Aleksandar Stojković / Alen and Nenad Sinkauz, biography / interview

ALEKSANDAR STOJKOVIĆ (RS)

Singer, poet and writer Aleksandar Stojković was born in Bor (Serbia) in 1973. He is the frontman and songwriter of the alternative rock band Goribor, which has so far released 8 albums; some of those albums were declared album of the year, and majority was highly praised by both critics and audience. Goribor has performed at numerous festivals in the region, and they were also often compared to bands such as Joy Division and Ekatarina Velika. Their latest album “Evo je banja” was released in 2012 under the label Dancing Bear, and it was followed by highly acclaimed criticism and a new regional tour. A talented, musical and creative poet, Stojković has published three collections of poetry so far, and his honest and emotionally charged poetry is often inspired by life in a mining town in the southeast Serbia.

ALEN SINKAUZ (HR)

Alen Sinkauz (1978, CRO) has a Masters Degree in Musicology from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Padua. He is a composer, bass and double bass player in various music, theatre and multidisciplinary projects. His work is focused on study of transversal musical forms and maximum openness towards different musical expressions. Since 2002 he has been a member of Croatian-Italian experimental band East Rodeo which connects avant-garde, live electronics, noise and experimental and improvised music. East Rodeo has released three albums, and the newest one, “Morning Cluster” hosts world-renowned musicians Marc Ribot, Greg Cohen and Warren Ellis. Alen Sinkauz composes music for short film and documentaries, and he has been involved with theatre since 2002. From 2010 he has been organizing Audioart, international festival of electronic and improvised music in Pula.

INTERVIEW

G: Where are you starting from and how?

AS: There is more than just one start. To start from yourself is not a bad idea, or for example from a concept, if there is a concept. I usually start from fantasy, imagining some possible stage scene, or from a text or a simply improvised situation. Also, it is also very important to click with whom you are working. Every human relationship brings and creates new values. The process of work and newly earned experience are invaluable to me.

My medium is music which by entering the theatre space takes on a specific quality because it is always in a dialogue with the text, light and movement. I like to observe and feel this fusion of theatre elements as an expression. In some projects the music is the one that is dominant; in some it’s text, in others it’s movement. And in theatre, it’s really important for me to see the big picture or feel as an integral part of one, because it is never sure if the music solutions I like the best will get their chance on the stage.

On the other hand, the music I create with the East Rodeo band is deprived of commercial and genre framework and I feel free in that combination of sound, as well as other members of the band.  We create music that draws on the strong structure within which we create a space for improvisation. We don’t play jazz, for jazz is enough to be in your head. The result is a different soundscape in which our interpersonal relations become listenable and visible.

In general, if you’re creating in theatre medium, film, concert or record medium, the most important methods of work are dedication and honesty.

G: Which way are you going?

AS: In musical sense, I grew up with my brother with whom I work on most of the project. I think we’ve always had a specific approach to the arrangement of sound. My education is colorful and sets of with classical education I music through jazz and improvised music and the study of musicology. Then there is a 10 year long work in experimental theatre TAM teatromusica in Padua. But, the fundamentals of my music upbringing is urban music and the 90’s underground sound (metal, punk, alter, noise) of Pula, my hometown. Once you feel it on-stage, it’s hard to get rid of that wild but pure energy. I’ve learned how to be open and give time to sound to inhabit me or to pass right through me. I’ve learned to love what I do, that’s why I’ve started ‘Audioart’ festival of experimental and improvised music – based in Pula.

G: Where are you going to?

AS: I always put creative process first. In my case, the goal is a deadline of a certain project. The goal is a decision with which I define the end of a process. It’s hard in Croatian, anywhere in the world, to live of one or few projects. As a musician and performer, I am bound to work on several different projects from theatre to film music to guest performances in Croatia and abroad. Every project I work on enriches me, with every single of them I grow and learn and I think that doesn’t end. I can’t say with certainty where I’d like to go but in any case – I’d like to continue doing what I love.

 

NENAD SINKAUZ (HR)

Composer, musician and performer Nenad Sinkauz (1980, CRO) has a Masters Degree in Ethnomusicology from Padua, and he has been actively involved with music since 1995. He is the co-author and a member of East Rodeo experimental band, which, on its third album “Morning Cluster”, hosted great names of world jazz and rock scene Marc Ribot, Gerg Cohen and Warren Ellis. As a composer, musician and performer, from 2001 to 2009 he collaborated with TAM teatromusica experimental theatre from Padua and the director Michele Sambino, after which he continued his theatre work with Ivana Sajko (plays “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose” and “Prizori s jabukom“), and as the co-author and performer in a musical-theatrical project “Malo je dovoljno”. He has performed at a number of music, theatre and film festivals and stages all over Europe. He collaborates on contemporary dance projects with Petra Hraščanec and Mala Kline, and composes music for documentaries and experimental films.

Foto: Malo je dovoljno

Foto: Malo je dovoljno

 

INTERVIEW

G: Where are you starting from and how?

NS: I’ve never asked myself that question: why I work as a musician. As a kid, I first played piano and then, soon after, I fell in love with the guitar. I never thought I’d be a musician when I grow up. Actually, I was convinced I’d be a soccer player. Methods of work change from project to project. Mostly, I create music through improvisation (which is my favorite method). There is a big difference between various methods of creating music – they depend on the media my collaborators come from (music, dance, video etc.).

G: Which way are you going?

NS: I gained basic music education by playing the piano in primary music school. Then I started to play guitar and attend different jazz workshops and schools. Most influence on my work come from the people I collaborate with, no matter what media they come from. I’ve learned a lot from theatre directors, dancers and choreographers, music collaborators, professors and mentors.

G: Where are you going to?

NS: I create music and I do live performances; for the last 10 years I’ve been creating music for different theatre performances in which I often perform, too. I always work on several projects at the same time. And each of them changes and enriches my music activity and persona. I can’t imagine doing music without ‘contaminating’ it with other media or without collaborations with different artists.