For the 20th edition of the show IndieRE – this time hosted by Radio Študent in Ljubljana – we have gathered music by some of the most notable Slovenian musicians and bands, which have left their mark on the Slovenian music scene in the past few months. The show will include music by the hardcore punk band Agregat and the new jazz band Zhlehtet, who released their debut albums this year. The show will also present new music by the multiinstrumentalist Iztok Koren, the bedroom pop solo project MORVERN and the jazz singer-songwriter duo 3:rma, which is part of the finalists of this year’s Klubski Maraton, a concert tour project organized by Radio Študent. The show will include two interviews – one with Tit Podobnik, the owner of the Slovenian underground DIY label ŠOP Records and one with the Slovenian jazz pianist Rok Zalokar, who is also a part of the new jazz project Zhlehtet.

ŠOP Records is an underground DIY label established in 2013 as a small bedroom record label and has through the years grown into one of the most notable publishers in the Slovenian alternative scene. More than fifty different releases have been issued by the label, between which we can find well known Slovene musicians such as MORVERN with around ten albums and EPs, Drone Emoji, balans and a few artists with hidden identities.

MORVERN is one of the most known names currently working with ŠOP Records. The man who hides behind this bedroom pop solo project is Jan Cizej, who this year released his second DIY album called How are you?. The album is a collection of warm love songs driven by both acoustic and electric guitars, that take us back to the last days of summer.

Klubski Maraton is Radio Študent’s residency program, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. The residency annually features six local artists by recording and issuing a compilation album at Radio Študent’s own record label ZARŠ. Apart from airplay and publishing, artists also receive a regional tour which was unfortunately very sparse in 2020. One of the artists featured this year in the program, which we will present on the show is ɜ:rma, a singer-songwriter duo that consists of jazz guitarist Urška Supej and vocalist Maša But.

Agregat is a three-piece hardcore punk band from the city of Postojna. The trio’s first release takes us back to 2017, when they created a split EP with the now-broken up hardcore band Zabojnik, which was released on cassette. After three years of mostly concerts, the band presented their debut album called Agregatke dol, released on vinyl for the youth cultural center MKDC of Postojna. In the album the boys bring us an intense punk atmosphere that revolves around their life in their hometown Postojna. The band stands out as one of the most important names in the Slovenian DIY scene and are common concert guests at the famous Pumpa skate park in their hometown.

Rok Zalokar is one of the more prolific jazz pianists currently working in Ljubljana. In 2016 he was awarded with the prestigious Erasmus jazz prize. He is involved in various music projects primarily as a composer, improviser and performer. To list just a few, there are for instance Zhlehtet, MillionEar and Rok Zalokar Trio. He is also involved in the free improvisation scene, often mixes projects for his peers and runs an event series Impronedeljek with the emphasis on improvisation. In this show we will present music from his new band Zhlehtet.

Iztok Koren is a Slovenian musical polymath best known for his work with the avantfolk outfits Širom, ŠKM Banda and Hexenbrutal. His latest album is called Lonely Hymns and Pillars of Emptiness, which was released by Takuroku, a sub-label of the british Cafe OTO. The album was mixed and produced by Glitterbeats’ Chris Eckman, however Iztok composed, improvised and recorded all of the tracks himself. On the album he explores melancholy, intimacy and the mysticism stemming from his native lowlands in the north-eastern region of Slovenia.

This edition of the show IndieRE was hosted by Radio Študent as part of the Radio Muse network. The show was created by Jan Kopač and Ružica Petrova.