Released by: Društvo kočevskih glasbenikov (Kočevje Musicians’ Association)
Release date: December 28, 2020
Production: various producers
Audio finalization: Robi Bulešić
Genre: Compilation / Various artists
Rating: 9.5 / 10
Official Bandcamp page!
As 2020 comes to a close, the Kočevje špila compilation is back with a roundup of the musical and creative pulse of a mysterious Slovenian region. Roughly speaking, that’s the (over)generously stocked territory of today’s municipalities of Kočevje, Kostel, Osilnica, Loški potok and Loška dolina – and please, don’t you dare count the Ribnica area in, or you’ll end up with a rivalry on the level of Ljubljana vs. Maribor or Cerkno vs. Idrija. The cover of this year’s compilation, »… In svet se vrti«, is a mirror of the current state of affairs for this little tribe of two million wanderers on the sunny side of the Alps: an escape from Earth. Literally. To anywhere. Away. With a mask or without, in a spacesuit or without, even just on a bike, but at the very least with a guitar.
This year’s compilation also kicks off bristling and swaggering, in a similar vein to last year’s »S srcem« (RockLine review). Except that the first three minutes are reserved for absolute musical chaos, a sort of “extra-strength free jazz” outburst where all that’s missing from the grand finale is a guitar being set on fire at Woodstock, as the “Czech-sounding” Zdenek in Janek briskly dissect the mathematical fate of Pi. The shockingly chaotic opening “squabble” between sax and a guitar being thrashed wherever the blows happen to land lays the perfect runway for the metal assault delivered by good old thrash metal veterans Nčodnč in the song Gospodar raja. The menopause of rage and fury keeps spreading exuberantly across the compilation, picking up even more groove and thrash metal bounce with the new Septic Order track, the “uplifting” Offspring of Death. No Commnet add a bit more hardcore fuel to the fire with the song Ne verjamem, and the compilation’s biting social-critical flame is already getting dangerously wild, screaming and deafening as it bares its fangs.
From there the compilation steps down from this breakneck rush of events and runs into probably the sharpest singer-songwriter name in the Kočevje area – the already almost legendary Roman Zupančič, who has delivered another excellent song full of witty, perceptive, mischievous poetry. It’s a kind of reflection of the post-midlife crisis that we (real) men tend to land in, practically on an assembly line. The emphasis is on real, out of respect for the trend of correctness toward those who, in line with today’s fashionable outcry, simply don’t feel all that manly in a male body. Roman has nailed his new “black southern blues waltz”, still fueled by plenty of testosterone. One blonde, one brunette – what could be better? The black sarcasm is once again accompanied, as always, by Roman’s mildly smoky, pleasantly caressing, lower-pitched vocals. Roman never disappoints with his sculpted charisma, and the integration of slide guitar licks adds its share too, bringing more dynamics to the template of the composition. And the next track, Delojemalec, directed by Patina, is tied to even more slide guitar moments. That typically gloomy, easygoing Slovenian whining that has become our mantra over the decades feels like a long-missed, lost sequel to Kovačič’s Delam, just forty years younger. The sarcasm is especially brilliant in the closing crescendo, when choral singing joins the lead melody, bordering on the old partisan battle hymns, only this time, of course, it works as a requiem for modern-day slavery. Next up are Blues Bennt, who deliver more blues to the compilation with the song Vse je res, backed by the rhetoric of funky rhythms and even a leap into a cabaret-style jazzy blues and swing mid-eight passage, which nicely shakes up the predictable blues format. As you’ve probably sensed yourself by now, the compilation gets more and more genre-bending from minute to minute, track to track. It doesn’t even dodge a moment of higher-order jazz purism, delivered by the instrumental from Goran Bilbija with the telling title Jazzy. Wonderfully lovely, flowing, smooth guitar playing, built on the search for organic sonic pastels of an antique jazz nature.
The compilation doesn’t skip The Over Drive Cats and a new rockabilly moment with Cheek to Cheek either, and Nika in Nejc are back too, with another song of the kind that the typical female-male singer-songwriter duo of the Slovenian music scene brings. Classically designed and fully acoustic, Ne morem več also knocks on the door of radio airwaves. The pop vibe deepens with yet another strictly singer-songwriter number. That’s Le misel, directed by singer Klavdija Jaketič a.k.a. ClaudiZu, who also appeared on the previous compilation and wins you over with her sensual tenderness. Marko Padovac‘s track Pesem zanjo works out very nicely. Yes. Once again we’re at a moment that could find a place on the radio. The generally predictable formatting of the song is skillfully shaken up with added samples and keyboard melodies, which give the track its own distinctive aura. Also thanks to the nature of the vocals themselves. The melancholy is so thick you could cut it. And that doesn’t hold only for Pesem zanjo. Anger on one side, melancholy on the other – the two basic emotions of the compilation »… in svet se vrti«, as a reflection of the state of mind of today’s society. Slovenian society. It doesn’t get more honest than that.
The grand finale of the compilation brings even more genre color. There’s good old DJ Krosheer with a new electronic dance instrumental and an approach that pumped adrenaline into the blood especially in nightclubs in the early nineties. The very last part of the compilation belongs to hip-hop, once again more than worthily represented by the incredibly sharp, sharp-tongued “thunderer” Dirty O.G. in the song Spomini.
In short. The mission remains unsullied. Društvo kočevskih glasbenikov keeps its unshakable, upright stance. There’s no shortage of those jerky twitches of defiant, unwavering erection (uprightness). Even as the world around these brave and incredibly big-hearted players crumbles unstoppably into dust and ashes, they pay it no mind. If anything, they show even more grit. Kočevje stays incredibly victorious! The compilation is a reflection of the remarkable phenomenon that such a compact and diverse genre mosaic of musicians and performers coexists on a small piece of little Slovenia. Times aren’t rosy, but the phenomenon is still alive. And it’s shielded by love, passion, willpower, dedication and the great mutual bond among the people of Kočevje. Respect. Long may it live, forever and ever.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Compilation artists and tracklist:
1. Zdenek in Janek – 3,14159 (04:56)
2. Nčodnč feat. Maca – Gospodar raja (03:16)
3. Septic Order – Offspring of Death (03:13)
4. No Comment – Ne verjamem (03:10)
5. Roman Zupančič – Ena blont, ena brinet (03:41)
6. Patina – Delojemalec (03:29)
7. Blues Bennt – Vse je res (04:44)
8. Goran Bilbija – Jazzy (03:37)
9. The Over Drive Cats – Cheek to Cheek (02:47)
10. Nika et Nejc – Ne morem več (03:05)
11. ClaudiZu – Le misel (03:31)
12. Marko Padovac – Pesem zanjo (03:33)
13. Krosheer – Defect (Radio Edit) (03:30)
14. Dirty O.G. feat. Iva – Spomini (04:17)
