“In the five years since its establishment, MENT Festival has gained a reputation of one of Europe’s most significant showcases.”
– Fergal Kinney, Loud & Quiet

Do you still remember the feeling of attending a gig? 

We are glad to inform you that the 7th (and 1st summer) edition of the showcase festival MENT Ljubljana will take place IRL in the Slovenian capital between June 3 and June 11. 

In recent years, the festival has become famous for its rich and vibrant 3-day happenings throughout the capital. In light of the new social reality, half capacity rules and other governmental restrictions, MENT 2021 will take place across nine musical evenings at Kino Šiška, Švicarija and the atrium of the City Museum of Ljubljana with 30 Slovenian artists and talents from Austria, Italy, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

MENT 2021 is mostly focused on local and regional artists. Some of the highlights include the Slovenian debut of the Croatian trap pop phenomenon z++, the international AV project Laser Bros and live premieres of the Yugoslav new wave descendants Insan, art trap act Tsujigiri and eccentric Ljubljana collective SBO.

The MENT conference comprises three debates, three workshops and two international online events that will address local issues, digitalisation, online identity and various music platforms. 

Let’s not forget about the specials! This year, you will have the chance to attend the traditional music poster exhibition appointMENT 5.0, the digital oscilloscope workshop Modul@rnice, the live premiere of the project Young Researches with saxophonist Lenart De Bock and the presentation of the first compilation of Slovenian ambient music Senzorama vol 1.

___#PROGRAMME 

Italian post-genre specialists 72-HOUR POST FIGHT, rising Czech singer-songwriter AMELIE SIBA, Slovenian sonic mystics ANA KRAVANJA & SAMO KUTIN, kosmiche electro-jazz fusionists ETCETERAL, Austrian leftfield pop act FARCE, dreamy neo soul duo FREEKIND, Italian vocalist and electronic music maverick GINEVRA NERVI, Slovenian pop soul charmer HAUPTMAN, Polish jazztronica trio IMMORTAL ONION, Yugoslav new wave descendants INSAN, transnational indie trio IN THE ATTIC, poetic Croatian singer-songwriter IVAN GROBENSKI, Slovenian master of string instruments IZTOK KOREN, Czech-Austrian AV project LASER BROS, trans-balkan indie trio LELEE, saxophone virtuoso LENART DE BOCK, veteran ambient music explorer MIROKI’I, up-and-coming electronic producer NICE TRICK, forward-looking hip-hop young blood NIKSON, Slovenian electronic music veteran NITZ, genre-defying Slovenian duo NOT EXACTLY LOST, Slovenian experimental harpist ROUGE-AH, eccentric Ljubljana collective SBO, Austrian feel-good indie pop quintet SHARKTANK, Croato-Slovenian nu jazz project TROKUT, art trap act TSUJIGIRI, contemporary Slovenian hip-hop champion VAZZ, local (t)rap scene wunderkind YNGFIREFLY, Balkan trap pop phenomenon z++ and the first lady of Slovenian rap ŽENA. 

Lineup:
https://www.ment.si/en/lineup2021/

Schedule:   
https://www.ment.si/en/schedule/

___#CONFERENCE

The MENT conference is designed to empower local musicians, bands and publishers in the digital sphere. The main conference day, which will take place on Wednesday, June 9, at the City Museum, is divided into workshops and debates in Slovenian.

The three workshops, which are free and require prior registration, will present different segments of music promotion: streaming platforms, social networks and online advertising. You will learn how to make the most of streaming platforms, how to effectively approach online identity and content creation, and how to develop a successful online advertising campaign for your single or album.

The conference includes three public debates centered on relevant music industry issues. At the long table MUSIC Slovenia, you will participate in a discussion on music export strategies. The debate on the monetisation of Youtube and streaming platforms in Slovenia will focus on the reasons why so many Slovenian authors and copyright holders yearly lose thousands of euros in digital revenue, which remain in the hands of corporations. As a response to these strange times, the third debate will concentrate on the pros and cons of live streaming through the eyes of musicians, fans and organisers as well as the future of this format in a post-pandemic world.

Even though MENT 2021 is predominantly dedicated to regional artists and local issues, the festival remains in touch with the international arena. In collaboration with the IMMF (International Music Managers Forum) and IMPALA, two free online training programmes in English, Artist’s Business Campus Course (application deadline: May 22) and IMPALA Campus (application deadline: May 24), will take place during the festival.  

___#SPECIALS

MENT specials explore the relationships between music, contemporary visual art, technology and community. 

appointMENT 5.0  

On June 1, the traditional music poster exhibition appointMENT 5.0, which brings together young Slovenian visual artists and MENT artists, will take place at DobraVaga Gallery. In an era that requires new approaches, appointMENT is moving from gallery spaces to outdoor areas and streets. The posters will occupy several different urban areas, returning to their primary role as a means of addressing random passers-by.

Modul@rnice x MENT: Build Your Own Handheld Digital Oscilloscope

The participants of the two-day workshop will build their own 2-channel digital oscilloscope WAVE2 as their first step in the world of vector synthesis. The handheld gadget features two input channels and two auxiliary function generator outputs. It’s a fun little device that can be used to look at waveforms and do electronic measurements. You can apply at delavnice@projekt-atol.si. 

SENZORAMA x MENT

In collaboration with the radio show Senzorama, ZARŠ Records will present the first compilation of Slovenian ambient music “Senzorama vol. 1”, which will premiere live on Sunday, June 6, in the atrium of the City Museum.

Young Researchers IV. – Lenart De Bock – steps 

As a guided series of residences, concerts and performances, the project Young Researchers seeks to integrate a selected young artist into professional infrastructural and research environments. One of this year’s artists-in-residence is the saxophonist and composer Lenart De Bock, who is currently completing his studies at Kunstuniversität in Graz. De Bock and his group will present his project ‘steps’.

Lineup: https://www.ment.si/en/lineup2021/

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

Website: www.ment.si

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/776353626544424

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.