View source for MENT Ljubljana

{{Article
| status       = PHOTO INFOBOX NIFERTIK!
| maintainer   = Anže Zorman
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{{Infobox
| name               = MENT Ljubljana
| local name         = MENT Ljubljana
| logo               = MENT Ljubljana (logo).svg
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| street             = 
| town               = 
| website            = http://www.ment.si/
| email              = manage@ment.si
| telephone          = 
| fax                = 
| founded by         = 
| founded by 2       =
| founded by 3       =
| founded by 4       =
| organised by       = Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture
| organised by 2     = SIGIC, Slovene Music Information Centre
| organised by 3     =
| managed by         = 
| managed by 2       = 
| managed by 3       = 
| published by       =
| published by 2     = 
| published by 3     =
| opening hours      =
| official hours     =
| frequency          = 
| dates and duration = 
| duration weeks     = 
| festival dates     = 4.2.2015 - 6.2.2015, 3.2.2016 - 5.2.2016, 1.2.2017 - 3.2.2017, 31.1.2018 - 2.2.2018, 30.1.2019 - 1.2.2019, 5.2.2020 - 7.2.2020, 3.6.2021 – 11.6.2021, 8.6.2022 – 10.6.2022, 29.03.2023 - 31.03.2023, 21.02.2024 - 24.02.2024

| contacts     = {{Contact
  | name        = Matjaž Manček
  | role        = Project manager
  | street      = 
  | town        = 
  | website     = 
  | email       = matjaz.mancek@kinosiska.si
  | telephone   = 
  | fax         = 
  }}
{{Contact
  | name        = Andraž Kajzer
  | role        = Artistic director
  | street      = 
  | town        = 
  | website     = 
  | email       = andraz.kajzer@ment.si
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  }}
{{Contact
  | name        = Miran Rusjan
  | role        = Conference Coordination
  | street      = 
  | town        = 
  | website     = 
  | email       = conference@ment.si
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  }}{{Contact
  | name        = Jaša Bužinel
  | role        = Media Relations
  | street      = 
  | town        = 
  | website     = 
  | email       = announce@ment.si
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  }}
| accounts = 
https://twitter.com/mentljubljana
http://www.facebook.com/MENTLjubljana
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCljP2HIJ2o9kJaYibSDngxw
http://instagram.com/ment_ljubljana
https://mentljubljana.bandcamp.com/
}}

{{Teaser
|image=MENT 2023 photos by Konstantin Kondrukhov 2023 photo by Konstantin KondrukhovIMG 7686 70.JPG
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Established in [[established::2015]], [[MENT Ljubljana]] is an international music showcase festival taking place at various Ljubljana venues beginning of February. It is comprised of a series of music acts (fresh artists joined by established head-liners), a conference programme dealing with the intricacies of music businesses, and additional events such as exhibitions or workshops on new art and media technologies. Moreover, MENT is a year-long project intended to help Slovene musicians and music professionals with promotion and networking. To this end, MENT enlists and accompanies them to other showcase festivals.
}}

{{YouTube|Ha1qsEc545g}}


==Mission and strategy==

MENT was set up foremost to be a platform for improving the ways in which the Slovene music scene relates with the international music business circuit. As such, it works to equip those active in this field in Slovenia with the necessary understanding and skills for optimally crafting their careers as well as offers various networking opportunities. This mission is served not only through the festival, but through activities year-round. For example, a workshop series co-organised with [[SIGIC, Slovene Music Information Centre|SIGIC]], which has featured foreign mentors like Sanjin Đukić (Los Angeles Agency, HR), Login Kočiški (Password Agency, MK), and Hannes Tschürtz (INK Music, AT). Last but not least, MENT acquaints the Slovene audiences with exceptional, if slightly less recognised, musicians from around Europe as well as from the USA.

MENT Ljubljana is produced by [[Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture]] and co-produced by [[SIGIC, Slovene Music Information Centre]]. In 2017 it won the prestigious European Festival Award in two categories: The Best Indoor Festival and The Best Small Festival. [[MENT Ljubljana]] is a member of the ''Innovation Network of European Showcases'' (INES), a platform led by GET a GIG GmbH (DE).

===Venues===

Festival happenings take place at the [[Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture]] and the adjacent M Hotel, the clubs in [[Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone]] ([[Klub Menza pri koritu]], [[Klub Channel Zero]], [[Gala Hala]], [[Klub Gromka]]), the [[Stara Elektrarna - Old Power Station]], [[Klub K4]], [[Pritličje]], the [[DobraVaga]] gallery, the cafeteria of the [[Slovene Ethnographic Museum]], and also [[Kinodvor Cinema]] for film screenings.


===Music programme===

The showcase usually presents about 50 musicians and bands invited from all over Europe, with a somewhat special bias toward the Balkans and the Baltic and some additional guests coming from the USA. 

A significant portion of the acts are local artists of varied musical persuasions, from big bands and rock acts to techno producers. Some of them are [[Jardier]], [[Your Gay Thoughts]], [[Werefox]], [[The Canyon Observer]], [[Koala Voice]], [[Nina Bulatovix]], [[It's Everyone Else]], [[Moveknowledgement]], [[Štefan Kovač Marko Banda|ŠKM Banda]], and [[Ludovik Material]].

{{Image|Ment Ljubljana 2015 New Wave Syria.jpg}}


===Conference programme===

The conference events mostly take the form of either lectures or speaker panels, with the topics varying from discussing festival strategies, analysing business models and explaining digital marketing, to introducing lesser known music scenes (such as the Belarus one) and organising listening sessions where an elected cast comments on anonymous tracks. The 2016 edition has a special focus on the Balkans region and among other things features a networking session with that specific market in mind. 

Some of the keynote speakers and guests whom MENT has invited include Scott Cohen (The Orchard, UK), Chris Eckman (GlitterBeat Records, SI/US), Helen Sildna (Tallinn Music Week, EE), Ruud Berends (Eurosonic Noorderslag, NL), John Robb (LouderThanWar, UK), Michal Kaščák (Pohoda, SK), Ivan Novak ([[Laibach]], SI), Andrej Sevšek ([[Punk Rock Holiday]], SI), Dan Panaitescu (Sziget, HU), Martin Elbourne (Glastonbury Festival, UK), Jeff Owens (Ghostly International, US), Sasho Yerchenko (tlas Weekend Festival) and Dartsya Tarkovska (Soundbuzz Records)(UA).

==International activities==

In a way acting as a Slovene music export agency, MENT has been crucial in enlisting Slovene performers to international festivals and showcase events such as Tallinn Music Week, INmusic Festival, Reeperbahn Festival, Eurosonic Noorderslag, Waves Vienna & Bratislava (in collaboration with the [[Slovenian Culture and Information Centre, Vienna (SKICA)]]), Liverpool Sound City, and Taksirat Festival. In 2015, 12 acts carried out 31 performances at these events via MENT, which also sent its own delegations.

MENT participates in the European Talent Exchange Programme (ETEP), a network of 90 European festivals that encourages the flow of new talent among European festivals.


MENT is a member of the Innovation Network of European Showcases (INES), next to 7 showcase festivals: Budapest Showcase Hub (HU), Enea Spring Break (PO), Linecheck (IT), Live at Heart (SE), Liverpool Sound City (UK), Monkey Week (ES), Nouvelle Prague (CZ), Sonic Visions (LX), Waves, Vienna (AT), Westway LAB (PT). One of its subprogrammes is the INES#talent program, in 2018 among the selected 104 new #talents are 10 bands from Slovenia: [[Blaž]], [[čunfa]], [[Leni Kravac]], [[Lynch]], [[MRFY]], [[Natriletno kolobarjenje s praho]], [[NOAIR]], [[Werefox]], [[Zala Kralj]] & [[Gašper Šantl]] and [[КУКЛА]].


{{YouTube|Ys2br7EiSKc}}

==See also==
*[[Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture]]
*[[SIGIC, Slovene Music Information Centre]]
*[[Metelkova mesto Autonomous Cultural Zone]]

==External links==
*[http://www.ment.si/ MENT Ljubljana website]
*[http://www.sigic.si/?lang=en Sigic website]
*[https://www.etep.nl ETEP website]
*[https://www.ines-festivals.eu/ INES website]
*[https://mentljubljana.bandcamp.com/releases Compilations featuring songs of Slovene participants at MENT 2020]


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[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Festivals]]
[[Category:Music festivals]]
[[Category:Support services]]
[[Category:Workshop organisers]]
[[Category:Funding,_professional_and_support_services]]