On the road pt.1

Prvi trije koncerti na evropski turneji so za nami in trenutno se s Praha Departi polni vtisov mudimo v sončni Barceloni.

Kratek povzetek dogajanja:

-N'toko se pelje v Benetke pobrat bend in po razmerah na cesti sodeč je bil najbrž njihov prvi vtis o Evropi kar zastrašujoč. Ta del sveta je očitno pred njimi vstopil v novo ledeno dobo in se vsak dan spopada s snežnimi meteži in burjo.

-V Ljubljani gre N'toko iskat novi EP Praha Departov, ki smo ga za turnejo dali tiskati kar pri nas. Natisnjen je bil kake 3 ure pred koncertom v Menzi, barva se je sušila na poti tja. 

-Ta čas se Japonci odtajajo pri njemu doma ob slovenskih talent showih. Slovenski televiziji se režijo isto kot se mi japonski.

-Koncert v Menzi je eno najlepših koncertnih doživetij tako za N'toka kot za Praha Depart. Kljub grozljivemu vremenu se nabere kakih 100 borcev in poskrbi za čudivit sprejem gostov. 

-Praha Depart razturijo do konca.

-Publika gre z njimi do konca in jih pokliče nazaj še za 2 bisa.

-Naslednji dan Zanina mama poskrbi da se gostje temeljito spoznajo z domačo slovensko hrano. 

-Pred koncertom v mariborski Pekarni v klub vstopi kakih 7 policajev in inšpektorjev. Sledi temeljita tržna inšpekcija med katero bend živčno čaka v backstage-u, publika pa pred vrati. Po dveh urah se jih že polovica pobere domov. Sklep: bend sicer lahko igra, vendar organizator ne more pobirati vstopnine. Organizator se odloči: spustimo ljudi notri, koncert bo! Praha Depart spet raztrgajo in odigrajo še 2 bisa za navdušeno občinstvo. N'tokov dj set odpade, ura je že pozna in ekipi se mudi v Lyon.

-Fotograf Aleš odšopa nočno vožnjo do Lyona.

-V malem klubiču Le Kraspek Myzik se N'toko znajde pred številnim občinstvom, ki ga je tja pripeljala odlična lokalna hip hop zasedba Zero Absolu. Žal pa bolj rappersko naravnana publika nima toliko posluha za Praha Departe, ki nastopijo pred pol manj ljudmi. 

-Naslednje jutro ponovno odkrivamo čar francoskih pekarn in posedanja na kavi.

-V Toulousu možakar ki bi nas moral prenočiti zahinavi in ekipa se znajde pred dilemo kje spati. Najde se heroj Matija ki nas vse vzame pod streho v Barceloni.

-Do špila jim je ostalo veliko časa za klatenje po mestu, posedanje na plaži in dela za računalnikom.

Mene predvsem ves čas spremlja občutek sreče, da sem na turneji s svojim najljubšim bendom na svetu (ta status so si z dosedanjimi koncerti na turneji samo še utrdili ), pa seveda zadovoljstva ob misli, kako dobro so bili sprejeti v Sloveniji. 

Včeraj smo šli na koncert Acid Mothers Temple, danes pa nastopamo na istem festivalu skupaj z američani Bardo Pond.

Vmes pa je z zamudo padlo še nekaj datumov na turneji, in sicer se bomo v nedeljo 30.10 ustavili še v klubu Gastiez v španski Vitorii, za sam konec turneje pa nas 8.11. čaka klub West Germany v Berlinu!

Hvala vsem dosedaj za res topel sprejem!

The first 3 gigs on the tour are behind us and we are currently catching our breath in beautiful sunny Barcelona.

A quick summary:

-N'toko drives to venice to pick up Praha Depart. Judging by the road conditions on that day their first impression of Europe must have been: "Wow, looks like the ice age has arrived here and they have to deal with blizzards every day!"

-In Ljubljana N'toko goes to pick up the freshly printed Praha Depart EP for the tour. The paint just barely dried before the gig.

-Meanwhile Praha Depart try to unfreeze themselves in his apartment watching Slovenian talent shows. It's apparently as funny for them as Japanese TV is to us.

-The gig in Menza is one of the greatest concert experiences for both N'toko and Praha Depart. Around 100 people decide to overcome the horrible weather and give the band an amazing welcome.

-Praha Depart kick ass.

-The audience demands two more encores.

-The next day Zana's mom shows them the wonders of Slovenian home cooking.

-Just before the gig in Maribor the venue fills up with police officers. While they perform an extensive inspection of the club the band waits backstage and the audience waits at the door. About half the people leave. After two hours they come to a conclusion: the band can play but the organizer can't charge tickets or sell merchandise. The organizer decides to go on with the event and loose tons of money.

-Praha Depart kick ass again. 2 more encores.

-Our photographer Aleš drives us straight to Lyon overnight.

-In the tiny Lyon venue Kraspek Myzik N'toko finds himself playing to a full house, thanks to the cool band Zero Absolu who brought in a lot of people. Unfortunately the mostly hip hop orientated listeners didn't pay as much attention to Praha Depart.

-Next morning is dedicated to the magic of French bakeries and cafe au lait.

-The organizer in Toulouse fucks up and the crew ends up having to find a place to sleep in the middle of the night. Slovenian friend living in Barcelona comes to the rescue by letting them all stay in his house.

-They get plenty of time to explore Barcelona, chill on the beach and do computer stuff.

I'm basically still shocked by how good all the gigs have been and realizing that I'm touring Europe with my favorite band in the world. 

Last night we went to see Acid Mothers Temple playing and today we have a gig on the same festival together with Bardo Pond.

We also have two new gigs, we'll be stopping in Vitoria's club Gastiez on the 30th and finishing our tour in club West Germany in Berlin on November 8th.

All photos by the one and only Aleš Rosa!

Warming up...

 Praha Depaaaaart!

 Thank you Menza!

 行こうぜこのやろう！

 Getting ready in Maribor.

 Waiting for the outcome of the police raid backstage...

 We can play!

 Rock

 and

 Roll

 Interview

 Bye bye Maribor

 More problems...amp not working in Lyon...

 ...but the food is awesome...

Me being a moron backstage.

 Zero Absolu rocking the crowd in Lyon. Great lyricist!

 ...and me getting his fans...

 Praha Depart dance

 Le Kraspek Myzik

 I was so happy to see Mael and Pierro from Maczde Carpates after so long!

 We stayed in something between an old French mansion and a carpenter's workshop.

 Mael took us to a great coffee place. We discussed each other's musical scenes for hours.

 Nothing beats this!

 Help, we need a place to sleep!

...we still need a place to sleep!

 Exactly 666 liters of gas.

 Night ride to Barcelona

 Tight parking there.

 Matija saves the day and lets us stay in his awesome place, center of Barcelona! Thank you!

 We're real mess makers...

 Oh the colors! I feel like Senior Coconut!

 smooth restaurant.

Thanks so much to everybody so far for giving us a wonderful welcome!

Praha Depart and N'toko Europe Tour!!!

Ali ste si kdaj želeli, da bi prvi odkrili najboljši bend na svetu, in bi ta ostal vaša skrivnost? 

Ko sem pred dvemi leti prvič za dlje časa odpotoval na Japonsko sem si kot velik fen japonske alternativne scene predvsem želel videti svoje najljubše bende in didžeje, kultne izvajalce, ki na domačem terenu gotovo igrajo pred hordami gorečih oboževalcev. V Tokiu sem res uspel videti vse svoje idole, hord navdušencev pa nikjer. Hitro sem spoznal, da bendi, ki so tako močno zaznamovali moj glasbeni razvoj doma povečini nastopajo pred manjšim občinstvom kot jaz v Sloveniji, za naklonjenost maloštevilčne publike pa se borijo z vojsko meni neznanih, a morda še boljših bendov. Odkril sem ultimativno insidersko sceno, kjer najbolj vznemirljivi bendi na svetu nastopajo takorekoč samo zate. Nihče ne ve za njih. Nikogar ne zanimajo. Ni se ti treba v prvi vrsti komolčkati z rajo, ki jih sploh ne šteka ampak jih poslušajo, ker se jih trenutno pač posluša. Pred odrom je prostora še preveč. Za Japonce so preveč vsakdanji, za tujce so preveč eksotični. 

Še več, ti bendi so tako obskurdni, da le redkokdaj posnamejo cd ali video, celo na Youtubu težko najdeš kak omembe vreden posnetek. Za njih obstaja samo oder, samo trenutek. Ves čas sem se počutil, kot da si z malim številom fenov (ti so ponavadi prav tako tujci, ki so prišli na Japonsko z istimi vizijami kot jaz) delimo veliko skrivnost.

Nekateri bendi so s tem čisto zadovoljni, drugi se trudijo priti čim višje po hierarhični lestvici te male interne scene, tretji, najbolj pogumni pa jo poskušajo nekako preseči in priti dlje kot do obrobja Tokia. Kolegom glasbenikom po celem svetu je to verjetno znano.

Če sem čisto iskren, nisem odšel na Japonsko samo zato, da bi videl sceno, ampak tudi zato, da bi se sam preizkusil na njej. Verjetno spadam v tisto tretjo kategorijo glasbenikov, ki jih domača scena (pa naj bo še tako bogata) začne dušiti in pohlepno stegujejo roke po novih ušesih. In ni mi žal, da sem poskusil. Glasbeno življenje v novi državi mi je omogočilo nov začetek, ki ti ga dom nikoli ne dopusti. Lahko sem se ustvaril znova. In lahko sem nastopal skupaj s svojimi najljubšimi bendi na svetu. Kaj si človek še lahko zaželi?

Eden izmed bendov, ki mi je to omogočil, so bili Praha Depart. Poznal sem jih kot zelo cenjen bend iz tokijske underground scene in ko so me povabili na koncert v znameniti klub 20000V sem seveda z veseljem šel. Bili so neverjetni presežek tega kar sem pričakoval. Po njihovem koncertu sem popolnoma prevzet takoj stopil do njih z namenom, da jim povem kako so ravnokar odigrali enega najboljših koncertov kar sem jih videl v življenju. Pa so me prehiteli in mi dali vedeti, da jim je bil moj koncert v istem klubu kak mesec nazaj najboljši live nastop, kar so ga oni videli. 

Od takrat naprej smo bili nepogrešljivi v prvih vrstah koncertov en drugega. Videl sem jih nastopati v vseh mogočih pogojih in vedno sem se po koncertih spraševal: "Zakaj za vraga niso slavni?"

Lepo je imeti svojo skrivnost, ampak kot vsi vemo, skrivnosti nimajo smisla, če drugi ne zvejo za njih.

Lahko si predstavljate kako sem se počutil, ko so mi predlagali, da bi šli na skupno evropsko turnejo. Končno! Odločili so se, da je prišel čas da dosežejo še kako uho izven Tokia, in upam da jim bom lahko pri tem vsaj malo pomagal. Zdaj lahko jaz doma širim dober glas o bendu, ki je o meni širil dober glas na Japonskem. In lahko uživam v njihovih koncertih in družbi. 

Pravzaprav jim ne morem ponuditi kaj dosti več, kot so oni meni...dobrodošli pri nas, nimamo veliko publike, je pa publika, ki šteka. Toplo vabljeni na koncert v Menzo pri Koritu v četrtek in MC Pekarno v soboto!

Praha Depart/N'toko Europe Tour 2011:

20.10.četrtek-Menza Ljubljana, Slovenija

22.10. sobota-MC Pekarna Maribor, Slovenija

23.10. nedelja-Le Kraspek-Lyon, Francija with Zero Absolu

27.10. četrtek-Moog-Barcelona, Španija with Bardo Pond

28.10. petek-La Boite Madrid, Španija with Bardo Pond

29.10. sobota-Matadero Ekintzak Azkoitia, Guipuzkoa, Španija

5.11.sobota--De onderbroek-Nijmegen, Nizozemska

6.11.nedelja-Musikbunker-Aachen, Nemčija

Have you ever wanted to be the first person to discover a really cool band, and keep it a secret?

When I first came to Japan as a fan of the alternative scene, the first thing I imagined doing was seeing all my favorite bands playing in front of legions of crazy fans, a sight I'll never see in Europe. Well, I did get to see the bands, but where are the legions of fanatic fans I imagined? What I discovered was that most of the bands that influenced me so much over the years play to an even smaller audience than I do, competing with dozens of other amazing bands I've never heard of for a tiny audience. It's the ultimate insider scene with the most exiting bands around playing just for you. You don't have to elbow your way to the front row through an audience of hipsters who don't really get them but listen to the band because they're "a thing" at the moment. Nobody cares about them. They're too weird for Japanese people and too, well...weird for foreigners also. 

And what's more, these bands get so obscure that they often don't record any albums or videos, you can't even find a decent live clip on Youtube. All they see is the stage and play for the moment. No wonder you often get the feeling at Tokyo gigs as if you and the other few audience members (who are usually white guys that came to Japan for the same reason as you) are sharing some kind of secret.

Some of these bands are quite satisfied with the situation, some of them try desperately to climb up the indie social ladder, while others try to somehow escape the traps of the scene and become more than a secret. I suppose musicians everywhere are like that.

To be honest, I didn't just come to Tokyo to observe the scene, but to also test my skills in a new environment that inspires me. I guess you could say that I come from the third group of musicians, the greedy ones that quickly start feeling trapped in their local scene (no matter how awesome that scene is). And I'm glad I made the move to Japan, it helped me to re-create myself and get a new start, a privelage your home never allows you. And of course I got to play with my favorite bands, so what else could a person ask for?

One of the bands that helped me a lot on the way are Praha Depart. We met through mutual friends and they invited me to their gig in 20000V. After the gig I enthusiastically ran to tell them that they just played one of the most amazing gigs I've ever seen, but they surprised me by saying that they felt the same way after seeing my show. Since then we've been in the front rows at most of each other's concerts, and I've seen them play in every situation imaginable. The one thought I always get durning their show is "Why the hell aren't these guys famous?"

It's nice to have a secret, but lets face it, secrets are no fun if they don't get shared around.

You can imagine how exited I was when they suggested that we go on a European tour together. They decided to make a step outside of their comfort zone and see what their music can do elsewhere in the world. I hope I can help a bit, spread the good word about them around just like they did for me in Tokyo. Well, actually I can't do much, can I? Welcome to the tiny shitty venues of Europe...we don't have a lot of fans either, but the ones that we have really get it.

Praha Depart/N'toko Europe Tour 2011:

20.10.Menza Ljubljana, Slovenia

22.10.MC Pekarna Maribor, Slovenia

23.10. Le Kraspek-Lyon, France with Zero Absolu

27.10. Moog-Barcelona, Spain with Bardo Pond

28.10. La Boite Madrid, Spain with Bardo Pond

29.10.Matadero Ekintzak Azkoitia, Spain Guipuzkoa

5.11.De onderbroek-Nijmegen, Netherlands

6.11.Musikbunker-Aachen, Germany

STOP/CONTINUE

I've had enough of hearing "Dude, why do you still write your blog on Myspace, that is soooo dead man..."

Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the new "Ex Shanti Future Shanti" blog!

More interesting posts coming soon....

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