One Way
Strange Attractor God
The Play of the Puppets
La Dolce Vita
Hey
Transformator
Blind by Blood
Mario Marolt (tenor sax, mouth-piece): Vuk Krakovic (violin): Borut Krzisnik (guitar, bass and drums programming): Guests Giovanni Maier (acoustic bass):
Primoz Simoncic (alto sax): Hugo Sekioranja (piano, soprano sax): Roman Decman (brushes, cymbals): Aleksandra Rekar (piano) on various tracks
Recorded January-February 1995, PN Studios, Ljubljana, Slovenia [48:19]
This was originally recorded back in January-February 1995. It’s a seven-track disc lasting a none-too-generous 48-minutes offering some intriguing
European features. Borut Krzisnik is a guitarist who also plays bass and programmed drums, and his solos often veer toward the rockier spectrum. In fact One Way features a very strong rock vibe, its frenetic tenor and alto solos – courtesy of Mario Marolt and Primoz Simoncic respectively – bringing
strong Balkan qualities. These fraught, kinetic elements recur throughout the set, with raucous sax over programmed drums in Strange Attractor God
leading to a unison theme over walking bass – including a Classical sample for some reason – and a soul-filled tenor outing. Some eerie banshee-animalistic
mouthpiece squawking gets The Play of the Puppets going – you’ll be able to tell at this point whether this band is for you or not - whilst
violinist Krakovic pitches up with a quotation from Songs My Mother Taught Me just to add some extra quotient of larky, pan-stylistic-curio
quotient to the proceedings.
The title track may well be Dolce but it’s enshrined in a Balkanesque marching band ethos with folkloric elements very much to the fore. What a strange
brew is produced in Hey – deep bass, searing sax, rocky ethos, supple guitar from the leader and thrash rock as well from the band. Bluesy-based
hints are suggested in Transformator a calming and repetitive piece that acts as a kind of Andante amidst so much that is raucous and vibrant. But
the final track draws us back to full-bloodied Jazz-Rock, much of the thrashy variety but with a stand-out violin solo.
This is not a band to be trifled with as it covers a bewildering variety of ground. It’s not rocky enough for Rockers, not jazzy enough for Jazzers, not
stylistically hermetic enough for Jazz-Rockers, too pluralistic for alt-folkers, and too scatty for Balkanists. It’s very much a niche-within-a-niche band
but I have a sneaking admiration for the wild horses of Data Direct and for the erudite Borut Krzisnik.
Jonathan Woolf
CD Reviews
CLAUDIO CONTEMPORARY 
