MENT delegates Q&A
March 13, 2017 2:49 pmLászló Papp // NVC, Selected Sounds (photo: Máté Bugár)
What were your previous expectations before attending MENT Ljubljana?
I had already visited the beautiful city of Ljubljana, so i was really looking forward to attend MENT 2017 when I was invited to be a member of the Hungarian delegation. I was deliberately excited to visit Metelkova again.
What is the most important thing that you learned/received from the event?
You cannot smoke in hotel rooms! 🙂 On a serious note: there is a really colourful and interesting scene in the Middle European region with lots of forward-thinking bands that really deserve attention.
What was the most memorable program/concert you saw?
One of the most shocking/awesome shows in my life was the concert of The Jack Wood from Russia. Gustave Tiger’s concert was also a blast!
Petra Kirschner // Made In Pécs, Est Café
What were your previous expectations before attending MENT Ljubljana?
It was the first showcase festival I attended, and I expected something similar, however it was a very pleasant surprise for me to perceive the openness and the enthusiasm of the other delegates.
What is the most important thing that you learned/received from the event?
It was a very important experience for me to be “present” at such an event, and the importance of advance preparation about the delegates, the programs and the concerts. I also conceive it important to schedule my time spent on a showcase festival accurately, to maximize the opportunities of an event like that.
What was the most memorable program/concert you saw?
One of the programs I really enjoyed was the The KEXP Story conversation with Kevin Cole, and some of the concerts I can mention: the Erinarindra, Erki Pärnoja, Persons from Porlock, and Gustave Tiger.
Ádám Kiss // Sziget/Volt Production
What were your previous expectations before attending MENT Ljubljana?
I wanted to hear some interesting panel talks about the regional music industry, socialize with people of the neighbouring countries and also with my fellow hungarian delegates, have a few beers, see interesting not quite ’you can catch them everywhere’ bands and also to see Ljubljana, because I have never seen it before – actually that was what I got there at the end.
What is the most important thing that you learned/received from the event?
For me the most important thing was to see how the other guys are doing their businesses in our Central Eastern European region, and to realize that I (we) should learn more about the live music & festival life of our neighbouring countries, because of the success of our businesses of course, but also because of all the cool things that are happening just a few hundred kilometers away.
What was the most memorable program/concert you saw?
As a festival organiser, I loved the ex-YU live music discussion the most. It was not only interesting but the characters and their stories were really funny. From the music lineup I really liked the noisy mess of Sweet Release of Death, and let me be a proud Hungarian, Apey’s concert was perfectly the kind of special, intimate music event that I appreciate even more than big and bombastic mainstage acts. That small room with the golden curtain and all the girls trying to get closer to the artist…I bought his album from Google Play, and started thinking about booking him for a summer event while standing there. This is something we all want from this whole showcase thing, isn’t it?
Dávid Sajó // Index
What were your previous expectations before attending MENT Ljubljana?
I expected a much smaller, more personal festival, but Metelkova has the same vibe as the downtown of Budapest. Although it surprised me how boring most of the conferences were after a few international showcases.
What is the most important thing that you learned/received from the event?
The most important thing I learned is to send invites to all the delegates, managers, promoters and members of the press days before a band’s gig. A good example is Gustave Tiger, who didn’t give a flying fuck about this at BUSH, and they played for only a handful of people. But at MENT they actually invited plenty of people from the business and violá, they got into the rotation of the scottish BBC.
What was the most memorable program/concert you saw?
The most memorable gigs were the Russian bands, The Jack Wood and Spasibo, but I was honestly surprised how well the crowd reacted to Uffalo Steez’s dj set.
Sándor Richárd Fejes // S*10, Monday Session
What were your previous expectations before attending MENT Ljubljana?
I heard a lot of positive things about the festival, so i expected it to be inspiring.
What is the most important thing that you learned/received from the event?
I recognised how colorful the East and Middle European music culture is.
What was the most memorable program/concert you saw?
It’s difficult to choose just one, cause of the many genres. The remarkable ones for me were: Tomy Cash, Awlnight, Uffalo Steez.