Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Ljubljana / Channel Zero (Metelkova) / Slovenia
Concert date: February 28, 2013
Attendance: 100
Ticket price: €5.00 / €7.00 (with the album "Smoods")
At Channel Zero, Mate Brodar, one half of Da Phenomena and known as a solo artist under the BRO project, sent his second studio album off into the world, a record called »Smoods«. Mate Brodar is a well-respected musician. He cut his teeth with Magnific, and he had the great honor of being part of the backing crew for Sestre, who represented Slovenia at Eurovision in Tallinn.
Mate is a cheeky guy, full of positive vibes and with a built-in knack for always landing a good »gag«. A sharp mind that never stops virtuously, sparklingly »skipping ahead«. And in the creative-artistic department, Mate exploits that virtue masterfully. He’s a musician with an exceptional sense of sonic and arranging aesthetics, something he was born with.
There was little buzz that anything was even happening with the continuation of BRO, which gave birth to the studio debut »Serious Reggae Deviations« in 2009 – RockLine review HERE. That album, if anyone still remembers, came out together with one of the issues of the now-defunct RSQ Magazine and pleasantly surprised everyone with its quality.
That night the small club Channel Zero filled up with a bunch of the finest Slovenian musicians BRO works with one way or another, or is somehow »brotherly« connected to – in short, a crowd of allies and friends, and of course an audience that might have been laypeople but was starving for great music.
Saxophonist Bojan Zupančič (Xequtifz), hip-hopper Trkaj and singers Polona Leben and Mojca Zalar (Spleen, Obduction) took turns coming up on stage to join Brodar and the crew on individual songs from a set that was mostly a mix of the new record »Smoods« and its predecessor »Serious Reggae Deviations«. The one who fared worst in the stage renditions was, ironically, the most interesting of the bunch, Trkaj. But not through any fault of his own. He was set too low in the mix of BRO’s adaptation of Siddharta’s »Lunanai« (»Light In My Eyes«). However I look at it, it’s clear on the studio version why Trkaj is an indispensable spice for the song. Polona Leben sang the duets on »Rasta«, Bojan Zupančič contributed sax to »Bass In The Face«, and Mojca Zalar jumped in on »All I Want« and on the excellent cover of »Nights Of Highstonia« by superstars Muse.
Mate built a backing framework around himself in the form of Siti Hlapci. Beno Soršak (guitar), Samo Pečar (bass) and Matej Horvat (drums), with BRO at the helm, confidently pulled off a distinctive musical blend that brings together elements of drum’n’bass, dub, jazz, even swing, but likes to hang out most in the rhythmic foundations of reggae. BRO’s boyish vocals gravitate confidently toward this kind of sonic landscape. The man has a finely tuned ear and thought of everything. »Apple« is the answer. Propping up the sound with programmed sample patterns, which leave their mark especially in the transitions between songs, is a necessary filler for this kind of musical idiom.
In the often dreamy »groove« of absence, there’s a ton of room for improvisation. In the backing, which provided the backdrop for Brodar’s charisma, Samo Pečar made the best use of it, with the exceptionally soft and flexible warmth of his bass. Well, and now comes the second half of the paragraph, which brings a slightly negative note. An Ibanez doesn’t belong in this kind of musical vibe. You had to wait until the Muse cover for it to find its purpose. Put a good old-school Telecaster in his hands and the backing picture will be even prettier in the future. The RGX Ibanez simply generates too sharp a sound, while BRO’s Fender Stratocaster wove beautifully through the set with its sweet tone.
It was an evening in which Mate Brodar, among other things, symbolically announced that Da Phenomena are coming back to life (during his speech, Da Phenomena buddy Dagi handed him a can of Union from the crowd), and hinted that a new single from the duo, titled »Nov Dan«, comes out on March 1, 2013 (the new album is slated for this fall). That was backed up by a performance of the Da Phenomena hit »Nočem te nazaj« in a strictly reggae-flavored adaptation (earlier in the first half of the show, the band had also played an adaptation of the Da Phenomena song »Iznad neba«). The event, which kicked off well after eleven p.m., kept everyone filled with positive vibes the whole way through, and the party merry-go-round showed no sign of stopping. Mate Brodar, in his usual manner, backed the night up with a sparkling dose of sarcasm. Great playing, great musical evening. It was one of those sorely missed moments that helps you forget the hardships of reality that everyday life demands. »Smoods«, welcome among us!
Setlist
1. Rub It In
2. Lunanai
3. Rasta
4. Runaway
5. Iznad neba
6. Bass In The Face
7. Them Belly Full / So Much Trouble (Bob Marley mix)
8. Sanis
9. All I Want
10. Universe
11. Nights Of Highstonia
12. Ruff Respect
13. Nočem te nazaj
14. Bag Of Weed
15. Supraspring
16. Loodown Stealah
17. Masta Blasta Jammin’
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