Tuesday, November 6, 2012

The Fashion Crisis Doesn't Stop!


Že dobro leto je mimo odkar so se Praha Depart prvič podali na pot v Evropo in s tem seveda tudi v Slovenijo. Turneja z mojim najljubšim japonskim bendom mi bo vedno ostala v spominu kot eden izmed vrhuncev mojega glasbenega delovanja. Še vedno kdaj za nazaj pogledam fotografije Aleša Rose, ki je dokumentiral celotno turnejo, in se spominjam neštetih zapletov in rešitev, ki smo jih srečali v tistih treh tednih. Gotovo je bil zame eden najlepših trenutkov turneje prav prvi nastop v Ljubljani, kjer so Praha Depart v tisti eni uri na odru upravičili ves šestmesečni trud, ki je šel v ta projekt. V nekatere bende se pač zaljubiš in težko sploh razložim ljudem, v čem je njihov čar, dokler jih sami ne vidijo v živo. Mislim da se vsi, ki ste bili na koncertih v Ljubljani ali Mariboru strinjate z mano, da malokateri bend da toliko od sebe na odru.
Vmes so počeli marsikaj, med drugim obiskali tudi Kanado in ZDA in ustvarili kup novega materiala. Letos sem imel čast nekajkrat nastopiti z njimi na Japonskem in se ponovno prepričati, zakaj jih tako rad gledam v živo.
8. in 9. novembra bodo spet pri nas, v ljubljanski Gromki in mariborskemu Kinu Udarnik. Na Ljubljanskem koncertu se bo uresničila moja fantazijska kombinacija, saj bodo nastopili skupaj z najbolj pisano in vznemirljivo domačo skupino zadnjih let, Napravi Mi Dete. Dogodek smo ponovno poimenovali "Fashion Crisis", saj bi radi, da nekako povzame vzdušje istoimenskega tokijskega eventa. Na Fashion Crisisu vedno srečaš nepredvidljive kombinacije bendov in didžejev, saj obiskovalci vedo preveč o glasbi, da bi se obremenjevali s predalčkanjem. Zanima nas slišati nekaj novega, biti presenečeni in spoznavati različne glasbenike in njihove poslušalce. Predvsem pa se hočemo zabavati. Napravi Mi Dete in Praha Depart sta benda, ki mi poosebljata takšen attitude, didžeji Shampoo Guy, Shanti Priya in Bravo Urška pa se bomo tudi trudili ne zaostajati za kozmopolitanskostjo naših gostov. Kot kaže se bo nabor glasbe vsekakor nagibal bolj proti vzhodu. 
Upam, da se naši prijatelji v Mariboru letos ne bodo spet rabili soočati s policijo in čakati pred zaprtimi vrati kluba tako kot se je zaradi nenadne inšpekcije zgodilo prejšnje leto. Takrat bi koncert skoraj odpadel, če ne bi organizatorji in publika bili tako vztrajni. Mislim, da se Praha Depart veselijo vrnitve v Maribor in priložnosti, da v bolj sproščenem vzdušju pokažejo, kaj znajo. Po koncertu pa se bomo dogodku priključili še ekipa Safarija v postavi N'toko/Zana/PlankTon in skrbeli za after party v Udarniku.

Komaj čakam! Se vidimo!



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It's been almost a year since Praha Depart first visited Europe, and of course Slovenia. Touring with my favorite Japanese band will always be one of the highlights of my musical career, and I sometimes still find myself browsing through Aleš Rosa's tour photos, remembering all the crazy situations we faced durning those three weeks. One of my favorite parts of the tour was the very beginning, when they played in Ljubljana in front  of my home audience. In that one hour gig it felt as if the 6 month's work on arranging the tour had already been payed off. Some bands you just fall in love with and it's hard to explain to other's what the big deal is about them, until they actually see them live. I think everybody who was at their show in Ljubljana or Maribor last year felt that Praha Depart's energy on stage is hard to compete with.
In the meantime they've been busy making new songs and touring North America. I've also had the privilege of playing some shows with them in Japan this year and realized once again why Praha Depart are one of my favorite bands in the world.
They'll be back in Slovenia this week, playing Gromka in Ljubljana on November 8th and Kino Udarnik in Maribor on the 9th. In Ljubljana I get to see one of my dream combinations come to life: Praha Depart playing together with the unbeatable Napravi Mi Dete. We're calling the event "Fashion Crisis", Call and Response Record's monthly Tokyo event, hoping to bring some of Koenji's relaxed atmosphere to Gromka, mixing together unpredictable musical styles for an audience that wants to hear new things and be surprised. And most of all, have fun. DJs Shampoo Guy, Bravo Urška and Shanti Priya will certainly do their best to create the right atmosphere.
Hopefully our friends in Maribor won't have to deal with police raids again this year (an unexpected intervention almost had the show cancelled had it not been for the determination of the organizers and fans). I think that Praha Depart are eager to get back up there again and get the chance to prove themselves in a more relaxed vibe. Me, PlankTon and Zana from the Safari team will be there as well to provide the after party.

Can't wait! 



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People elsewhere in Europe, go check out one of Praha Depart's gigs near you! Here are the dates of their 2012 Europe tour: http://car-records.blogspot.com/2012/11/praha-depart-europe-tour.html



Event info: