You’ve heard a lot over the years, but few things still excite you. Maybe it’s time to take that long-promised trip to Slovenia, home of one of Europe’s most intriguing musical experiments: Etceteral.
Over the past five years, the Ljubljana-based trio — Boštjan Simon (baritone sax, electronics), Marek Fakuč (drums) and Lina Rica (visuals) — have been shaping a sound that sits at the edge of jazz, electronics and avant-rock. Not strictly analogue, not strictly jazz, their music moves between composition, improvisation, and in-studio experimentation, capturing the urban pulse of cities like Berlin while staying deeply rooted in Slovenian creativity.
Their 2022 album, Rhizome (tak:til), was a breakthrough: cosmic sax lines, motoric rhythms, free improv and techno energy combined to create a record that was as fun as it was forward-thinking. Tracks like “Uy Scuti Space” nod to Sun Ra, while “Rome Burns” explodes with pure electronic energy.
With the new album, Kimatika, Etceteral shift focus slightly toward composition, layering rhythm machines, prerecorded sequences, and sax textures that float like a vocal in shoegaze. The result is richer, more intricate, yet immediate — playful, frenetic, hypnotic, and unmistakably their own. From the urgent opener “Ljolo” to the funk-driven “Prepih” and the album-closing “Kaneda”, the record invites listeners to dance, think, and explore.
Live, with Lina’s visuals and Marek’s astonishing drumming, the band’s energy reaches another level. But even on record, Etceteral offer a chance to experience why Slovenia keeps producing some of Europe’s most inventive underground music. Time to make new memories — the past can stay where it belongs.
An irresistible splurge of sax, krautrock grooves and heavy modular doom that should excite fans of Bent Arcana, Holden/Zimpel and The Comet is Coming.” — Uncut
“Blend of disobedient free jazz with krautrock” — Louder Than War
Kimatika, the 3rd album by the Slovenian audio-visual trio Etceteral, is a visceral plunge into the raw undercurrents of futuristic jazz, motoric propulsion, free improv and elastic compositions.
A growling baritone sax weaves through pulsating electronics and restless drums; the bass frequencies dense and cavernous. It is an arresting and thick tapestry of texture and tension, where noise and polyrhythms collide with urgent, melodic riffs.