A festival of music discovery focused on local, regional and European scenes, in 2022 MENT returns to its traditional three-day format with an international conference, which regularly attracts hundreds of professionals from all over Europe.

This year’s programme, spread across 15 locations, includes more than 80 acts from 25 countries. For the grand Wednesday opening at Kino Šiška, the acclaimed American singer-songwriter and producer Yves Tumor is making his Slovenian debut as the main act of the night. Among the many exciting acts performing on Thursday and Friday, we find the Ukrainian hip-hop icon Alyona Alyona, French avant-pop artist Oklou and UK singer-songwriter Martha Skye Murphy, to mention a few.

For this edition, MENT is joining forces with the Ljubljana festival Druga godba, which is celebrating its 38th anniversary. The festival, which will run from 24 May through 30 May, has always championed the intersection between old and new, introducing lesser-known musical styles and traditions alongside big names from various world and indigenous music scenes. The bill for the Druga godba stage includes the Slovenian bluesman Niko Novak, Japanese tribal-psych trio KUUNATIC, Belgian jazz fusion act Echoes of Zoo and Irish psychedelic dance music selector DJ Fitz.

The full programme will be revealed mid-April. Visit www.ment.si for more information.

#PROGRAMME

THE FIRST 42:

Ukrainian hip-hop icon ALYONA ALYONA, Slovenian post-folk multi-instrumentalists ANA KRAVANJA & SAMO KUTIN, dreamy French shoegaze BRYAN'S MAGIC TEARS, Austrian producer and jazz drummer CID RIM, German "brunch pop" act DAS BISSCHEN TOTSCHLAG, lord of psychedelic rhythms DJ FITZ, psychoactive post-jazz ECHOES OF ZOO, Austrian progressive pop FARCE, Serbian indie/alt rock youngsters GAZORPAZORP, indie quartet from the Amsterdam underground GLOBAL CHARMING, Slovakian avant-pop/jazz fusion GOD AND EVE, explorer of modular soundscapes HRTL, Slovenian industrial/synth-pop duo IT'S EVERYONE ELSE, Dutch electronic music adventurer JACQNOISE, Hungarian jazz/hip-hop/fusion trio JAZZBOIS, rising stars of Slovenian pop rock KOKOSY, Japanese tribal-psych trio KUUNATIC, Serbian magnetic tape sorcerer LENHART TAPES, emerging UK singer-songwriter MARTHA SKYE MURPHY, French-Japanese visual and sound artist MIKA OKI, Lithuanian avant-pop singer/producer MONIKAZE, Balkan folk meets noise rock NEMEČEK, Slovenian bluesman NIKO NOVAK, French avant-pop artist OKLOU, German-Swiss krautrock/post-punk alliance OMNI SELASSI, slacker music with an Adriatic vibe PITAJ KLINCE, new gen Italo disco PLANET OPAL, Slovenian leftfield hip-hop duo PTČ, Italian kiwi pop representatives QLOWSKI, French avant-dancehall-via-R&B collective QUINZEQUINZE, Slovenian rapper and dancer SAHAREYA, Polish activist duo SIKSA, Czech post-punk noisemakers SINKS, Belgian AV electronic duo SKY H1 & MIKA OKI, Slovenian transgenre trio SPIRAL MIND, Macedonian avant-jazz ensemble SVETLOST + ODRON RITUAL ORCHESTRA, Bosnian bedroom pop SVOJE, Czech synth experimentalist URSULA SEREGHY, Estonian dream pop duo VERA VICE, Slovenian modular techno duo WARHORSE, American singer-songwriter/producer YVES TUMOR and Romanian art rock/electro-pop act ZIMBRU.

#CONFERENCE

MENT Ljubljana reveals the first 20 speakers of this year’s conference, which is focused on education, networking, professional debates, presentations of technological innovations and other relevant topics regarding the music industry and creativity.

The conference is hosting interviews with Beckie Sugden (ICM Partners/Primary Talent International, UK), the agent of Anderson Paak, T-Pain, Ghostemane and other big names, and Ronald Keizer (BLIP Agency, NL), the manager of the popular Dutch anatolian rock band Altın Gün.

A number of booking agents of some of the most important European agencies are coming to Ljubljana, among them Federico Zanatta (Swamp Booking, DE), Aimee Kearsley (ICM Partners/Primary Talent International, UK), Marjan Lopuh (Analog Agency, SI) and Lucija Ivšić (Cereal Booking, AU).

As part of the collab with Druga godba, there will be an interview with the festival director Bogdan Benigar, who is celebrating his 30th anniversary in this role. Benigar is also a programme curator at Cankarjev dom, Slovenia's main cultural and congress centre.

A large number of professionals from the former Yugoslavia states will be there as well, among them the representatives of all the showcase festivals from the Western Balkan region: Login Kochishki (PIN Conference, MK), Vastag Vendel (Indirekt Festival, RS), Predrag Ivanović (Kontakt Konferencija, RS), Kushtrim Dushi (Prishtina Music Conference, KO) and Mersel Bujak (BAM C, BA).

The first batch includes one of the most popular regional podcasters Galeb Nikčević (Agelast, RS), co-founder of one of the fastest-growing regional digital-only labels Bojan Bojko (više manje zauvijek, HR), musician, organiser and activist Nina Hudej (Grounded, Warrego Valles, SI) and music editor Špela Cvetko (Radio Študent, SI).

On the list of speakers you can also find Oskar Štrajn (ESNS, NL), one of the booking agents of the biggest European showcase festival, Henriette Heimdal (Family in Music, UK), an expert in digital distribution, Chris Eckman (Glitterbeat Records, SI), co-founder of a multiply-awarded "world music" label, Koen ter Heegde (Subroutine Records, Yugofuturism, NL), a mediator between the Dutch, Balkan and Eastern-European scenes, and Anna Mašátová (AMPromotions, CZ), a manager and music journalist.

The conference will be attended by the representatives of various European festivals: Monkey Week (ES), Jazz:Re:Found Festival (IT), Sharpe Festival (SK), BUSH - Budapest Showcase Hub (HU), PIN Conference / Taksirat / D Fest (MK), Wrong Festival (BG), Velvet Festival (HR), Flaam Festival (SK), Tak Brzmi Miasto (PL), Tam Tam Festival (HR) and more.

#TICKETS

The early bird festival ticket and fast bird PRO PASS (access to the conference + access to delegates database + tote bag with all the info, festival booklet and other goodies) are available until 1 April 2022. Find more information here. 

Lineup: https://www.ment.si/en/lineup2022/

Tickets: https://www.ment.si/en/tickets/

Website: www.ment.si

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/320514776589229/

Socials: FB / IG / TW / TikTok / YT

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