Author Archives: Nikola

Marc Dwyer, better known as Buzz Kull, is an Australian artist who has been crafting a sound that straddles the line between isolation and connection—music that hits you “directly in the chest” while exploring the darker corners of human experience. Read more below, as an intro to his performance on May 21st.

Have you ever tried to write something completely out of your genre, just for fun or as an experiment?
Over the past year, I’ve been asked to record some covers for compilation releases. The selection of tracks I can choose from is sometimes limited and often beyond the usual style I lean towards. For example, I’ve covered a country song by Merle Haggard and a slow love song by Savage Garden.
At first, I was concerned about the outcome, but over time it’s become a nice way to break out of the regular routine or framework I was locked into.
While working on these covers alongside new material for my upcoming album, I’ve noticed the development of new styles and concepts that I still believe fall within the Buzz Kull sound. These tracks feature different rhythmic patterns but can still be portrayed as dark and danceable.

What’s the most unusual non-musical inspiration that’s directly influenced a track (e.g., an article, a memory, a scent, architecture)?
The first one that comes to mind is a track from the last record called Man On The Beat. It was written with the memory of the first time I drove around the coastal roads in Malibu. It’s not tied to any particular story from that day—just the visual imagery and the location itself.
Otherwise, there are always memories that link to my work, and unfortunately, they often come from feelings of sadness or anger toward people treating others poorly.

What’s the most low-tech tool or method you still rely on in your creative process?
If I’m on the road and writing new music, I’ll still use the MacBook keyboard as a MIDI synth. I don’t use a contemporary keyboard with those capabilities in my live show, so I have to use what’s readily available. I also still use the little microphone attached to Apple headphones. I’ve been using all of these for years when recording.
Sometimes I’ll change the room or environment I’m in to see if it sparks anything new in my brain or ears—just by picking up my computer and listening to tracks directly from my MacBook speakers.

Is there something you’re deliberately not doing in your music right now—and why?
If there are bass sounds or tones that I’ve heard in many contemporary songs, I try to avoid using anything that comes too close, in order to keep my work and sound within its own realm.

Tell us about your favorite performance in your career.
All of the recent shows in the U.S. with Cold Cave have been wonderful—it’s hard to choose just one. But others that come close are the shows I’ve played with Spike Hellis. They work so hard and push a lot of boundaries, which inspires me to push the live show to its greatest potential.

“Fascination” marks a shift towards a more club-oriented sound. What inspired this evolution, and how did you approach blending EBM, new beat, and synthpop elements?
I wanted the tracks to sound big and hit you directly in the chest from the audience’s perspective. I wrote them with a vague idea of how they would be perceived and heard in the kind of dark, underground clubs I tend to play in.

Your music often explores themes of isolation and introspection. Are there any personal experiences or literary works that have significantly influenced these themes?
Always. The world has been draped in a blanket of sadness for years, and it’s hard to write from a positive perspective. I try not to write in a way that wallows in misery, but rather to empower listeners to see another day.

You cited influences like Front 242, Cabaret Voltaire, and Depeche Mode. How do these artists inspire your work, and do you draw from any non-musical sources?
All of these bands are, and forever will be, the blueprint for these styles of music. You can write a track with a drum machine and a synthesizer without even thinking of these artists, and still find that something in your brain adds a hook or drum fill that comes from their originality.
As for non-musical sources, there’s always something—whether it’s architecture, films, or moods drawn from day-to-day life—that feeds into the creative process.

What music or bands are you listening to?
In the past few months, I’ve been diving into the early discography of the Pet Shop Boys, and exploring classic European synthpop artists like Deux, Secret Service, and Desireless.
I’ve also been working hard to break out of my usual drum and percussion structures. Listening to Spike Hellis has inspired me to try some freaky things I wouldn’t normally consider.

What is the most unusual venue/place where you’ve performed?
There have been quite a few places that felt out of the ordinary for me, especially since I don’t often get to experience events held on boats, in old churches, castles, underground bunkers, or wine cellars back home in Australia.
Nothing feels too unusual anymore, since I’ve done them all now, but I do recall how different it felt the first time around.

Anita Ulovec

We spoke to Carolina, somewhere between underground basements and highway playlists. Distortion is their comfort zone, chaotic tour life boosts their humor and their amps might just be the best and kinky storytellers of all. Enjoy the read and join us on their concert on Monday, 19.5.2025.

How is tour life treating you so far?
It’s very cool getting to see a lot of different places and people. Changing languages everyday. It is very tiring because we are carrying all the stuff we need to play everyday. Sometimes there’s stairs, bridges, underground basements but we are happy the shows are going great.

Your sound fuses grunge, shoegaze, and punk with this hypnotic heaviness — what part of yourselves do you think lives in the distortion?
There is a certain comfort and warmth in distortion.

Do you ever feel like you’re redefining what it means to be a rock band from Mexico on the global stage?
No but we are showing what it is like. Raw.

Can you describe a moment during rehearsals or recording where everything just clicked — like a sonic or emotional breakthrough?
It is interesting seeing how everything fits. Our music taste, bands we like and what we play simply unifies.

If your amps could talk after a show, what would they say about what just happened on stage?
I like it when you put your guitar against me.

Is there something mundane or totally ordinary that inspires your sound in unexpected ways? (e.g. city noise, bus rides, old cartoons?)
Machines.

Do you have an internal ritual or a habit which you do before going to the stage?
Just a nice drink.

What music do you listen to these days?
Depends on the mood. We’ve been listening to Deep Purple on the highways.

If your band were a dysfunctional family at Christmas dinner, what role would each member play?
Our drummer would be the funny drunk.
Our guitarist would be the smoking uncle.
And our bassist would be the wine crazy aunt taking care of dinner.

What do you think or hope that your listeners take home with them after your performance(s)?
Tinnitus.

Anita Ulovec

Ahead of his Zagreb show, Eckman reflects on leaving the band life behind, finding a new home, and the power of going solo. Join us on May 15th for a night of reflective, bare-bones performance.

What inspired the transition from The Walkabouts to your solo projects and collaborations like Dirtmusic?
There were a lot of things happening simultaneously. By 2012 when The Walkabouts last toured we had been a band for almost 30 years. We were still deep friends and musical partners but our personal lives had changed a lot and it became harder and harder to find the time to commit full on to the band. And there was no point in doing it if we couldn’t do that. In my case, I had moved halfway around the world and was starting a record label and various other things. It felt like a good time to let it down gently. It had been a great run and as you mentioned it gave me a chance to pursue other projects like my solo work, Dirtmusic and of course The Strange.

Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
I do. I love hiking, reading, photography. I remember someone asked me the same question in the 90’s and I didn’t have a very good answer. I think I said “music” and of course at that point playing music was my job. A hobby is obviously a very different thing.

Tell us about your favorite performance in your career.
I don’t think it is possible to pick just one. There have been a fair number of performances over the years that had an emotional gravity to them that was very memorable. One of them would have been Jabolka in Zagreb, when Carla and I played there in 1995. There are still people who come up to me and say how much that concert meant to them. Or the first time The Walkabouts played Athens in the early 90’s and we had no idea we were popular there, and nearly 1,000 people came. It was like a strange dream. Or the record release show this year for “The Land We Knew the Best” in Ljubljana. It felt like a homecoming of sorts even though I have been living there non-stop for over 20 years. It is a hard thing to describe, but it was a very beautiful evening.

What’s the best piece of advice another musician ever gave you?
Be kind to people on the way up, because you are going to meet them again on the way back down.

What’s the piece of advice you would give to other musicians?
Be brave and be yourself. To my mind it is better to fail doing something true to yourself than to succeed trying to sound like someone else.

Do you sing in the shower?
Yes. I also write songs in the shower.

What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
I made more than my share of mistakes over the years.  But I have never been arrested. It is probably best to just leave it at that.

What are your thoughts about the role of music in societal commentary?

I came across this quote from Salman Rushdie recently. It more or less sizes up what I think about the social role that art can have: “a poem cannot stop a bullet. A novel can’t defuse a bomb. But we are not helpless. We can sing the truth and name the liars.”

What challenges have you encountered as an expatriate musician?
I have been pretty blessed for the most part. I found interesting, like-minded people to play with almost from the start. The Bambi Molesters helped me out a lot. They gave me a musical home away from home. And at this point Žiga Golob and Blaž Celarec who I am playing with at Močvara, have been a part of solo stuff for over 15 years. And the Slovenian singer-songwriter Jana Beltran, who is also joining us, is someone I began making music with about 5 years ago.

How has the cultural environment in Slovenia impacted your creativity?

It has been a very creative place to live. There are not as many negative distractions as in a big city – noise, traffic and so on – and at the same time there is a vibrant cultural scene. It is a healthy combination.

What has been your most rewarding production project to date, and why?
Producing the first two Tamikrest albums in Bamako, Mali was particularly memorable. I learned so much from that experience both culturally and musically. It really opened my eyes to new ways of seeing and hearing things.

What legacy do you hope to leave through your music?
I don’t really think about that sort of thing. I am still thinking about the upcoming stuff I want to do. And the list isn’t getting any shorter.

Anita Ulovec

Legenda japanskog punk-rocka, čiji je fan bio i Kurt Cobain – Shonen Knife, 12.5. stiže u Močvaru. Razgovarali smo s Naoko Yamano, a u razgovoru smo se dotaknuli svega važnoga: kako nastaju himne o keksima, zašto punk mora biti sretan i zašto su najmanji klubovi često najbolji.

Vrlo elegantno se prebacujete s japanskog na engleski — kad vam sine ideja za pjesmu, kako znate na kojem jeziku ćete je zapisati?
Nastojim pisati tekstove na engleskom jer je to, za mene, jezik rock glazbe. Engleski nekako prirodno odgovara mojim melodijama, iako mi nije materinji jezik i imam ograničen vokabular. Ako najprije napišem tekst na japanskom, kasnije mi ga je teško prevesti. Zato najčešće odmah pišem na engleskom. Ali, ponekad, iako rijetko, napišem tekst na japanskom pa ga onda prevedem.

Ima li skrivenih šala ili igara riječi u vašim japanskim tekstovima koje bi fanovi koji ne govore japanski mogli propustiti?
Hm… mislim da nema puno skrivenih šala ili igre riječi u japanskim tekstovima. Ne sjećam se baš. Ali, zato ponekad u engleskim pjesmama ubacim takve sitnice — kao, recimo, igru riječi s “Cookie” i “Kookie”.

Koje je najneobičnije mjesto na kojem ste svirali i kako ste ga pretvorili u Shonen Knife doživljaj?
Rekla bih da je to bilo u K3 MUSIKKNEIPE, u Hamelnu u Njemačkoj!
(Pisala sam o tome i na blogu)
Mjesto je stvarno bilo posebno — službeni kapacitet je bio 80 ljudi, na koncert je došlo 30-ak, možda i manje. Pozornica je bila sićušna, ali bilo nam je genijalno. Svirali smo ondje 2019. godine i bilo je jako zabavno.

Primili ste pohvale mnogih glazbenika — između ostalih i one velikoga Kurta Cobaina — ali postoji li neko pismo obožavatelja ili mali trenutak nakon kojeg ste rekli/pomislili: “da, ovo je razlog zašto stvaramo glazbu”?
Bez obzira na pisma, uvijek razmišljam kako kroz našu glazbu ljudima donijeti sreću. Najvrednije mi je kada na koncertu dobijemo dobru energiju i reakciju publike.

Kad biste si mogli poslati poruku u 1980-te, još dok ste bili dio Osaka underground scene, što biste si poručili?
Više vježbaj!

Imate li neki ritual prije ili poslije nastupa kojeg se uvijek držite?
Nemamo ništa posebno, ali prije nastupa ne pijemo alkohol.

Japanska glazbena scena ranih ’80-ih bila je dosta drugačija za europske pojmove — tko su vam bili najveći uzori iz inozemstva i kako ste ih otkrili?
Najviše sam slušala britansku i američku rock glazbu. Japansku glazbu nisam baš pratila. Strane smo albume kupovali u trgovinama ploča, a mogli smo ih čuti i na radiju. Prvo sam slušala Beatlese, a kasnije, krajem ’70-ih, otkrila bendove poput Buzzcocksa, Ramonesa i The Jama.

Pratite li danas neke mlade bendove? Imate li neke preporuke za slušanje?
Zapravo stalno otkrivam bendove iz ’60-ih i ’70-ih za koje ranije nisam znala tako da su za mene oni “novi mladi bendovi”. Nedavno sam tako otkrila Asia, Wishbone Ash, Brick i The Isley Brothers.

Što vas i nakon više od 40 godina još uvijek motivira da stvarate novu glazbu? Koji je vaš “drive”?
Melodije mogu brzo osmisliti, ali pisanje tekstova mi ide teže. Najteže mi je odabrati temu. Ne želim pjevati o društvenim problemima, a niti o politici — želim pjevati o sretnim stvarima. Ne volim kroz glazbu nametati svoje mišljenje. Mislim da glazba treba ostati glazba. Ako naši nastupi i pjesme usreće ljude, i ja sam sretna. Time se vodim kad pišem.

Shonen Knife je kroz godine imao mnogo različitih postava — kako biste opisali istinski duh jednog člana Shonen Knifea?
Zabavan!

Anita Ulovec

Japanski mistično – psihodelični kaos imenom Kuunatic dolazi u Močvaru! Pričali smo s Yuko, članicom ovog energičnog trija koji će nas 12.5. povesti na svoj planet. Više u nastavku.

Pitanja postavljala: Anita Ulovec
Na pitanja odgovarala: Yuko

Kako vam je na trenutnoj turneji?
Jako lijepo! Ovo nam je prva turneja od 2023. godine i imamo nove pjesme koje izvodimo. Osim toga, po prvi put ćemo posjetiti i nastupati u Hrvatskoj – jako smo uzbuđene!

Bile ste na turnejama u inozemstvu, uključujući UK i EU. Kako publika izvan Japana doživljava vašu glazbu?
Vjerojatno im je pomalo misteriozna. Pod utjecajem smo zapadne glazbe, a spajamo je s tradicionalnim japanskim zvukovima. Taj spoj im zasigurno zvuči i predstavlja nešto poznato, a ujedno i novo.

Vaš posljednji album izdala je izdavačka kuća Glitterbeat Records. Možete li reći kako se vaša suradnja razvijala kroz vrijeme?
Pružaju nam veliku podršku.

Kako u svoju glazbu uključujete povratne informacije producenata i suradnika, a da pritom ne ugrozite svoju umjetničku viziju?
Imamo jako jasan koncept i točno znamo što želimo postići. No, isto tako smo otvorene za ideje drugih i zabavno nam ih je uklopiti u naš zvuk.

Vaši nastupi uživo ključan su dio vašeg identiteta. Kako se pripremate za nastupe i što želite prenijeti publici?
Doživljavamo ih kao zajednički ritual te želimo publiku uključiti u njih. Nosimo posebne kostime i šminku, i zajedno pjevamo prije nastupa kako bismo se pripremile. Taj osjećaj povezanosti i sinkronizacije zatim prenosimo na pozornicu i dijelimo ga s publikom.

Kako uspostavljate vezu s publikom tijekom nastupa, posebno u različitim kulturnim kontekstima?
Vjerujemo da osjećaj pripadnosti (tribalism) postoji svugdje, to je nešto s čime se svi mogu povezati. Vjerujemo da publika to može osjetiti na vrlo iskonski način.

Postoji li nešto vezano uz život u bendu što bi iznenadilo većinu vaših obožavatelja?
Možda to što živimo u različitim državama.

Postoji li neki glazbeni teritorij koji biste voljeli istražiti u budućnosti?
Pokušavamo ga otkriti tijekom ove turneje!

Imate li pjesmu koja sadrži tajnu ili poruku koju još nitko od slušatelja nije otkrio?
Sve ih imaju.

Što biste voljele da publika ponese sa sobom nakon vašeg nastupa u Močvari?
Dobrodošli u Kuurandiju – vodimo vas na naš planet.

Funk Shui dolazi u Močvaru, 24. travnja, pa smo ususret koncertu popričali s Mihailom iz benda. U nastavku slijedi intervju, uživajte u čitanju.

Razgovarala: Anita Ulovec

U jednom od vaših intervjua, spomenuli ste kako ste bili očarani spoznajom da imate talent nalijepiti osmijeh na lice svojoj publici i potaknuti ljude da plešu. Sjećate li se koji je to bio trenutak ili događaj i možete li ga podijeliti s nama?
Prvi put kad smo to osjetili bilo je vjerojatno tijekom prvih godina benda, kad su ljudi s osmijehom na licu pjevali naše tekstove ili se povezivali s pjesmama na koncertima kroz ples ili lagano klatarenje glavom. Uhvatilo nas je nespremne – nitko nije očekivao da će se netko zbilja povezati s nečim što smo stvorili ni iz čega. I dan-danas nam je to pomalo nadrealno, pogotovo u ovo digitalno doba, kad je čovječanstvo sve udaljenije fizički jedno od drugog.
Jedna od onih svijetlih uspomena je naš prvi koncert u Zagrebu, u KSET-u. Energija je bila toliko visoka da je publika doslovno formirala “vlak” koji je kružio oko kluba plešući uz našu pjesmu Ne Vreme. Osmijesi su bili toliko široki da smo morali odsvirati koncert dvaput. To je trenutak koji nikad nećemo zaboraviti.

Kojeg vašeg nastupa ili nekog trenutka s nastupa se možda nerado prisjećate i zašto?
Da, svaki put kad zajedno izađemo na stage …šala mala.
 Srećom, stvarno rijetko imamo loša iskustva na koncertima. Štoviše, ovo pitanje nas je natjeralo da razmislimo, ali ne možemo izdvojiti niti jedno konkretno. Ako se i dogodi neka situacija koja nije idealna, trudimo se preokrenuti je u nešto smiješno ili pozitivno. Malo se nasmijemo i idemo dalje.

Postoji li neka pjesma na vašim albumima, koja za vas ima određeno značenje, a za koje smatrate da ju publika doživljava drugačije od onoga kako ste vi očekivali/zamislili?
Imamo jednu pjesmu koju smo napisali usred egzistencijalne spirale, misleći da će ljudi uz nju plakati pod tušem… A ona je završila kao totalni hit. Ljudi plešu uz nju kao da je njihov svadbeni valcer. Još uvijek nismo sigurni bismo li trebali biti ponosni… ili potpuno neshvaćeni. Nećemo reći o kojoj pjesmi se radi.

Zamislite da ste na obiteljskoj večeri. Tko bi bio tata, tko buntovni sin, tko baka koja pita kada će unučad, a tko tetka koja puši za stolom (slobodno predložite druge članove obitelji)?
Puno smo razmišljali o tome… i shvatili da je obiteljska večera možda samo metafora. Jesmo li mi jelo? Stol? Ona duga tišina kad netko spomene politiku? Odgovor je – da.

Imate li neki ritual prije/tijekom nastupa kojeg se držite ili koji vam nešto posebno znači?
Napravimo krug, svatko kaže nešto “inspirativno”, gledamo se 10 sekundi u oči i svi se pravimo da je to duboko… ali ne zaista. Zapravo, samo se skupimo u huddle kao da ulazimo na košarkaški teren, dignemo energiju, uzviknemo: “AKADEMIJA BASKET“  – i skok na stage.

Postoji li neki grad, dvorana, festival, mjesto, otok… na kojemu biste voljeli nastupiti u budućnosti?
Voljeli bismo svirati na plutajućoj pozornici na nekom hrvatskom otoku… ili možda na planini u Japanu. Ali realno – bilo gdje gdje su ljudi dobri, zvuk je dobar, ima fine hrane i negdje u publici stoji jedan zbunjeni stariji gospodin koji do kraja koncerta i zapleše.

Često čitamo kako je “glazba univerzalni jezik”. Slušajući vas, imam dojam da ste vi stvorili jedan novi jezik koji je skroz cool i koji će ljudi sigurno poželjeti slušati opet, a ne samo jednom (npr. dok pišu intervju). Kako nastaju vaše stvari, okupite se negdje i krenete improvizirati ili netko sjedne pa napiše riječi i onda tražite melodiju? Možda nešto sasvim treće?
Hvala na lijepim riječima, to nam stvarno puno znači. Vjerujemo da je glazba univerzalni jezik – bez obzira na jezik. Iako se ponekad vidi da su ljudi zbunjeni slušajući Lukine tekstove, istovremeno se vidi da osjećaju što on želi prenijeti.
Što se tiče stvaranja pjesama – nemamo neku genijalnu formulu. Svaka nastaje drugačije. Ponekad dobijemo ideju na probi, ponekad netko donese koncept ili čak cijelu pjesmu, pa zajedno radimo na njoj. Obično se zalijepimo za neku ideju mjesecima, onda je pustimo da “odleži”, pa joj se vratimo kad nas ponovno počne uzbuđivati. Čista stvar trenutka.

Postoji li nešto u ovom trenutku što biste htjeli podijeliti s javnošću – neka najava, poruka, preporuka, jeste li umorni, gladni?
Da – ako čitaš ovo, idi popij vode. Hidratacija je važna. Nazovi mamu, sestru ili brata. I dođi nas poslušaj uživo na ovoj balkanskoj turneji:



22.4. Podgorica

23.4. Split
24.4. Zagreb
25.4. Tuzla
26.4. Požarevac
27.4. Mitrovica.

Što slušate ovih dana? Imate li neku preporuku za band za koji se možda ne čuje često, a vi smatrate da ima potencijala?
Postoji toliko dobre muzike koju premalo ljudi sluša – posebno na Balkanu. Teško je izdvojiti samo jednu stvar, pa evo nekoliko izvođača koje bi svakako trebalo poslušati jer su stvarno fantastični: Zanadu, Nemanja, Mia Perevska, Zhiva, Koikoi, Idem, Lufthansa, Matej Foltz, Esma Numanović, Young Dadi, Porto Morto, Aracataca, Helem Nejse, Svemirko…
Ima ih još mnogo – i stalno dolaze novi. Zato istražuj.

Što nam spremate za Močvaru?


Dolazimo s torbom punom pjesama koje obožavamo svirati uživo – i jedva čekamo ponovni susret s našim dragim ljudima u Zagrebu. Vidimo se 24.4. – zapiši datum!

Drage Močvarice i Močvarci, ovaj bend je nešto što se ne propušta, čista navlakuša za uši, nešto što želite slušati dok se spremate za van da vas malo nabrije pa onda još i dok ste vani, u autu na putu doma… you get the image. Vidimo se!