The Orlek band is based in Zagorje ob Savi, in the heart of Slovenia’s mining region, in the centre of Slovenia. The band takes its name from the hill at the outermost edge of Zagorje. Their music is an idiosyncratic rock’n’roll cocktail, a kind of “folk punk polka rock”. The eclectic combination of instruments, comprising wind section and an accordion in addition to the traditional rock line-up, places them in the ethno folk music category. Orlek’s specialty is lyrics spiced with social commentary and humour, containing numerous expressions referring to the hardships of coal miners. The outgoing and communicative musicians are quick to establish contact and have a talent for engaging audiences from different cultural environments. This has been proved by successful appearances at various festivals dedicated to the genre – WOM festivals, Tanz & Folk Fest in Rudolstadt (Germany), Folk Fiesta (Poland), Druga godba (Slovenia), as well as other concerts and festivals around the world: Musikfest in Bethlehem (USA), Arts Festival Lahore (Pakistan), Folkherbst in Plauen (Germany), Fringe Festivals in Australia and New Zealand (Sydney, Adelaide, Wellington…), Chaoyang Spring Carnival in Beijing, China, and Star Live Club in Beijing. Their widespread reputation has been sealed by appearances at festivals in Hungary, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Russia and Slovenia. In October 2012, the band embarked on a highly successful tour of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, playing to Slovenian immigrants. Orlek are also noted for their upbeat club gigs, most notably the 2002 appearance at the legendary CBGB Club in New York. On their second tour of the United States in 2006 they held an extra concert in Philadelphia. The band’s singular sound and engaging texts attracted the attention of both music critics and broader public. Their album “Adijo knapi” (Farewell Miners) won several awards, including the Liberal Academy of Slovenia’s Golden Bird Award, the Band of the Year Award presented by the Maribor Student Radio – Maršev gojzar, and a local community award.

Oskar Longyka is a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician. He has collaborated with many Slovenian and foreign musicians of different generations and musical backgrounds. In Rotterdam, he perfected his skills in the tango department, which is one of his areas of interest. He has attended workshops with Argentinian musicians, such as Ramiro Gallo, Guillermo Rubino, Exequiel Mantega and Paulina Fain. He continues to nourish his interest in ethno music, which he developed under the mentorship of Bojan Cvetrežnik, with the string ensemble Trio Lumi. The band released its debut album in January 2021. In 2021, he published “.codex” as part of the .abeceda Institute.

The music of Pantaloons, participants of Club Marathon 2019, a yearly club tour organized by Radio Študent, is like a mixture of traditional Guča brass bands and acts from the contemporary London jazz scene. Despite existing as a band for barely a year, this trio from the Slovenian coast creates a zestful mix of jazz, breakbeat, dubstep and funk delivered on saxophone, tuba and drums. Upbeat, groovy and intense, their live gigs never disappoint the ones keen on dancing.

The Slovenian jazz band from Maribor Patetico was established in 2003. The band performs world-renowned songs arranged by their artistic director Rok Vilčnik. Their jazz compositions with swing and chanson vibes are known for the interpretations of the vocalist and stand out with their lyrics, which make use of pathetic fallacy as a literary expression.

Patrick Quaggiato is a composer, pedagogue, singer, choir and brass band conductor, and percussionist. He initially graduated in percussion and, in November of 2008, also in vocal-choral composition and choral conducting at the Tartini Conservatory in Trieste. His current oeuvre comprises 600 compositions. His works were published on CDs and in collections in Italy, Slovenia, and Austria. They won several important Slovenian national awards earning him a place among leading Slovenian composers. Quaggiato’s compositions were also performed by the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra and by the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. They travelled the world, and entered repertoires of many choirs.

The members of Paul Grem come from different musical backgrounds (Tinkara Kovač, Rudi & the cool vibes, Matjaž Jelen band, Ptice, Špičikuc Orchestra, Danilo Kocjančič Friends, Bluesback...). Together, Paul Grem express themselves with simple, raw melodies and brutally life-like and personally confessional lyrics. Blues, country and rock with a touch of pop run through their veins.

Pavlov is an indie rock and post-punk trio from Litija, active since 2017.

An outsider hip-hop duo from the streets of Ljubljana, PTČ represents the younger generation of local rappers and beatsmiths influenced by contemporary trailblazers, such as JPEG Mafia, Earl Sweatshirt and Denzel Curry. Their productions vary from pseudo-club bangers to abstract percussive beats, which constantly border on the experimental, but it’s their cryptic and abstract lyrics and moody flow in the Ljubljana slang that make them stand out among their peers. Enigmatic urban tales.

Leta 1977 je s sociologom Gregorjem Tomcem ustanovil skupino Pankrti, ki je delovala do leta 1987 in je bila vzor kasnejši punk rock sceni in glasbenemu gibanju Novi val v bivši Jugoslaviji. Preden je začel s samostojno glasbeno kariero, je ustanovil rock skupino Sokoli. Skupaj z Vladom Kreslinom in Zoranom Predinom je leta 2000 za ljubitelje nogometa posnel še vedno najbolj prepoznavno slovensko športno himno Slovenija gre naprej. Za himno je tudi napisal besedilo. Ploščo iz leta 2000 Izlet in Happy Hour iz leta 2007 je snemal na Jamajki z legendarnimi The Wailers, skupino Boba Marleyja, in s producentom Brianom Jobsonom, ki je produciral tudi No Doubt in Eurythmics. Leta 2014 je izdal antologijo tekstov Moj pogled na svet, v kateri predstavi svoje najljubše in tudi sicer najbolj prepoznavne pesmi iz obdobja Pankrtov, Sokolov in samostojne kariere. Istega leta praznuje tudi s Pankrti in sicer v ljubljanskih Stožicah, kjer pred razprodano dvorano nastopi tudi skupaj z bivšim članom skupine Sex Pistols, Glenom Matlockom. Tega leta prejmejo Pankrti tudi plaketo mestne občine Ljubljana za posebne zasluge na področju kulture. In 1977, he established the band Pankrti together with his friend, sociologist Gregor Tomc. The band, which was disbanded in 1987, was a precursor to the later punk rock music scene and the New Wave in Ex-Yougoslavia. Before embarking on a solo career, Lovšin established another rock band ‘Sokoli’. In 2000, he recorded together with musicians Vlado Kreslin and Zoran Predin the popular stadium anthem ‘Slovenija gre naprej’ (Slovenia moves forward), which is well-known still today. He also wrote the lyrics. Both his albums ‘Izlet’ (Trip) from 2000 and ‘Happy Hour’ from 2007 were recorded in Jamaica in collaboration with the legendary Bob Marley’s band, The Wailers, and the producer Brian Jobson, who produced No Doubt and the Eurythmics. In 2014, Lovšin released an anthology of texts ‘Moj pogled na svet’ (My view of the world), in which he presents his favourite and most popular songs from the period of Pankrti, Sokoli and his solo career. The same year he celebrated his career with a concert at the sold-out venue Ljubljana Stožice and performed with Glen Matlock from the Sex Pistols. Also in 2014, Pankrti received the Ljubljana Municipality plaque of merit for their special cultural contribution.

Perpetuum Jazzile is known as one of the most popular European vocal groups, specializing in attractive rhythmic music using voices only, garnering well over 70 million views on YouTube by January 2019. Unique song renditions of this critically-acclaimed vocal orchestra from Slovenia are known for their powerful rhythms, rich harmonies, spiced up by the vibrant singers' energy. In 2017 Perpetuum Jazzile has also been proud to enter the race for Grammy nominations in four categories. In the recent years, the group has rocked the concert halls of North and South America, Asia, and all across Europe, while it has also been proud to enrich many events of the most demanding corporate clients, such as Disney Europe, Pirelli Calendar, Renault, and others.