Isto’k Mlakar
(the name is inspired by Slovenian cant author Iztok Mlakar and is a play with words meaning SAME AS MLAKAR, but sounds the same when pronounced)
After the split of AGONIJA back in 2003 ours, better said mine musical career took a strange turn. What was once Agonija became DANAJA, a musical project that focused more on cinematic and art performance music, that can be heard in the “Na 25 sliki, v objemu Kaina in Abela (zgodba malih ljudi” movie. One of the project that started in that period, after playing by the campfires for kids as a boy-scout was ISTO’K MLAKAR. A project born out of love for troubadours and my fascination with cant authors mainly Iztok Mlakar.
Then in 2021 I got a mysterious Post Card in the mail saying greetings from Republica Palma de Coco (for those familiar with Mlakar, he promised to send us those postcards back in and that’s how the project started again, with the rise of “the rough cut studio” and “Bandara Čarni Varh”. only this time concentrating more on the experimental versions of the works of Vic Chestnut, Pengov and others, maintaining the focus on Iztok Mlakar.
Every region country or place in the world has had troubadours in it’s history. Especially Europe, with it’s medieval singers that traveled the land carrying news along the strumming of a guitar or some medieval stringed equivalent of it and or beating on a drum. Later on, whilst researching the history of popular songs, we stumbled across a funny mixture of “out of place” songs and melodies, near the routes of traveling merchants, knife sharpeners such as “Resian arrotinos” or railways, with it’s workers shortening the long work days by singing a home tune.
So they were the troubadours of their days. later on the various revolutions brought along various chant authors, voicing the desire for change. The hippie movement brought along the anti-Vietnam sentiment and protest songs, whilst in Europe the protest voiced absolutisms and their leaders and love. But the one that caught our hearts is storytelling of the “normal” person and love.
And both are embodied in Iztok Mlakar. I’m not going to list numbers, dates and boring facts you can easily google, or ask one of your chat-things. I’m simply going to tell you he changed my life, and if we’re going to be able to change one night, or just two hours by reenacting his songs, this whole thing is going to be worth it.
You can support our band, and other musical projects by buying the merch in our shop. thanks in advance for your love and support and keep on rocking… well let the music be your everything!
https://spzdbl.si/products/montefoscana-maja-istokmlakar
