“Polish Coldwave Journey” has the taste of a holiday adventure, but before everything else it is an important and unique documentary film about the contemporary Polish coldwave. The premiere of this film will be very soon. For this occasion I had a talk with the father of this idea – coming from Slovenia he is a blogger, music critic, musician, cultural anthropologist, a passionate lover of Polish coldwave – the list is endless… Get to know with me André Savetier! Read More →
“I am merely a music lover”
A Coldwave Journey through Poland
We did it again! After the great experiences we made last year while making a music-anthropological film about dark alternative music in northern Italy, where we met and hung out with ten bands in Bologna, Ravenna, Parma and Gradara, we decided to do a similar film in a different country. Since I am intrigued by Poland, her language and her music, it was not an all too hard decision to make.
The Sounds of Ukraine
Ever since I was the first time in Ukraine in 2005, I fell in love with the country, its people and its language. It was so different to everything I knew before. The normative basis is not unity, but diversity. Add a rich history with lots of glorious, but also painful moments, add the right amount of poetry and melancholy. Add some music. While most of this music belongs to the pop and folk sector, in the recent years alternatives are on the rise.
Let me introduce to you some alternative bands from Europe’s biggest – yet to many unknown – country.
Expression of Aesthetic Needs
Kriistal Ann from Rhodes, Greece, became one of the figureheads of synth music in Europe. Active in the darker kind of music since 2007, Ann has a discography of which others can only dream. This busy lady persuades not only her solo career, but part-takes of several other projects and collaborations, most notably Paradox Obscur. Let us hear what Ann has to tell us. Read More →
A Musical Review of 2016
2016 was in many ways a strange year that will most likely become a marker of big changes, like 1989. We were facing severe geopolitical and sociological changes and lost a whole series of inspiring people like David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Greg Lake and Pete Burns.
But there were also moments of light in 2016. Considering new music it was, actually, great. Like every year I compiled a list of extraordinary songs for you – in no particular order. Read More →
XV Wroclaw Industrial Festival
There are many reasons to visit the Polish city of Wrocław: It is incredibly beautiful, has a moving history and offers a lot of cultural places, museums, galleries, bars and coffee-houses. Furthermore, Wrocław is also the Cultural Capital of Europe 2016.
But my main reason to go there every November for a few days is a different one. The Silesian capital is the spot where one of the biggest annual festivals for industrial music is taking place. Read More →
Post-Punk: A View from Those Who Fell in Love in the 90s
These days, when fewer and fewer people interested in rock music know what it feels like to live without an Internet connection at home, I would like to take a quick nostalgic leap back into the days when it all begun – for me, at least. It’s not like I feel old (even though back in the early 2000s, I would definitely consider my present self an old, terribly old and terribly boring man), but it’s kind of funny how the digital natives generation explores completely different paths to rock music. Read More →
Savetier’s New Wave Journey
July 2016 – finally I could make my dream come true: Travel to Northern Italy and meet all the great bands, about which I have been writing for years, in person. Through these I also got to know other musicians from that region.
On July 16th I picked up Cyrene in Ljubljana and together we started our road-trip towards Bologna. The next seven days were filled with meeting fascinating people and listening to their awesome stories. We enjoyed the company of Caron Dimonio, Two Moons, European Ghost, Temple of Venus, BeStrass, Dade City Days, Schonwald/Shad Shadows, Tetrolugosi, Modern Blossom and The Black Veils. The result is the following recording of over an hour. Nothing was scripted, you will see the musicians how they really are. Enjoy! Read More →
The Berlin Spirit
While writing these lines, I am on the bus, leaving Berlin. I am vividly replaying last week’s highlights in my mind. Am I ready to leave the city, that never was just a city but a spirit, behind?
No, I am not, never was.
Therein lies the lure of Berlin. The city catches you in its spell and before you realise it it holds you hostage without a ransom. Like a drug it captivates you in an eternal dream. To lose oneself in a world of fun or drown in a pool of opportunities is easy. Many open-minded people seek their luck in Berlin, because it promises freedom. Read More →
Rockscape 2016
Banská Bystrica is definitely one of the most beautiful cities of Slovakia. Located in the very centre of the country the city became prosperous through copper mining in the late Middle Ages. Its beautiful buildings and façades in the old town attract lots of visitors every year.
From 24th to 25th of June 2016 the Rockscape festival was organised for the fourth time in the amphitheatre of this picturesque place. When I looked at this year’s line-up, two bands caught my attention: The Last Days of Jesus (Slovakia) and Laibach (Slovenia). Read More →
