Post Description

katalena[progfolk]

Prog Folk • Slovenia
mp3
tracks
192-320

Katalena are a Slovene modern folk group which arose from a 2001 workshop aimed at resurrecting traditional Slovakian folk tunes and injecting them with modern trappings of style, energy and improvisational delivery.

Taking the workshop on the road, the band first appeared as a live act in December 2001 at the New Rock Festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia. This was followed by a string of live appearances as well as nominations for two Slovenian music awards for innovation and live performance that year. The band's first album '(Z)Godbe' was released the following year, and includes three live performances from the band's workshop project. Following another year of touring the band released a second studio album consisting of modern interpretations of traditional Slovene folk songs in 2004 ('Babje leto'), and a third in 2006 ('Kmeèka ohcet'). All three albums have received both critical and commercial acclaim in their native land.

Katalena have appeared on BBC radio, Slovenian national television, and at a number of European music festivals. In October 2004 the band joined a small number of prominent Slovenian musical acts who have headlined in Cankarjev dom, the largest cultural centre in Slovenia, appearing there to a sold-out crowd.

The band's music is marked by upbeat and lively rhythms, traditional and modern instrumentation including flute, cello, mandolin, clarinet, and various keyboards.

Slovenian ethnomusicologist Katarina Juvan describes the band as follows: "Combining best of the Slovene traditional music, carefully selected from the archives, songbooks and old vinyl records with solid rock rhythms, funky groove and enviable arranging skills it creates a unique post-folk rock style that presents the music legacy of Slovenia's regions in an utterly new light. Fused with dynamic and invigorating electrical instruments, which caress the enchanting singing, it is transformed on the stage into a dance and sound performance that mesmerises even the most musically pampered ears. Katalena is the most inspirational voice of the 21st century Slovene folk music soundtrack".

Katalena deserve a place on ProgArchives for their loving and innovative interpretations of traditional Slovenian folk music and their ability to translate these ethnic classics in an appealing fashion to national and international audiences.


(Z)godbe 2002 *
Babje leto 2004 *
Kmeèka ohcet 2006* 
Cvik cvak! 2008 *
Noc carovnic 2011*