Tovariš Strmoglavljen

Tovariš Strmoglavljen

KIBLA PORTAL, Valvasorjeva 40, Maribor
Friday, 16 December 2016, at 8 p. m.

A performance by one of the most ingenious and original musicians in general. Tovariš Strmoglavljen (Comrade Toppled) is an alias of Martin Ukmar, a silent protagonist of the unconventional, quasi-existing musical wave, which has been dubbed by its supporters as the "strange new Slovenia". It is a one man band project of unimagined dimensions, a must-see for anyone truly in love in expressive musical articulation. Ukmar participated in various projects (Kislu grozdje, Bržjast, Kraški solisti); he is always on the hunt for folk and blues sonic anti-structures, which he usually catches by turning around intonations and melodies, covering them with a layer of strings, an abundance of percussions, and his own voice, the latter always somewhat concealed, due to the delivered message.

His recognizable expressive chaotic atmosphere is created by means of dispersed melodies, which, combined with his dislocated vocals, result in a specific polyphony with fragments of psychedelic. His releases to this day have all been playful, vivacious sonic units. The tracks are easy to remember, and despite of various improvisational moments, they can be easily followed by the listener. Tovariš Strmoglavljen does not found his musical expression upon strict improvisation, but rather integrates it cleverly into pre-conceived compositions.

Tovariš Strmoglavljen builds his originality first and foremost through an inventive way of performing and use of instruments. He demonstrates this masterfully in his live performances, which is why each of his concerts is precious and not to be missed, especially because his appearances are rare, while his studio projects (completed sets) have more of an accompanying value in this respect, although they are outstanding nonetheless. We should particularly point out the use of a unique instrument - "strmoglavec" ("toppler"), which employs a special mechanism producing electronic, emotive melodies that establish quite a difference in his fixed acoustic repertoire.

https://tovaristrmoglavljen.bandcamp.com/