The Stroj
| The Stroj (The Stroy) | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Slovenia |
| Genres | Percussion |
| Years active | 1997– |
| Labels | StrojMusic |
The Stroj is a musical collective formed in 1997 in Laško originally as a percussion band, consisting of eight members who used plastic or metal waste barrels, worn out machine parts, and various working tools to make their music.
The name The Stroy comes from the Slovene word ‘stroj’ which means a ‘machine’. Pronounced together, the words sound like ‘destroy’. The Stroy is a pun with two meanings: machine and destruction.
The musical collective The Stroj was formed in 1997 in Laško. Originally The Stroj was a percussion band, consisting of eight members who used plastic or metal waste barrels, worn out machine parts, and various working tools to make their music. Distinctive percussive compositions which were based on striking, mechanically structured rhythms, and industrially sounding percussion instruments marked the collective's early work. Music from this period can be found on the albums Ventilator (1999) and Gremo! (2002). When artist and musician Aleksij Kobal joined the collective, the group's music became enriched by original wind and string instruments, as recorded on the album Cona/The Zone (2006). All three albums were produced by Aldo Ivančič (Borghesia, Bast), who had an important influence on the development of the collective's distinctive sound during this period.
The Stroj became known mostly for its striking music performances, which were based on expressive rhythmics, created by using non-conventional percussion instruments, on spectacular pyrotechnics, and unusual concert settings, like quarries, mines, a remade city bus and various industrial buildings. In the past decade the Stroj performed at festivals across Europe, in countries of the former republic of Yugoslavia, and in Singapore.
In the year 2000 The Stroj received the Zlata Ptica award for its musical accomplishments, and a documentary film about the group (directed by Brane Bitenc and written by Edvard Žitnik) was filmed by TV Slovenia. In 2006 the collective was featured in a music and dance performance called Začasno avtonomna cona (Temporarily autonomous zone) at Cankarjev dom.
At the beginning of 2007 most of the original members of the collective left The Stroj, and started working under the name StrojMachine.
In April 2009 the new line up, led by the founder of the group Primož Oberžan, premiered their latest project Cymaticon at Kinodvor movie theater in Ljubljana. The project, named after the device which displays cymatic visualizations of sound, indicated a transition to a new creative stage, with notable changes having been made to the sound and visual presentation of the group. With this project The Stroj began upgrading their performances with live video projections of sound effects by using different types of liquid and powdered matter.
...
Wikipedia