Depot:Zmajev rep

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Zmajev rep

http://www.myspace.com/zmajevrep

The band stopped its activities in 2014.

Archival article

Back in 1998, a group of friends, all four of them from the same provincial town, formed the band Zmajev rep ("Dragon's tail"). Elaborating on their existing musical preferences they started playing hard rock and then gradually, from album to album, transformed their expression to the current, more jazzrock and improvised fusion oriented sound.

Biography

In spite of it being quite a small town, Bistrica ob Sotli has spawned a number of musical projects. Among them is the band Zmajev rep, a quartet of musicians, that since the band's formation has visibly evolved, both collectively as well as individually. They've been playing their own music since the beginning and already in 2000 put out their first demo recording titled Nori raj [Crazy paradise].

With time, practice, and some hard work, they released their first proper album in 2003. Called Ogenj [Fire], it was recorded entirely in their home kitchen. In the following years their musical ambitions started taking a different turn and the songs they contributed for the project Urok [Spell] were already far less hard-rock oriented. It was at that time that they started to record instrumental songs. In 2007 they released Sanje podob [Dreams of images] on the Sanje ('Dreams') Publishing House label and quite radically left their former sound behind them, playing a sort of progressive rock and jazz fusion without any vocals.

In 2010 they recorded Sestop [Descent], an album with similar colours as the previous one, with even more shades from the slopes of jazz and improvised music. They released it on Radio Študent Records and presented it in a number of Slovene clubs and concert venues. Considering the musical paths the members have taken since then, their future sound is as always open and yet undecided.

Zmajev rep Begne by andrejruda on YouTube

The band's members and their other projects

The band's line-up has not changed since it was established and as such consists of the brothers Vid Drašler and Jošt Drašler on drums and bass, Ambrož Božiček on keyboards and Andrej Boštjančič-Ruda on guitar and vocals. Andrej, who is the founder of the band and who used to write lyrics, is also the author of most of their songs.

Besides playing in Zmajev rep, Vid and Jošt have been actively performing in number of other set-ups like the more straight ahead jazz group Balžalorsky / Drašler 3o, the free jazz power trio Drašler / Karlovčec / Drašler and the atmospheric rock group Malik. They have also been a very noticeable presence in the local free improvisation scene and as such played in a number of ad hoc collectives. We should also not forget Kombo, a project by Zlatko Kaučič, in which many a young musician – including Jošt and Vid – has gained skills and insights from their mentor. Another Zlatko's project is the Orkester brez meja (Orchestra without borders), where the two of them are playing in an international cast of mostly young musicians. In addition, Vid can be heard in Orkestrada, while Jošt has also played with the renowned American saxophonist Sabir Mateen. One can suspect there is probably a number of other musical set-ups that this dynamic duo has visited.

Andrej Boštijančič-Ruda has also been very productive alongside his involvement in Zmajev rep. He co-founded the ethno band Brencl Banda and is playing in the rock band Črni Peter. In 2004 he started researching music as a therapeutic medium and collaborated with the The Kripls, a band whose members are all suffering from cerebral palsy. For a time he also studied with Samo Šalamon, probably the most prolific and versatile jazz guitar player in Slovenia.

See also

• Radio Študent Records
• Sanje ('Dreams') Publishing House
• Balžalorsky / Drašler 3o
• Orkester brez meja
• Drašler / Karlovčec / Drašler
• Orkestrada
• Brencl Banda
• Malik
• Črni Peter

External links

• Zmajev rep on Myspace
• A video recording of a Zmajev rep gig in 2010 on Trnfest
• A video interview with two members of Zmajev rep (in Slovenian)
• A presentation of Zmajev rep featured in the documentary Urok [Spell] (in Slovenian)