Radio Student Zagreb 100,5MHz, Croatia
In this edition of the IndieRE broadcast show we focused on displaying a wide range of artist and genres that were released in the course of the pandemic which put the music business to a halt. We presented post metal from the band Moraines, dreamy indie from the band Rodeo (both of which released only singles up to this point), dark art rock from The Gentleman, electronic jazz from the band Trokut and atmospheric electronic music from the producer JMZM. We finally got a chance to speak to the producer and artist Mark Mrakovčić. He is undoubtedly a crucial figure on the Zagreb scene, but also in Croatia in general as he is the most active recording engineer and producer of alternative independent music – many of which we covered in the Radio Muse show.
We talked about his roots, how he started out, but also how he views the croatian alternative music scene in general. His insight is that of experience and knowledge, while also remaining humble and happy to be a part of the scene. His studio became a part of the Dostava Zvuka label and we also spoke about the labels biggest festival Ferragosto Jam.
ARTIST:
Moraines
Post-metal band from Zagreb. They only released an EP in 2008 but remained silent shortly afterward, until 2021. They wrote new material and the time finally came. They recorded the music here but also sent the tracks to LA to Michael Patterson. The result was two awesome progressive rock songs with the LP on the way.
https://moraines.bandcamp.com/
Rodeo
Rodeo is a dreamy indie pop band with a more complex twist in the instrumentals while remaining very melodic on the vocals. They are completely fresh on the Croatian scene with only two singles out.
https://www.facebook.com/rodeoperforming
Trokut
Trokut was an eletronic jazz quartet which released one of the best instrumental albums last year called 'Shapeless'. Their music combines electronic and drum'n'bass beats with jazz harmonies. The atmosphere that they produce is absolutely mesmerising and the best thing about it – they play it all on live instruments. Shortly after the release of the album they became a quintet, now featuring vocals!
https://www.facebook.com/trokutband
The Gentleman
In the last few years, the city of Koprivnica became a hotpot of music. Although they remain very dependant of Zagreb for most of their work, their origin and their activeness in their hometown helped many people to start making music. The Gentleman is one of those guys. His music is dark and gloomy, reliant on his deep voice and minimalist instrumentals.
https://thegentleman.bandcamp.com/album/the-gentleman
JMZM
JMZM are two producer friends that make artistic and atmospheric music, generally electronic. Their were oftenly hired to do music for documentaries and theather and released over 20 studio albums. Their sound is highly experimental and sometimes obscene. They are from Rijeka.
Mark Mrakovčić
Producer and artist from Zagreb. He is one of the crucial figures on Zagreb music scene since 2010. A lot of bands (many of which we featured in Radio Muse) recorded their first music in his studio, many active bands that went out of the underground to the mainstream scene still work with him as a producer. As an artist he only released his first album in summer 2020 and by surprise or not the album was raw garage indie rock that sounded very lo fi and unproduced. Suffice to say it was one of the best alternative albums of 2020.
https://markmrakovicic.bandcamp.com/album/breeding-black-sheep
LABELS:
Dostava Zvuka
https://www.facebook.com/dostavazvuka
Rika Muzika
https://www.facebook.com/rikamuzika
LA Agency
https://www.facebook.com/LosAngelesAgency
PLAYLIST:
1. Moraines – Human, titan (4:20) (single, 2021, LA Agency)
2. Rodeo - Imperator (4:58) (single, 2021, Dostava Zvuka)
3. Mark Mrakovčić – Picking (2:08) (Breeding Black Sheep, 2020, Dostava zvuka)
4. Mark Mrakovčić – Tinnitus (3:11) (Breeding Black Sheep, 2020, Dostava zvuka)
5. Mark Mrakovčić – Keep the rest (1:47) (Breeding Black Sheep, 2020, Dostava zvuka)
6. The Gentleman – Hide and seek (3:37) (single, 2021, self-released)
7. Trokut – Spinning Top (3:50) (Shapeless, 2020, Rika Muzika)
8. JMZM feat Izae Medošević – Kamikaze (6:40) (Sensitive, 2020, self-released)
This show was prepared by Ivan Vlašić and Ivan Kolar, recorded and mixed by Ivan Kolar.