The Development of Slovenian Progressive Rock, part III
December 21, 2011 by Rok Podgrajšek
Filed under Specials
Last time round, we covered folk, avant-garde and Laibach, which included some amazing albums, but this time we present albums from the 1990s onwards, the so-called post-war or independence period, when Slovenia became an independent country.
POST-WAR ERA
After the Yugoslavian civil war, the Slovenian scene gained renewed momentum in the mid 1990s with the emergence of bands like Kapela la chateliere, Terra Mystica and Veronica. Laibach were naturally also active and always searching for new ways of expression.
Kapela la chateliere – De profundis (1996)
(Click on the album cover to hear a song from the album)
Kapela la chateliere was one of the first bands to emerge in the post-war era, which makes them quite seminal in putting progressive and experimental music back on the map. Naturally, their sound was dominated by jazz rock, but also with a strong emphasis on Balkan beats and the avant-garde. They would release another album after De Profundis (both are equally strong) and saxophone and flute player Andrej Čopar would later form another excellent band, Miusow Quartet.
Lazar, Milko – Barbara (1997)
(Click on the album cover to hear a song from the album)
Even though this was intended for a dance performance, this recording explores many musical territories, from new age, classical, world music, jazz, rock and so on. Barbara develops a very strong atmosphere and vibe in a very short period of time, showing Lazar’s real talent and uncompromising vision, even for this seemingly unimportant project.
Veronica – Natura Naturans (1998)
Terra Mystica – Carsica (1998)
(Click on the album cover to hear a song from the album)
Terra Mystica is one of those bands that’s impossible to describe. You can find elements of pop, folk, new age, rock symphonic, avant-garde, world music, classical and just about anything you can think of in their music, but none of these terms actually describes the band. I think the name of the band says it all really, certainly better than any description could. The music, especially on Carsica, is full of mystical moments, explosions of joy, musical exploration and a general sense of excitement. Their mostly instrumental style is perfect, so you don’t have to deal with the Slovenian language and the music is bound to give you goose-bumps.
Read the full review HERE.
Miusow Quartet – Smejmo se skupaj (2007)
(Click on the album cover to hear a song from the album)
One of the newer bands to grace the Slovenian scene and unfortunately also one of the most short-lived. This jazz rock ensemble with Balkan, blues and avant-garde undertones had amazing potential, most of which was, lucky for us, explored on this gem of an album. The album is instrumental, apart from one track sung in English, and well worth tracking down.
Moonlight Sky – I Am (2009)
(Click on the album cover to hear a song from the album)
A farewell statement of the keyboard player who went to study music in North America after the release of this album, I Am shows Moonlight Sky reveal their true potential after the inconsistent debut. Space rock, symphonic and jazz rock all play a vital role in creating the band’s trademark sound, which can hardly be mistaken for anyone else’s.
Read the full review HERE.
The Development of Slovenian Progressive Rock, part II
November 6, 2011 by Rok Podgrajšek
Filed under Specials
In the first part of the development of Slovenian progressive rock, we presented some jazz-rock and heavy progressive favourites. Now we continue with folk rock and avant-garde. Again, these are some of the best albums in a worldwide sense.
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FOLK ROCK
Folk rock music wasn’t developed to the same degree in Slovenia as it was in places like England, for example. There was plenty of folk being used as a side influence, but there weren’t really that many bands which played straight folk rock.
Sedmina – II. dejanje (1982)
(Click on the album cover to hear a song from the album)
Sedmina released their first album in 1980, but it was very much a straightforward folk album. With II. Dejanje they ventured into longer, more developed pieces with considerably more instrumental bravado. Still, it was fairly straightforward stuff, nevertheless. Veno Dolenc continued his Sedmina activities in the 1990s, albeit with a different singer, but the magic of the first two efforts is hard to outdo in terms of the Slovenian progressive rock idiom.
AVANT-GARDE
Although many credit Buldožer with being the first Slovenian avant-garde rock band, but Begnagrad would be a more appropriate contender for that crowd. Buldožer played mostly hard progressive rock with a touch of humour in the Frank Zappa style (that’s where their title probably came from), but they didn’t incorporate that many dissonant and unorthodox ideas into their music to be really avant-garde.
Begnagrad – Begnagrad (1982)
(Click on the album cover to hear a song from the album)
Bratko Bibič and his band of merry man certainly created one of the most memorable albums in Slovenian history with their self-titled album. Released in 1982, the album fused the band’s love for folk music, both domestic and from abroad, together with strong humorous avant-garde elements and an obvious nod to classical music as well. A truly unique album.
Quatebriga – Revolution in the Zoo (1985)
(Click on the album cover to hear a song from the album)
Quatebriga continued where Begnagrad left off. Not surprisingly, really, as Nino de Gleria (bass) and Aleš Rendla (drums) were both “survivors” from the Begnagrad days. Despite their credentials, it was actually Milko Lazar (winds, keyboards) who was actually the driving force behind this operation. Their debut, Revolution in the Zoo, is a fine example of fusing jazz, rock and avant-garde music – and to grea teffect, might I add!
LAIBACH
You won’t find Laibach in many progressive lexicons, but they certainly belong there, proving several times in their career that the natural state of their music is to constantly evolve. Therefore, they are one of the key ingredients in the Slovenian progressive rock scene.
Laibach – MacBeth (1990)
Click on the album cover to hear a song from the album)
Laibach were the ones who kept the progressive tradition going throughout the 1980s, when bands like Begnagrad and Quatebriga ceased to exist. Although not usually considered progressive, their music embodies the true spirit of constantly evolving and progressing towards a higher purpose. And in that goal, Laibach never fail. MacBeth came at a time when Laibach were most creative and includes elements of industrial music, avant-garde, rock, neo classical, etc.
The final and most extensive part of this article will deal with the development of Slovenian progressive rock after the Yugoslavian was. Stay tuned!
This special is originally written for TheRocktologist.com
The development of Slovenian progressive rock, part 1
October 22, 2011 by Rok Podgrajšek
Filed under Specials
Not many people are aware of the progressive rock scene from Slovenia. Admittedly, the scene is quite small, but there are several albums which can hold their own quite well against any so-called world class records. The specific elements typical of Slovenian progressive rock are: heavy emphasis on jazz rock, often an added element of folk, a willingness to experiment, many hard rock elements in certain bands, a more positive oriented sound, hardly any symphonic bands, no space rock in the 1970s and 1980s and no electronic progressive music to speak of.
HEAVY PROGRESSIVE
Slovenian musicians were also favourable towards the heavier side of things, which can clearly be seen even in arguably the only Slovenian avant-garde band to come out of the 1970s, Buldožer, and Oko.
Buldožer – Pljuni istini u oči (1975)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)
Although many credit Buldožer with being the first Slovenian avant-garde rock band, Buldožer played mostly hard progressive rock with a touch of humour in the Frank Zappa style (that’s where their title probably came from), but they didn’t incorporate that many disonnant and unorthodox ideas into their music to be really avant-garde.
Oko – Razkorak (1976)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)
Although the album features mostly hard rock, there are a couple of jazz rock numbers that make this a worthwhile prospect for progressive fans. Pavle Kavec was a Hendrix officionado and still remains so, and it is quite evident in the style of the recording. Think of Hendrix minor – not in the same league, but still pleasant. If not for some of the jazzier tendencies, this would be a pretty forgetable affair, but still vital in the development of Slovenian progressive rock.
JAZZ ROCK
In Slovenia (and Yugoslavia), jazz has always enjoyed a very high status, both among musicians and fans. So it’s no surprise that the majority of the bands now considered as progressive were actually playing a variety of jazz rock. Many of them added their own recognisable elements into the mix, but many times jazz rock was the basis for their endeavours.
September – Zadnja Avantura (1976)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)
Singer Janez Bončina, who was responisble for most of the songwriting on this album, recruited some amazing musicians for the debut of September. Among them was also Tihomit Pop Asanovič, who had just had a successful stint with Croatian band Time. September managed to take good advantage of their individual qualities and create a fun jazz rock album. Constantly revolving around Bončina’s strong vocal delivery and his ideas.
Izvir – Izvir (1978)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)
As one of the few early Slovenian bands to actually try to infuse some symphonic progressive elements (primarily due to Andrej Konjajev’s excellent and versatile keyboards) into their brand of jazz-rock, Izvir released their one and only album in 1978. The album featured some truly outstanding guitar and keyboard work, with a more than solid melodic backdrop. This album is in itself quite strong, but even more than that a testimony of what could have been.
Predmestje – Danes, včeraj in… (1979)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)
Predmestje continued in the tradition September had set up a few years earlier – very catchy and accessible jazz rock which is easy to listen to. Their sound was reminiscent to Izvir,except less epic. When they got going, there were really some sparks flying around. Not many bands managed to survive on the progressive rock scene as Predmestje.
Jutro – Dobro jutro (1980)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)
A less than spectacular album shows this band tackling jazz rock with the emphasis very much on jazz. They come up with some memorable moments on accoasion, but unfortunately those moments are all too rare and most of the time they remained stranded in pointless improvisation and looking for a melody to dig them out of the hole.
This special is originally written for TheRocktologist.com
