Artist: Kržišnik, Borut
Label: Self-released
Released: 2007
Rating: 4/5
Lately I’ve been having quite a bit of luck with Slovenian music, and I’ve discovered some really wonderful artists. Of course there are the old hands like Begnagrad, Quatebriga, Bratko Bibič solo, Milko Lazar and a few others. Borut Kržišnik belongs to this bunch of more avant-garde artists too. He started his solo career on Recommended Records, the label Chris Cutler (Henry Cow) founded out of a love for pure, non-capitalist music. That earned Borut at least some worldwide exposure, which led to a few of his albums later being released on American labels as well.
Borut Kržišnik started his musical career as a member of Marcus 5, alongside Jani Hace (Siddharta), Vinci Vogue Anžlovar and others. Back then the guys played new-romantic music in the vein of Spandau Ballet, Ultravox and so on. Borut later played in other bands, each with its own style, but here he’s morphed more into a composer of almost classical music, and on this album he also collaborates with the Dutch dance company Station Zuid, who staged a ballet to his music.
The music on this album contains no rock elements whatsoever. You might wonder why something like this is being reviewed on a site that focuses solely on that genre. I think there’s nothing wrong with us rockers widening our horizons with good music every once in a while, no matter what it’s called, whether that’s jazz, classical, folk, or our beloved rock.
This album would be very hard to describe. In the strict sense of the word it isn’t exactly classical, because Borut Kržišnik plays all the “classical” instruments (mostly strings) on keyboards. Even so, his performances sound extremely convincing. Admittedly I’m no specialist in production and the various aspects of sound manipulation, but I could easily have mistaken Kržišnik’s sounds for a real orchestra. And so that he wouldn’t concentrate entirely on the pure reproduction of organic sounds, Kržišnik added a bit of the real thing on some tracks for good measure (clarinet, violin).
Stylistically it may well be classical music, but there’s also plenty of minimalism and experimentation in it, in the style of someone like John Zorn and his school. At times we get some really beautiful classical moments you can lose yourself in, and a few moments later Kržišnik gets lost in a world of minimalist avant-garde improvisation. I’ve liked the avant-garde for a long time, but I still think Kržišnik is better suited to a more organized style, by which I mean the “proper” compositions rather than improvisations, which generally don’t lead to anything all that interesting. At times Kržišnik wanders into jazz too, but that usually doesn’t last long, since classical and improvisation are always lurking nearby.
Kržišnik played all the instruments himself, except for the clarinet and violin on some pieces. For the most part it’s an orchestra (strings) that Borut plays using modern keyboards, which conjure up a really authentic sound of strings and other instruments. For mastering he got help from the well-established Simon Heyworth (Mike Oldfield), who offered his services on two tracks.
Sacre du Temps is a very welcome novelty on the Slovenian market, which is saturated with all sorts of kitsch and mediocrity. Borut Kržišnik has proven himself a good composer, performer and experimenter. His music definitely has more depth than it seems at first glance, so this album is worth taking the time for, and it certainly deserves that time. It’s an album that’s hard to understand and tough to listen to, but once you manage to break down all the barriers and layers, you realize the time was well spent. Finally, a Slovenian release again that rises above the average and strives for something more original.
Line-up
Borut Kržišnik – all instruments
guests: Mario Marolt – clarinet, Vuk Krakovič – violin
Production
Borut Kržišnik
Track list
1. Vacuum
2. Paths of Coincidence
3. Love Song No.1
4. Love Song No.2
5. March to Eternity
6. Codes And Signs
7. Procedures
8. Intelligent Body
9. Fire
10. Love Song No.3
