©Tadej Čauševič ŠIROM Experimental, folk, improvised, world music (Slovenia)
The intertwining of diverse musical approaches and tools, histories of sounds and unbridled musical imagination and craftmanship is the expansive guiding principle of the Širom trio, whose members stem from the regions of Prekmurje, Tolminsko and Kras.
More than a dozen instruments can be found in the repertoire of Iztok Koren, Samo Kutin and Ana Kravanja and at least as many given musical forms that can be perceived as an inspiration behind the character of this new ensemble. However, in their practice as well as experiencing they remain anchored in their creative process to an extent that allows them to avoid merely reflecting existing patterns. What this generates in an original, stylistically homogeneous form of expression that oscillates between a wide array of folk sounds and contemporary acoustic rock-style meditations. The result is grounded yet still mystical minimalism. Širom’s music is contemplative, but can get harder when necessary, it is closer to being band- than chamber-like, to being street as opposed to urban in nature.
Concerts: Roskilde Festival (Denmark), Meakusma Festival (Belgium), Festival Baignade interdite (France), Babel Sound Festival (Hungary), Moers Festival (Germany), Music Meeting (The Netherlands), Festival Ethnica (Slovenia), Porto Ethno Festival (Croatia), Druga Godba (Slovenia), Ring Ring (Serbia), Castrum Festival (Switzerland), Rewire Festival (The Netherlands), Eurosonic Noordeslsg (The Netherlands), Fanø Free Folk Festival (Denmark), Festival LENT (Slovenia), FMM Sines (Portugal), Etno mehanika (Russia), Alice (Denmark), Café Oto (UK), Le Periscope (France).
Line up: Iztok Koren (banjo, bass drum, chimes, balafon), Ana Kravanja (violin, viola, ribab, kalimba, bendir, balafon), Samo Kutin (ukulele, kalimba, homemad harps and steel drum, balafon).
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AUDIO: https://sirom.bandcamp.com/
VIDEO: http://siromband.si/video/
©Žiga Koritnik BRINA World music (Slovenia)
At first rewriting and rearranging traditional Slovene folk songs into a more modern sound, Brina has gradually evolved into a confident ensemble which also creates its own specific expression. Playing in a variety of modes, from melancholic Slavic ballads to raucous cabaret and tango songs, they are all very much characterised by Brina Vogelnik's soft and intimate voice.
Brina evolved from two earlier bands fronted by singer Brina Vogelnik – Šišenske bajke and Brina&String.si. In the 1990s, Šišenske bajke were one of the first bands that started showing an interest in modernising traditional Slovene folk motives, an approach that has since then been taken over by a number of quality and successful musicians. The band’s first album Mlado leto [Young year] was welcomed very warmly both in Slovenia and in foreign press, but a more notable impact on the global folk scene came in 2005, when Brina released their second album Pasja legenda [A Dog's Legend]. The album received international acclaim among critics as well as listeners and concert goers around the world. The band’s third album is Slečena koža [Undressed Skin].
Concerts: WOMEX 2006 (Spain), Druga Godba (Slovenia), Jazz Cerkno (Slovenia), OFFest (Macedonia), Expo Zaragoza (Spain), Mar de musicas (Spain), Ethnoambient Festival (Croatia), Train of Diversity project in Spain, Slovenian Festival at NYC Town Hall (USA).
Line-up: Brina Vogelnik (vocals), Jelena Ždrale (violin), Blaž Celarec (percussion), Nino de Gleria (electrical bass, double bass), Luka Ropret (guitar).
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AUDIO: https://brina1.bandcamp.com/
VIDEO: http://brinavogelnik.si/videos/
JIMMY BARKA EXPERIENCE (Slovenia)
JBE is a music collaboration between two DJs and a drummer. All hailing from Ljubljana, Slovenia their mission statement is to make the thing sound as a band, a trio and not as “musician playing along a dj set”.
The trio consists of DJ Bakto, DJ Borka (Good Foot crew) and Marjan Stanić, a renowned Slovene percussionist who is also a member of Čompe, Foltin, Vasko Atanasovski Trio, Taman and other groups. Though the members of Jimmy Barka Experience are coming from different music backgrounds (Stanić is more into ethno and jazz), they have found an exceptional bond in combining live drumming with electronic samples and mash-ups produced with turntables, using a special technique called “turntablism”.
Their music is a fine mixture of funk, breakbeat, Balkan rhythms, rock and afro sounds, escorted by powerful live performances, highly suitable for wild dancing. Jimmy Barka Experience (named after Džimi Barka, a character from an old Serbian film called When I'm Dead and Gone) first appeared on the monthly funk event called Zeleno Sonce held at Gala hala in 2010, since then they have opened for Ursula Rucker and Parov Stelar, and have also performed a wide number of solo shows on different festivals and in clubs through Slovenia.
Concerts: Druga Godba (Slovenia), MENT (Slovenia), Cully Jazz (Switzerland), Etnika International World Music Festival (Slovenia), Festival LENT (Slovenia), Pohoda Festival (Slovakia), Potemkin Halle (Germany).
Line up: Marjan Stanić (drums), Bakto (turntables), Borka (turntables)
AUDIO: https://jimmybarka.bandcamp.com/releases;
VIDEO (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQOCA-Yx-_lZeflZ3XO6_9Q
©Žiga Koritnik IRENA TOMAŽIN Experimental, improvised, sound art (Slovenia)
Irena Tomažin’s voice work is always physical, connected with body, gesture/dance and space, but at the same time is very oriented towards the sound textures of the voice. Her practice manifests in the form of thoughts, songs, spoken word events and experimental concerts, as well as through directing dance and theatre work. Sometimes it rises from the encounter and collaboration with other artists, other times from being alone, making space for listening to what is outside and inside.
Irena Z. Tomažin is a Slovenian performer, choreographer and a voice teacher. The (heart)core of her work is the voice in its various existence. Starting out her dance education from the urge to move and release inner tensions and inspirations, her performance practice has since then shifted towards the investigation around the embodied voice.
As an experimental voice artist Irena is involved in the European scene of improvised music and has ongoing collaborations with some of the world's most renowned sound improvisers (Michael Zerang, Okkyung Lee, Christof Kurcmann, Seijiro Murajama, Xavier Charles, Lee Patterson, Liz Allbee, Ilya Belorukov, Tomaž Grom, Jonas Kocher, Gudenz Badrutt, Orchestra 33 1/3 and with composer Matej Bonin). She has released two solo albums Crying Games and Taste of Silence and a duo album Ljubljana- Wien with Christof Kurzmann. Irena is as well a member of the cult electronic-industrial band Borghesia and has released two albums with them: And Man Created God and Proti Kapitulaciji. Since 2006 she runs her solo project for voice and Dictaphones iT, with which she holds guest appearances in Slovenia and abroad.
Concerts: Druga godba (Slovenia), Jazz Connective (Helsinki), Pelzverkehr (Austria), Sounded Bodies (Croatia), Ausland Berlin (Germany), Gibanica Festival (Slovenia).
Line up: Irena Tomažin (vocal, loops)
AUDIO: https://it-irenatomazin.bandcamp.com/
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=irena+toma%C5%BEin
©Bojan Štepančič DOVČ&GOMBAČ World music (Slovenia)
Experienced folk musicians of the 21st century, Dovč & Gombač take you on a great sound journey with their virtuosity and courage, presenting Slovene folk and original music at contemporary live music events around Europe.
Janez Dovč and Boštjan Gombač are both distinguished musicians in the world of Slovenian music. They were, and still are members of numerous musical groups (Sounds of Slovenia, Katalena, Jararaja, Kwak, Kisha etc) among them at least one, Terrafolk, is considered as one of the top representatives of the so-called World music in Europe (BBC World Music Award 2003). Aside from being studio and stage musicians they both also arrange and compose music for theatre plays and soundtracks. For the main source of inspiration, the artist use cultural and musical legacy (Slovenian folk music, music of various European and other nations) as well as different styles of music (jazz, contemporary classical music and composers Astor Piazzolla, Hermeto Pascoal, Simone Zanchini etc).
Concerts: Sounds of Slovenia tour
Line up: Boštjan Gombač (clarinet, flutes, voice, musical saw, sounds), Janez Dovč (accordion, voice, synth bass, electronica)
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VIDEO: http://janezdovc.si/?p=209