović|2024|p=169}}</ref> Laibach was officially formed on 1 June 1980.<ref name="Janjatović169"/> The members chose 1 June as the official date of the band's formation as it was Trbovlje's official holiday,<ref name="Janjatović169"/> marking the 1924 violent clashes between Trbovlje workers and the [[Organization of Yugoslav Nationalists]].<ref name="megla216">{{cite book|last=Megla|first=Maja|title=Leksikon YU mitologije|year=2015|publisher=Rende – Postscriptum|location=Belgrade – Zagreb|page=216}}</ref> The name ''Laibach'', adopted after a suggestion from Knez's father,<ref name="Janjatović169"/> is the [[German language]] name of the Slovenian capital [[Ljubljana]], a name used during the period when Slovenia was a part of the [[Habsburg monarchy]], as well as during the [[Invasion of Yugoslavia|World War II occupation of Yugoslavia]].<ref name="Janjatović169"/> Initially, the members of the band did not reveal their names, but during its initial phases, the band consisted of Dejan Knez (bass guitar, keyboards, drums, [[megaphone]]), Tomaž Hostnik (vocals), Ivan "Jani" Novak (stage effects, credited as "[[Engineers of the human soul|engineer of the human soul]]"), Andrej Lupinc (bass guitar), Srećko Bajda (synthesizer), Marko Košnik (synthesizer) and Marjan Benčina (synthesizer).<ref name="Janjatović169"/> In later interviews, the members stated that the band formation was sparked off by the suicide of [[Joy Division]] vocalist [[Ian Curtis]], the death of Yugoslav president [[Josip Broz Tito]] and the beginning of the dissolution of Yugoslavia.<ref name="Janjatović169"/>

Since its formation, Laibach had been preparing a [[Multimedia art|multimedia]] project ''Rdeči revirji'' (''Red District''), a piece intended to challenge and provoke the political authorities in Trbovlje.<ref name="Janjatović169"/> The project was scheduled to be presented in the Workers' Hall in Trbovlje.<ref name="megla216"/> However, the group's use of [[Kazimir Malevich]]'s black crosses on their posters was determined by the authorities to be "improper and irresponsible", leading to considerable negative reaction in the media and the cancellation of the performance of ''Red District''.<ref name="Janjatović169"/>

[[File:Laibach-logo.svg|thumb|right|Laibach logo]]
The band's first live appearance and an exhibition entitled ''Žrtve letalske nesreče'' (''Victims of an Air Accident'') took place in January 1982 at the [[Ljubljana]] club FV.<ref name="Janjatović169"/> It was followed by performances in [[Zagreb]], in Lapidarij club, and in [[Belgrade]], in [[Studentski kulturni centar (Belgrade)|Students' Cultural Center]]'s [[foyer]].<ref name="Janjatović169"/> For their live performances they used [[Phonograph|gramophones]], radio devices and electronic instruments that they had built themselves,<ref name="Janjatović169"/> and the group's musical style was characterized by the Yugoslav music press as [[industrial rock]].<ref name="Janjatović169"/> Instead of [[dry ice]] as a source of [[Theatrical smoke and fog|theatrical smoke]], the group used original military [[smoke bomb]]s, which was as unpleasant for themselves as for the audience.<ref name="Janjatović169"/> At a concert in Belgrade, the smoke forced part of the audience to escape through the venue's windows.<ref name="megla216"/> In Zagreb, the use of smoke bombs on stage caused a search of the band's equipment conducted by the [[Yugoslav People's Army]]. The band stated that they used smoke bombs because they were "dealing with military subjects", which satisfied the officers in charge of the search.<ref name="megla216"/> At this early stage of their career, Laibach's visuals employed mining iconography; eventually, the group would add such symbols as [[Triglav]], deer horns and the Malevich's black cross encircled with a [[gear]] to their imagery.<ref name="Janjatović169"/>

At the time of their concerts in Ljubljana, Belgrade and Zagreb, the name Laibach and the posters with black crosses caused controversy, with some seeing this as a direct reference to the occupation of the country in [[World War II]].<ref name="megla216"/> The newspaper ''[[Delo (newspaper)|Delo]]'' published a [[Letter to the editor|reader's letter]] which stated: "Is it possible that someone has allowed in Ljubljana, the first [[Hero Cities of Yugoslavia|Yugoslav city to be awarded the Order of the People's Hero]], some youth group to carry a name which forcibly tries to revoke the name Laibach?".<ref name="megla216"/> The band used this question as the opening for their performance on the Novi rock (''New Rock'') festival in Ljubljana,<ref name="megla216"/> held on 10 September 1982.<ref name="Janjatović169"/> For their performance at the festival, frontman Tomaž Hostnik wore a military uniform, and despite being hit in the face by a bottle, causing him serious injuries, managed to bring the performance to an end.<ref name="Janjatović169"/> A part of the Yugoslav music press described the concert as the "symbolic end of [[punk rock]]".<ref name="megla216"/>

On 11 December 1982, at the YU Rock Moment festival in Zagreb, the band held the performance entitled ''Dotik zla'' (''Touch of Evil'').<ref name="Janjatović169"/> It was Hostnik's last performance with Laibach.<ref name="Janjatović169"/> Ten days later, he committed a [[ritual suicide]] by hanging himself from a [[hayrack]]—one of the Slovenian national symbols—near his hometown of [[Medvode]].<ref name="Janjatović169"/> Laibach disapproved of his act of suicide and posthumously "expelled" Hostnik from the group.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-33530538 |title=North Korea allows 'first foreign band to perform' |access-date=15 July 2015 |work=BBC News |date=14 July 2015 |archive-date=15 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715222123/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-33530538 |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite this, the group would in the future often refer to him and dedicate various projects to him, including an installation entitled ''Apologia Laibach'', created around Hostnik's self-portrait.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.laibach.org/tomaz-hostnik/|title=Tomaž Hostnik 08. 11. 1961 – 21. 12. 1982|website=Laibach.org|access-date=12 August 2015|archive-date=2 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150802042338/http://www.laibach.org/tomaz-hostnik/|url-status=live}}</ref>