Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Venue: Orto bar / Ljubljana / Slovenia
Concert date: 04.04.2009
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: 5,00€
The things that can happen to you just because you dialed a number to invite friends over for a Saturday evening coffee chat. Things took such a turn that you end up in Orto Bar, right before a band you never dreamed would turn up in front of you that night. Thanks for that go to Barbara and Tomo for the pleasant surprise, or, put differently, an unexpected crash course on the band Adam.
So, this is not a band sworn to the teachings of the Bible, but the brainchild of guitarist Peter Dekleva, who gathered Anej Kočevar on bass, Damir Lisica “Dado” on vocals and Gregor Jakac on drums. If we quickly rattle off the musicians and bands the members of Adam have been tied to in one way or another: Gušti in Polona, Big foot mama, Laibach, Dan D, Tinkara Kovac, Srečna mladina, Anavrin, Tide, Jadranka Juras, Tomaž Domicelj, Andraž Hribar or Alya, it’s not hard to conclude that, going by the mileage, these guys are “not from yesterday”.
Adam is a band that came together under Peter Dekleva’s baton, really outside the mold of fulfilling obligations dictated by someone else. This time Peter grabbed the wheel himself and created his very own musical child, one that follows nothing but its own language of musical expression, in total freedom.
This is a modern rock approach. That is, it follows an organically conceived sonic foundation, but with plenty of attention paid to building a rich sonic backdrop, with delicate, simple yet hugely effective tricks leaning on effects pedals, which give the music a touch of special mood, a constant, concise shifting between different moods of the personal spirit’s momentary existence. Dekleva uses a truly wide expressive palette to create rich and manifold atmospheres. He pulls this off through the strong, self-assured know-how of the musician himself, who has built up plenty of routine and musical knowledge. So it’s no surprise to hear witty images of warping the basic picture of an organic sound, out to the far ends of the spectrum of tonal color (heavy reverb, a whole host of “crunch” effects, poisonous wah-wah, delays, stereo chorus etc…), which, piled together, can feel esoteric or even hypnotic to the listener. Especially when, in the role of building a layered sonic picture, special samples show up in harmony with the guitar sound collages, which singer Dado now and then coaxed out of a magical sound chest.
Behind him, Dekleva has a rock-solid rhythmic framework which, with great insight, musical flexibility and the necessary touch of “chameleonism” in creating the moment of the unpredictable, serves throughout as a faithful backbone for the sophisticated blending of artistic freedom of expression with melodic receptiveness and listenability, which is hugely interesting to wider music crowds.
Let me stop overcomplicating things. This is excellent indie rock that builds on atmosphere and “groove”, while being supremely easy on the ears. The alternative pulse is underlined above all by the vocal stamp of Damir Lisica – Dado, who slotted in perfectly with the guitarist’s vision and, as the cherry on top, wittily and skillfully gave Adam’s whole point its meaning through his verses.
The band delivered moments of exceptional tightness and onstage chemistry, especially in the transitions and the song endings. What fascinated most was how much the quartet enjoyed themselves up there, the high level of looseness and the loads of radiating confidence, which brought the bulk of the winning points to Adam’s showing at Orto Bar. The lineup can boast an exceptional number of original songs radiating a top-notch mix of rebellious rock energy, a witty play of sonic curtains and rapid-fire sequences of shifting moods, which stirs extra interest, and that’s what it’s all about. A wide range of basic motifs the songs are built on, while still keeping the quartet’s recognizable stamp of seeing music as a means of expression. Adam are therefore an exceptional gain for the Slovenian music scene, a kind of new discovery of an unexplored musical horizon. The guys are currently busy recording an album. After what we experienced at the Orto Bar show, expectations for its release have shot through the roof.
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist
1. Heroji in teror 2. Grlo brez dna 3. Dar 4. Teater 5. Pot v neznano 6. Brez strahu 7. Modrost 8. Pridih 9. Lik 10. Novi svet 11. Črnobeli spletni tok 12. Otroci brzine 13. Odnosi med srečnimi 14. Punker 15. Včeraj, danes, jutri 16. Revolucija
Photo gallery
