Interviews

"The hardest part for me was writing the songs for the singers, leaving the guitars on the sidelines and allowing the vocals to lead the whole song." | Photo: Ana Massard

Nita Strauss: It doesn't matter if you play a cheap or expensive guitar, the important thing is just to start playing

"I am really looking forward to the show of Billie Eilish, who has never played in our region before," says Tamáš Kádár. | Photo: archive Sziget

Tamáš Kádár (Sziget Festival): I Enjoy Most Concerts Where I Feel That Something Special Is Happening

"Some songs almost write themselves and I just take dictation from the source, which is inspiration." | Photo: Christoph Bombart

Dominic Miller: I Want to Work with Musicians Who Understand Space and Colour

"The Bečva case is really bizarre," says Tomáš Niesner. | Photo: Jan Vrba

Tomáš Niesner: I Can’t Sit Down at a Desk and Write a Song

"I'm an extremely sensitive person. The only way to deal with this emotional baggage is to vent it somehow," says Maella. | Photo: Beata Mathe

Maella: I'm Learning to Work with Both Versions of Myself

All of our material has been documenting life under neoliberalism and the way it's been crushing people all that time. | Photo: Andy Lee

Steve Drewett (Newtown Neurotics): I Wanted to Write Music That Could Connect to People Emotionally

"I really feel that musicians… are like my brothers and sisters, they're like family to me because we speak the same language. And I love communicating that way," says John Doyle | Photo: J. Doyle's press kit

John Doyle: "We All Need To Spread a Bit More Happiness and Joy Rather Than Being Self-Contained"

"It's really important to have freedom. If you don't have that, it's very hard to express yourself," says Lari Basilio. | Photo: Jan Nožička

Lari Basilio: There are no shortcuts

Xabier Iriondo | Photo: Annapaola Martin

Xabier Iriondo: The Art of Inventing and (Re) Inventing Oneself

I like to keep that city sleaze in my music so you can smell the smell of the inner city | Photo: Mira Tiinanen

Andy McCoy: I Serve the Song, Whatever It Needs. That’s What I See As My Job

We keep each other in line. We're all able to be leaders, so we all take that position at different times. | Photo: Better Noise Music

Derek Day (Classless Act): We Take Our Music Seriously, but Not Ourselves

“The beauty is absolutely in the simplicity of being a trio... more isn't always better,” says J.P. Kallio of Sliotar | Photo: band's press kit

Sliotar: "Hearing Somebody Sing With Pain in His Voice Gives You Permission To Let Go"

For me, finding my own sound and vocabulary has been a very long and complicated journey, but one that I desperately needed,“ says Never Sol. | Photo: artist's archive

Never Sol: In Music, I Look for a Powerful Emotion that I Can Connect to

"Even when you're experienced it takes time to come up with a composition and all the sounds and details bit by bit," says Axel Thesleff | Photos: artists' archive

Axel Thesleff and Bratři: Interview About Live Performance, Music Production and Gear

“I had to get my life in order. I started studying music and never looked back,“ says Steve Conte | Photo: Anja Van Ast

Steve Conte: When They Showed Me How To Play "Johnny B. Goode", the Whole World Opened up for Me

"We sit together and we write songs together, and it can start from one sentence, from some lyrics or a chord progression or even a beat that we are doing on the computer—but it's really fluid, you know, there are no rules," says Gil Landau, from Lola Marsh | Photo: Samantha Annis

Lola Marsh: Music is the soundtrack of our lives