Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/513060
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 MAY 2015 This Week 29 blitz ists, thinkers, curators, academ- ics, authors, and more, to live and work within the space. Do you think crowdfunding for cultural projects of this kind is viable in Malta? How do you hope to drum up enthusiasm for your campaign? We have already seen some suc- cess stories with local organisa- tions and creators tapping into the international phenomenon of crowdfunding. I think the local cultural scene is still experiment- ing with crowdfunding but real- istically, an exciting and well-pre- sented project can be successful irrespective of where it is located. I hope this campaign will set the bar high and provide a framework for others in the local art scene considering using a crowdfunding platform. Putting any project on a larger, international, competi- tive platform, inevitably means we must step-up and raise our game. If we want to attract international support then we must begin chal- lenging ourselves and our audi- ences more. For the Make Us Count cam- paign we have collaborated with a number of artists, makers and professionals who have come on board as supporters in various capacities. There will be a launch party on May 30 to celebrate the campaign going live. This will be an opportunity to acknowledge all of the incredibly generous people who have helped bring this cam- paign together, and it will serve to encourage our supporters to spread the word as we raise a glass to the future, and the hard work that has brought BLITZ this far. Would you say that Maltese artists and other local creatives are well served by the funding options available here? I think it is neither possible, nor is it sensible or viable to survive entirely on public funding. On whether there is enough support in terms of quantity, I suspect lo- cal artists and creatives will never feel satisfied. I believe that comes more from a general feeling of en- titlement; the belief we should be supported irrespective of what it is that we are creating. I personally disagree with this. Making do with what we have does not mean that our limited resources should be distributed for everyone to get a chance, but rather it should be invested in those who are innovative and pro- ducing projects and ideas that are radical and experimental, engag- ing audiences with a strong public programme. In the longer term I believe that this will improve edu- cation through exposure to high calibre projects, in turn raising the standard of projects both large and small. BLITZ is located at 28 St Lucia Street, Valletta and is supported by Malta Arts Fund www.thisisblitz.com The folk of the now Following the pioneering world-folk band's reunion concert on May 1 at Europe House in London, TEODOR RELJIC speaks to Andrej Vujicic and Oliver Degabriele of Etnika about why they decided to 'reboot' the lively ensemble, and what lies ahead in the band's future now that several other Maltese bands have trod on the trail that they blazed back in the early noughties What motivated you to 'get the old band back together'? Andrej Vujicic: Well, it looks like we have finally succumbed to the growing collective nostalgia for the project, both within the group and amongst the fans. Etnika left a big mark on the local music and crea- tive scene in general, and still to date, it is one of the top references for Maltese roots music. The yearly showcase events were accompanied by a peculiar contagious euphoria, and hearing local roots music in a new context in the early 2000's made people aware and proud of their own nearly forgotten musical heritage. It was unexpected, high- energy and it genuinely touched people, creating high expectations for every coming year. I suppose we all got addicted to that feeling and we felt that each year we needed to surpass the ex- pectations, the surprise factor, the staging, the fanfare. Looking back it is easy to see that we had entered a vicious circle of wanting to make the events bigger and more spec- tacular, as the crowds and venues were getting bigger. At times we would lose the initial intimacy and focus on the music, and occasion- ally even a genuine connection to the crowd. After the album Zifna in 2003 we made probably enough material for two new albums and yet we never recorded again. So there are many beautiful songs that only ever ex- isted live, some of our best material actually, and we felt that we owed it to ourselves and to our fans to re- suscitate them. What would you say were some of the most significant changes to the local musical scene since the years you were 'active'? And how will you be responding to these changes with your new setup? Oliver Degabriele: The Etnika project was conceived in a time when there was very little folk/ world/pop music with a strong Maltese identity happening in the local music scene. Nowa- days, there is a wealth of projects which include either the Maltese language or elements of Maltese folk music in their vocabulary. This has happened mostly over the past 10 years, and it is a less obvious and easy to stand out in today's colourful scene than it was 15 years ago. Another change lies on a more social level. Malta is not an island anymore. We have become Euro- pean, we are finding out what it is to be Mediterranean and we are constantly faced with stories hap- pening on the border of two con- tinents which are culturally and socially closer than most Maltese care to admit. This has forced us to reevaluate the approach we might have had before with as- pects of our music and shows and focus more on the Maltese identi- ty in the contemporary European and Mediterranean context. AV: In many ways, Etnika helped to provide a blueprint to a mul- titude of offshoot projects. The oddball quirkiness, festive brass bands, the inclusion of traditional Maltese instruments, creative lyrics in Maltese, mix with other relevant music styles, and so on. None of this is novel in 2015, al- beit still far from mainstream, and we certainly won't be rushing back into old moulds. I feel we need to focus on the music now, and not design the outcome beforehand, allow ourselves to shape the songs free from a preconceived idea of a genre or effect, trust ourselves and the process and be sincere. What led you to go for a back-to- basics approach and line-up? AV: Firstly, the world has changed, and the extravagancy of touring as a 13-piece band as we used to, is today simply not feasible. Six is probably the limit. And as we are currently prima- rily focused on a touring band line up, we tried to preserve the essence of the band, and also for- mulate the essence of our new sound. Working for many years on numerous projects locally and internationally, the individual core group members gained new experience and grew musically in different directions. We are now excited to revisit old Etnika songs and are really enjoying the challenge of reduc- ing the arrangements to an al- most unplugged, back-to-basics feel. The music now really comes to the foreground and a new- found creativity of how to use our strengths and weaknesses allowing for the 'less is more' to work its magic. Not sure we are there yet, but we are getting a glimpse of a new sound, and are loving the process. How would you describe your reunion concert in London? Why did you go for that particular venue, and how were you received? AV: The concert was organised by the Malta High Commission in the United Kingdom which is based in London, as part of the anniversary celebrations of Malta joining the European Union in 2004. Etnika had actually played in the official ceremonies back in 2004 in Ireland and Luxembourg, and in may ways this came to a full circle. The venue was Europe House, and it seated just over a hundred strong crowd in its maximum capacity com- prised of esteemed dignitaries as well as friends, fans and family. As expected it was a very emo- tional affair for all of us, and it was great to feel again the love people have for the project. The crowd was with us till the end enjoying equally the really stripped down, slow and heartfelt numbers as well as the upbeat high-energy ones, and we received a very positive feedback for the new line-up, arrangements and sound. They gave us a standing ovation at the end and the energy and excitement in the venue was palpable. Couldn't have gone better really for a first concert after seven years! Very excited to play again. How would you describe the local music scene at the moment? What would you change about it? OD: It feels a bit like a kid in ado- lescence. The big fish in a small pond syndrome is slowly giving way to more mature and ambitious projects and musicians who are not content by reaching the charts on a local radio station. The internet, EU accession and more widespread availability of funding have all con- tributed to this. More and more bands and musicians are touring and studying abroad which is nec- essary rather than positive. All this can be crucial for Maltese music to grow up out of puberty into what- ever it is meant to be in its 'adult- hood', and of course we look for- ward to contributing once more to this process! Some things that can be improved is better curation of artistic funding (giving the right funds to the right projects at the right time of their lifecycle), an incentive to more live music (easier permits for outdoor concerts and using unlikely spaces for gigs) and a proper legal struc- ture for the distribution of royalties (songwriter and interpreter rights). It is still beyond comprehension that the majority of Maltese bands and musicians do not even consid- er royalties when it is increasingly becoming the main source of in- come in the modern music indus- try, which has shed its old revenue models and is constantly trying to figure out new ones. What's next for you? AV: There is a series of interna- tional performances planned, the first one being in Rome at the Ac- cademia Filarmonica Romana on July 10. We are hoping to go to USA and Canada as well as other European capital cities. We are also participating in the opening ceremony at the CHOGM event in Malta. The project is in real need of a new recording and we are currently focusing our energies on new ar- rangements and repertoire as well as funding and logistics for the new album. All this is moving towards a big local Etnika event that should happen next year. For more information on Etnika, log on to www.facebook.com/etnikamalta Etnika, left to right: Walter Vella, Andrew Alamango, Francesca Grima. Top: Alison Galea, Andrej Vujicic and Oliver Degabriele (Photo: Grace Cassar)