Location: Ljubljana / Rožnik (Cankarjev vrh) / Slovenia
Date: Saturday, 16.05.2011
A new May has arrived, and with it a new alibi for student partying up on Rožnik, a hill that’s protected by decree! This green island in the middle of the concrete of the capital, which back in March witnessed some careless desecration (just look at the clear-cut above and below Drenikov vrh today, and the freshly cut, widened road leading west of Čad up toward the top of Rožnik), has come to life for the second time this May. May Day is behind us, and now it’s time for the workers’ uniforms to give way to student intellect.
And so it came to pass that the stage of this year’s student event on Rožnik welcomed the legendary Avtomobili back to Ljubljana. Anyone who knows them knows that Avtomobili are still considered one of the finest rock (or pop rock, if you insist) bands that Slovenia has ever given to rock n’ roll revelry. They don’t make bands like this anymore, and they never will again. Avtomobili developed a distinctive musical style that can only be labeled art rock. Often so slyly, subcutaneously seductive that you didn’t even notice when Marko Vuksanovič’s caressing, velvety vocal had lulled you into a blissful haze. Simple as that. A legendary band with a legendary body of work that we Slovenes can truly be proud of. It’s a catalog that has passed every test of time, music that sounds intelligent, fresh, seductive, unique and different at any given moment, with perfectionist compositions that never stop impressing with the sparkling genius of their authors.
The RockLine crew came huffing and puffing up to the top of Rožnik, more or less in the spirit of aging weekend hikers who aren’t exactly fond of concert locations that sit uphill and where motor vehicles are strictly restricted. Mind you, we’re in the Tivoli Rožnik Šišenski hrib Landscape Park, after all. But Avtomobili are Avtomobili. Not The Stroj before them and not Jinx after them. Plenty of dust is being kicked up around both of those bands these days, and there’s no shortage of publications about their doings. This time, though, we strictly focused on the Avtomobili set alone.
The Avtomobili lineup today consists of the following members: Mirko Vuksanovič (keyboards, backing vocals), Marko Vuksanovič (vocals), Boštjan Andrejc – Buši (guitar, backing vocals), David Šuligoj (bass guitar) and Marko Lasič (drums).
The band climbed onto the stage but couldn’t kick off right away. Guitar problems got sorted after about five minutes. And it was unbelievable. The guitar, barely audible at first, was suddenly balanced in the mix, and from there on it was downright fascinating what a great sound Avtomobili built. Experience is experience! Their sense of sonic perfectionism didn’t let them down this time either.
Naturally, the main spotlight belongs to Marko’s famous voice, which is the chief culprit for making Avtomobili’s music so special and charismatic. Marko, admittedly, has stayed a little awkward ever since he stopped swinging a bass guitar around, because he often doesn’t quite know what to do with his hands on stage. The man stands calmly, eyes closed, almost motionless. His voice does all the work, and it keeps gaining a noble sheen over the years. Over the years, ha, ha, ha… how fitting. Of course, that song was in the set too: Skozi leta!
Great energy accompanied the revelry with the legends. Rožnik was packed! Those for whom music isn’t the priority indulged their vices, getting cozy with various alcoholic brews, though I should mention that for safety reasons glass bottles and cans were banned. Bottles and cans were all over the place back when a gray-haired crowd held their May Day party here. So there was no need to think too much about the quality of the beer. Really. The beer, poured into plastic cups, was downright disgusting this time, so it’s no wonder the cviček they use to mix bambus (the wine-and-cola combo) quickly started running short at the venue.
Let’s get back to our brave colleagues from the Nova Gorica wine district instead. By then they’d already dug deep into their repertoire, treating listeners to Prihaja moj dan, Gorica, Drugačno nebo , Skozi leta, Pot domov, Enkrat v življenju, Proti luni, Gospodar, Navaden dan, Odpri oči, Sama, Nekaj let, Ljubezen ne stanuje tu, Argentina, Enakonočje, V mrzlih dvoranah.
A gig with excellent sonic qualities, where you could hear loud and clear the warm melodic character of the active bass line, the clearly foregrounded blanket of Mirko’s keyboards, harmonized on equal terms with the support of Buši’s guitar, and the precise rhythmic command of Marko Lasič! A soundscape just the way you want it, the kind of event we witness far too rarely in these new times. So let’s hope Avtomobili still have some fuel left in the tank for their mature years, and that before too long they’ll start recording new material and maybe even release a new album.
Avtomobili don’t play all that often, but when they hit the stage, they simply enchant you. Their music and the way they perform it are so strong in substance and character that at a gig Avtomobili build a world of their own, one that can suck you in instantly. In it you lose all sense of time and space, and when the guys leave the stage, that feeling lingers. It doesn’t fade. And that’s the best proof of how truly the charisma of this venerable Slovenian band’s authorial individuality works. After a good hour they wrapped up their set on Rožnik and handed the stage over to the “notorious” and, let’s be honest, somewhat overrated these days, Croatian band Jinx. The party went on until the early morning hours, but everyday challenges were waiting for us, so with the sweet feelings our ears had soaked up from the mellifluous music of Avtomobili, we left the venue and slowly slid down into the valley.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
