The 9th edition of the festival of musical discoveries will take place at more than 15 concert and conference venues around Ljubljana. Focusing on new, stylistically diverse acts, MENT Ljubljana showcases up-and-coming and established artists from all over Europe. The MENT conference is also an indispensable part of the festival, attracting hundreds of professionals from all over the world who visit Ljubljana to enjoy the wide-ranging music programme, make new acquaintances, meet professionals from the Balkan region, strengthen their networks and get the latest updates on trends in the music industry.

"MENT Festival has gained a reputation of one of Europe’s most significant showcases – unconcerned by hype and far more likely to get it right by showcasing the weirdest, most thrilling acts."

Fergal Kinney, LOUD AND QUIET MAGAZINE (UK)

This year, MENT presents The Baltic Focus, a joint initiative dedicated to the vibrant scenes of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which will bring together a wide range of performers, professionals, presentations and conference themes related to the Baltic states. The Baltic Focus is co-produced by the export offices Music Estonia, Music Latvia and the Lithuanian Music Business Association with the support of the Baltic Cultural Fund. The first 9 acts:

BIRDS OF UNKNOWN (Slovenia)

KLOTLJUDI (Serbia)

LELEE (Slovenia)

MOVEKNOWLEDGEMENT (Slovenia)

NESEN (Latvia)

PLANETA POLAR (Lithuania)

PUULUUP (Estonia)

WU-LU (United Kingdom)

ZOUJ (Germany)

The first batch of acts includes the subtle contemporary jazz trio Birds of Unknown,

Serbian garage punk outfit Klotljudi, heralds of "Adriatic" indie rock Lelee, Slovenian neo-psychedelia ambassadors Moveknowledgement, melancholic Latvian rockers Nesen, Lithuanian neo-cumbia explorers Planeta Polar, adventurous Estonian neofolk Puuluup, explosive hip-hop/post-punk blend Wu-Lu and futuristic pop trailblazers Zouj.

The first 9 speakers:

The MENT keynote interviews will feature Christof Ellinghaus, founder and CEO of the most important German independent label City Slang, and legendary Slovenian concert promoter Igor Vidmar (ŠKUC Ropot, Slovenia). A number of booking agents are coming to Ljubljana, including Sarah Joy (ATC Live, UK), who represents bands, such as Yard Act, Squid and PVA, and Jerome Williams (EBB Music, The Netherlands), who works with Altin Gün, Jambinai and BCUC among others. Michal Kaščak, founder, director and programme manager of Slovakia's largest festival Pohoda, will join the festival roundtable. The conference will also host Nadja Haderer, head of one of Austria's leading independent labels Ink Music. As part of the Baltic Focus, Director of Music Estonia Ave Tölpt, experienced Latvian agent and manager Guna Zučika (Every Little Thing) and Lithuanian concert promoter (M.P.3) and president of the Lithuanian Music Business Association Vaidas Stackevičius will reveal the peculiarities and secrets of their music scenes.

Super early bird festival and PRO PASS tickets are on sale now!

M E N T Ljubljana. Produced by Kino Šiška. Conference co-produced by Sigic. The festival is supported by the City of Ljubljana and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.