In the minds of many foreigners, Slovenian

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

means a form of polka that is still popular today, especially among expatriates and their descendants. However, there are many styles of Slovenian folk music beyond polka and

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

. , , , and are a few of the traditional music styles and dances.

Prehistory

The

Divje Babe flute The Divje Babe flute, also called tidldibab, is a cave bear femur pierced by spaced holes that was unearthed in 1995 during systematic archaeological excavations led by the Institute of Archaeology of the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy ...

, a perforated bone found in a cave at the Divje Babe site

Cerkno Cerkno (; ; ) is a small town in the Littoral region of Slovenia. It has around 2,000 inhabitants and is the administrative centre of the Cerkno Hills. It is the seat of the Municipality of Cerkno. Cerkno is a small but important local cultural ...

, Slovenia. It is controversially believed to be a flute, which makes it possibly the oldest known musical instrument ever. Its age is estimated at approximately 55,000 years. The history of modern Slovenian music can be traced back to the 5th century, when Christianity spread in

Carantania Carantania, also known as Carentania (, , in Old Slavic '), was a Slavic principality that emerged in the second half of the 7th century, in the territory of present-day southern Austria and north-eastern Slovenia. Since the middle of the ...

. Liturgical

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

s (''kyrie Eleison'') were introduced, and became the first

plainchant Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ; ) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in Latin text. Plainsong was the exclusive for ...

to make a connection to the peoples' language.

Classical music

Medieval

During the medieval era, secular music was as popular as church music, including wandering

minnesinger (; "love song") was a tradition of German lyric- and song-writing that flourished in the Middle High German period (12th to 14th centuries). The name derives from '' minne'', the Middle High German word for love, as that was ''Minnesangs m ...

George Slatkonia George Slatkonia (, also ''Jurij Chrysippus'', Slovenian: ''Jurij Slatkonja'', 21 March 1456 – 26 April 1522) was a Carniolan choirmaster and the first residential Bishop of Vienna. He was also the first owner of an ex libris among the S ...

, a

Carniola Carniola ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region that comprised parts of present-day Slovenia. Although as a whole it does not exist anymore, Slovenes living within the former borders of the region still tend to identify with its traditional parts Upp ...

n conductor and composer from

Novo Mesto Novo Mesto (; ; also known by #Name, alternative names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, seventh-largest city of Slovenia. It is the economic and cultural centre of the traditional region of Lower Carniola (southeastern Slovenia) and ...

, became the director of the

Vienna Boys' Choir The Vienna Boys' Choir () is a choir of boy sopranos and altos based in Vienna, Austria. It is one of the best known boys' choirs in the world. The boys are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other countries. The choir is a privat ...

in 1498.

Renaissance

By the time of

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

in the 16th century, music was used to proselytize in Carniola. The first Slovenian hymnal, '' Eni Psalmi'', was published in 1567. This period saw the rise of

Renaissance music Renaissance music is traditionally understood to cover European music of the 15th and 16th centuries, later than the Renaissance era as it is understood in other disciplines. Rather than starting from the early 14th-century ''ars nova'', the mus ...

ians like

Jacobus Gallus Jacobus Gallus (a.k.a. Jacob(us) Handl, Jacob(us) Händl; between 15 April and 31 July 155018 July 1591) was a late-Renaissance composer of presumed Slovene ethnicity.Skei/Pokorn, Grove online Born in Carniola, which at the time was one of the ...

. Italy was an important musical influence of the period, especially in sacred music, such as that of Antonio Tarsia (composer) of

Koper Koper (; ) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, fifth-largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Slovenian Istria, Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, Koper is the main urban center of the Slovene coast. Port of Koper i ...

, in

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

and opera. A ''Commedia'' was performed in Ljubljana in 1660, and an opera in 1700 in the family palace of the Auersperg family.

Enlightenment

In 1701, Johann Berthold von Höffer (1667–1718), a nobleman and amateur composer from Ljubljana, founded the Academia Philharmonicorum Labacensis based on Italian models. and the Ljubljana branch of the Roman Academy of Arcadia was founded a few years later in 1709. Apart from Höffer, the Cathedral provost Michael Omerza was also noted for his oratorios. The first major Slovenian opera was performed in 1732, ''Il Tamerlano'' by ''

abbate Abbate and L'Abbate is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Allison Abbate (born 1965), American film producer * Anthony Abbate, American former Chicago police officer and criminal * Carlo Abbate (c. 1600–before 1640), It ...

'' Giuseppe Clemente de Bonomi, maestro di Capella, in the palace of the Carniolan vice-regent, the duke Francesco Antonio Sigifrid Della Torre e Valassina. Beginning in 1768, German theatre companies arrived and became very popular. The 1794 formation of the Philharmonische Gesellschaft was important because it was one of the first such orchestras in Central Europe.

19th century

The 19th century saw the growth of a distinctively Slovenian classical music sound based on

romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

, while the German minority continued to push for a stronger Germanic identity. The

Ljubljana opera house The Ljubljana Opera House (, or ) is an opera house in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. The seat of the national opera and ballet company, the Ljubljana Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet, it serves as the national opera building of th ...

(1892) was shared by Slovene and German opera companies. Composers of Slovenian

Lieder In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

and

art song An art song is a Western world, Western vocal music Musical composition, composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical music, classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is ...

s include

Emil Adamič Emil Adamič (December 25, 1877 – December 6, 1936) was among the most productive Slovenian composers. He wrote choral and orchestral music, altogether over 1,000 works. Adamič was born in Dobrova to August Adamič (1843–1915) and Katharina ...

(1877–1936), Fran Gerbič (1840–1917),

Alojz Geržinič Alojz Geržinič (11 June 1915 – 26 March 2008) is a Slovenian composer. Many of his compositions are for voice. A native of Ljubljana, he lived and worked in Buenos Aires, Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is ...

(1915–2008), Benjamin Ipavec (1829–1908),

Davorin Jenko Davorin Jenko (born Martin Jenko; 9 November 1835 – 25 November 1914) was a Slovenes, Slovene and Serbs, Serbian composer. He is sometimes considered the father of Slovenian National romanticism, national Romantic music. Among other songs, he co ...

(1835–1914), Anton Lajovic (1878–1960), Kamilo Mašek (1831–1859),

Josip Pavčič Josip Pavčič ( Velike Lašče 18 July 1870 – Ljubljana 24 September 1949) was a Slovenian composer and organist.Dragotin Cvetko ''Slovene music in its European setting'' 1991 He was popular with choral societies, and for his art songs. His f ...

(1870–1949),

Zorko Prelovec Zorko Prelovec was a Slovene composer, well known for his choral works and Lieder In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary ...

(1887–1939), and Lucijan Marija Škerjanc (1900–1973).

20th century

In the early 20th century,

impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

was spreading across Slovenia, which soon produced composers Marij Kogoj and

Slavko Osterc Slavko Osterc (17 June 1895 – 23 May 1941), was a Slovenian composer. Osterc was born in Veržej. He studied under Emerik Beran, who was a pupil of Leoš Janáček, in his youth before attending the Prague Conservatory from 1925 to 1927. Whil ...

. Avant-garde

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

arose in Slovenia in the 1960s, largely due to the work of Uroš Krek, Dane Škerl, Primož Ramovš and Ivo Petrić, who also conducted the Slavko Osterc Ensemble. Jakob Jež, Darijan Božič,

Lojze Lebič Lojze Lebič (born 23 August 1934) is a Slovenian composer and conductor of choral and instrumental music. Life Lebič was born on 23 August 1934 in Prevalje, in the Carinthia (Slovenia), Carinthia region of Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia). ...

and

Vinko Globokar Vinko Globokar (born 7 July 1934) is a French-Slovenian avant-garde composer and trombonist. Globokar's music uses unconventional and extended techniques, places great emphasis on spontaneity and creativity, and often relies on improvisation. H ...

have since composed enduring works, especially Globokar's '' L'Armonia'', an opera. In the 1950s,

Božidar Kantušer Božidar Kantušer (Bozidar Kantuser) (December 5, 1921, Pavlovski Vrh, Slovenia – May 9, 1999, Paris) was a Slovene composer of classical music. He was a Slovenian citizen and an American citizen. Kantušer is the author of symphonic music, ...

was the most progressive of all, by dint of his atonality.

Contemporary

Contemporary classic music composers include Uroš Rojko, Tomaž Svete, Brina Jež-Brezavšček and Aldo Kumar.

Opera

The Slovenian National Theatres in Maribor and Ljubljana serve as the national opera and ballet houses. Mezzo-soprano Marjana Lipovšek was born in Ljubljana. Opera composers from Slovenia include Fran Gerbič, Jani Golob,

, Pavel Šivic and Igor Štuhec.

Film music

The composer of

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

s for 170 films was

Bojan Adamič Bojan Adamič a.k.a. Master (; 9 August 1912 – 3 November 1995), Slovene Partisans nom de guerre Gregor, was a well-known Slovene composer of jazz, the Slovenian song festival music, and particularly film scores. He was also an avid photograph ...

(1912–1995).

Folk music

Vocal

Rural

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

singing is a deep rooted tradition in Slovenia, and is at least three-part singing (four voices), while in some regions even up to eight-part singing (nine voices). Slovenian folk songs, thus, usually resounds soft and harmonious, and are very seldom in minor.

Instrumental

Typical Slovenian folk music is performed on Styrian harmonica (the oldest type of accordion), fiddle, clarinet,

zithers Zither (; , from the Greek ''cithara'') is a class of stringed instruments. The modern instrument has many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. Zithers are typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers or a ...

, flute, and by brass bands of alpine type. In eastern Slovenia, fiddle and cimbalon bands are called velike goslarije. Traditional Slovenian music include various kinds of musical instruments such as: *

Steirische Harmonika The Steirische Harmonika () is a type of Accordion#Construction, bisonoric diatonic button accordion important to the Volksmusik, alpine folk music of Croatia (Hrvatsko Zagorje, Hrvatsko zagorje), Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Austria, the German s ...

Kontra A kontra (, 'three-stringed viola') is a Hungarian, Czech, Polish, Romanian, Slovak and Romani instrument common in Transylvania. Construction The ''kontra'' can be constructed new, but is most often a classical viola which has undergone s ...

Hammered dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-string instrument which consists of String (music), strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board (music), sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set bef ...

* Cimbalon grande * Drone zither * Violin zither *

Zither Zither (; , from the Greek ''cithara'') is a class of stringed instruments. The modern instrument has many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. Zithers are typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers or a ...

Tamburica Tamburica ( or ; sometimes written tamburrizza or tamburitza; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", tamburica, тамбурица, little tamboura) or tamboura (; ) refers to a family of long-necked lutes popular in Southeast Europe and southeastern ...

Fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

* Carnian fiddle *

Cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

* Brunkula cello *

Gaida Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, Nor ...

* Brass instruments, such as baritone horn *

Clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

Jaw harp The Jew's harp, also known as jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp, is a lamellophone instrument, consisting of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue or Reed (mouthpiece), reed attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most like ...

* Clay pot bass * Okarina * Akelêmb * Klopotec *

Panpipes A pan flute (also known as panpipes or syrinx) is a musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length (and occasionally girth). Multiple varieties of pan flutes have been ...

* Wooden cross flutes of various sizes *

Psaltery :''See Rotte (psaltery) for medieval harp psaltery & Ancient Greek harps for earlier psalterion'' A psaltery () (or sawtry, an archaic form) is a fretboard-less box zither (a simple chordophone) and is considered the archetype of the zither and ...

Tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...

Folk music revivalists include Volk Volk, Kurja Koža, Marko Banda, Katice, Bogdana Herman, Ljoba Jenče, Vruja, Trinajsto praše, Šavrinske pupe en ragacone, Musicante Istriani, and Tolovaj Mataj. One of the best Slovenian diatonic accordionists is Nejc Pačnik who won the accordion world-championship twice, in 2009 and 2015.

Slovenian pop-folk music

From 1952 on, the

Slavko Avsenik Slavko Avsenik (November 26, 1929 – July 2, 2015) was a Slovenia, Slovene composer and musician. Beginning in 1953 with the formation of the Avsenik Brothers Ensemble, Avsenik produced more than 1,000 songs and garnered success both in Slovenia ...

's band began to appear in broadcasts, movies, and concerts all over the

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, inventing the original " Oberkrainer" sound that has become the primary vehicle of ethnic musical expression not only in Slovenia, but also in Germany,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and in the

Benelux The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...

, spawning hundreds of Alpine orchestras in the process. The band produced nearly 1000 original compositions, an integral part of the

Slovenian-style polka Slovenian-style polka (also known as Cleveland Style polka) is an American style of polka in the Slovenian tradition. It is usually associated with Cleveland and other Midwestern cities. Instruments The Slovenian style polka band always includes ...

legacy. Avsenik's most popular ''instrumental'' composition is the polka that is titled "Na Golici" (in Slovene), or "Trompetenecho" (in German), and "Trumpet Echoes" (in English). Oberkrainer music, which the Avsenik Ensemble popularized, is always a strong candidate for

pop-folk Folk-pop is a broad musical fusion genre that includes contemporary folk songs with pop arrangements, and pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Folk-pop has been popularized by mainstream media in recent years. Music ...

music awards in Slovenia and Austria. Slavko and his brother, Vilko, are usually credited as the pioneers of Slovenian folk music, having solidified its style in the 1950s. Many musicians followed Avsenik's steps, one of the most famous being Lojze Slak.

Eurovision Song Contest

Slovenia has taken part in the Eurovision Song Contest 31 times since 1993, only not participating in 1994 and 2000. They previously participated as part of

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. Their best results were 7th in 1995 with the song "

Prisluhni mi Slovenia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 with the song "", written by Primož Peterca and Sašo Fajon, and performed by Darja Švajger. The Slovene participating broadcaster, (RTVSLO), held a national final in order to sele ...

" by

Darja Švajger Darja Švajger (born 16 June 1965 in Maribor, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia) is one of Slovenia's most popular singers, best known for having represented her country in the Eurovision Song Contest on two occasions. Early life Music entered Šva ...

, and 7th in 2001 with the song "

Energy Energy () is the physical quantity, quantitative physical property, property that is transferred to a physical body, body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of Work (thermodynamics), work and in the form of heat and l ...

" by Nuša Derenda. Since the introduction of semi-finals at Eurovision, they have failed to qualify just 13 times. All of Slovenia's Eurovision entrants and songs have been decided through the national final EMA, except for their 2023 and 2024 entries which were decided by an internal selection. In 2025, Slovenia was represented by singer, actor and presenter Klemen with the song " How Much Time Do We Have Left?", however, Slovenia was not amongst the 10 countries to qualify for the final.

Slovenian song festival

A similarly high standing in Slovene culture, like the

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival ( ), officially the Italian Song Festival (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria, organized and broadcast by (RAI). It is the longest-running ...

has had in Italian culture, was attributed to the coastal Melodies of Sea and Sun (In Slovene: ) and Slovenian song festival (In Slovene: ), dedicated to a specific genre of popular Slovene music.

Popular music

Contemporary music

Among pop, rock, industrial, and indie musicians the most popular in Slovenia include

Laibach Laibach () is a Slovenian and Yugoslav avant-garde music group associated with the industrial, martial, and neoclassical genres. Formed in 1980 in the mining town of Trbovlje, Slovenia, at the time a constituent republic within Socialist Fede ...

, an early 1980s industrial music group, and most recently the Slovenian pop

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

band Perpetuum Jazzile.

Pop, rock, metal, and indie music

Other popular bands, most largely unknown outside the country, include Tabu, ManuElla, Društvo Mrtvih Pesnikov (

pop-rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

), Siddharta, Rok 'n' Band, Pop Design, Fredi Miler, Terrafolk, Leaf Fat (

screamo Screamo (also referred to as skramz) is a subgenre of emo that emerged in the early 1990s and emphasizes "willfully experimental dissonance and dynamics".Jason Heller, "Feast of Reason". ''Denver Westword'', June 20, 2002 Access date: June 15, 2 ...

), Amaya, Šank Rock, Big Foot Mama,

Yogurt Yogurt (; , from , ; also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial Fermentation (food), fermentation of milk. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bacteria produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to ...

, Dan D, Zablujena generacija, Katalena, Devil Doll (

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, wit ...

Negligence (band) Negligence is a Slovenian thrash metal band, formed in 2000. The group was last signed to Metal Blade Records and has so far released two albums and an EP. History Negligence was founded by Jan Svigelj and Domen Justin in 2000. Initially formed ...

, Chateau, Čuki, Zaklonišče Prepeva, Psycho-Path, Dekadent (

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

Buldožer Buldožer (meaning "bulldozer") was a Yugoslav-Slovenian progressive rock band from the 1970s and 1980s. They were one of the first bands in communist Yugoslavia that could be considered Avant-prog, and forefathers of the Yugoslav new wave. ...

(

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

) and Joker Out. The

deathcore Deathcore is an extreme metal subgenre that combines death metal with metalcore. The genre consists of death metal guitar riffs, blast beats, and metalcore Breakdown (music)#Heavy metal and punk rock, breakdowns. While there are some precursors ...

band Within Destruction have released two-full-length albums and have partaken in several European tours; the band is based in

Jesenice Jesenice (, ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru'', vol. 6: Kranjsko. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 144.) is the tenth-largest town in Slovenia, located in the traditional province of Upper C ...

Singer-songwriters

Slovenian post-WWII singer-songwriters include Frane Milčinski (1914–1988),

Tomaž Pengov Tomaž Pengov (29 September 1949 – 10 February 2014) was a Slovenian singer-songwriter, guitarist, lutist, and poet.former Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...

Tomaž Domicelj Tomaž is the Slovene form of the male given name Thomas. People Bearers of these names include: * Tomaž Barada, Slovenian martial artist * Tomaž Čižman (born 1965), Slovenian alpine skier * Tomaž Humar (born 1969), Slovenian mountaineer * To ...

, Marko Brecelj, Andrej Šifrer, Eva Sršen, Neca Falk, and Jani Kovačič. After 1990, Adi Smolar, Iztok Mlakar, Vita Mavrič,

Vlado Kreslin Vlado Kreslin (born 29 November 1953) is a Slovenian singer-songwriter and folk rock musician. Life and work Kreslin was born in the village of Beltinci in the Prekmurje region of Slovenia, then part of Yugoslavia. He began his musical caree ...

Zoran Predin Zoran Predin (born 16 June 1958) is a Slovenian singer-songwriter from Maribor. In the 1980s, he was the front man of the new wave rock band ''Lačni Franz''. He also writes music for film, television, and theatre. In the late 1990s and early 20 ...

, Peter Lovšin, and Magnifico have been popular in Slovenia, as well.

World music

The 1970s Bratko Bibič's band Begnagrad is considered one of the direct influences on modern

world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...

. Bibič's unique

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

style, often solo, with no accompaniment, has also made him a solo star.

Punk rock

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

was the center for

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

in the

Titoist Titoism is a Types of socialism, socialist political philosophy most closely associated with Josip Broz Tito and refers to the ideology and policies of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) during the Cold War. It is characterized by a br ...

Yugoslavia. The most famous representatives of this genre were

Pankrti Pankrti (The ''Bastards'' in Slovene) are a punk rock band from Ljubljana, Slovenia, active in the late 1970s and 1980s. They were known for provocative and political songs. They billed themselves as ''The First Punk Band Behind The Iron Curtain ...

, Niet, Lublanski Psi, Kuzle, Čao Pičke, Via Ofenziva, Tožibabe, and Otroci Socializma.

Techno and tech-house

Slovenia has also produced two renowned DJs: DJ Umek and Valentino Kanzyani. Specialising in a frantic brand of party techno and tech-house, the pair co-founded the label Recycled Loops as well as having many releases on labels such as Novamute, Primate, Intec and Bassethound Records.

Neue Slowenische Kunst

Neue Slowenische Kunst (a German phrase meaning "New Slovenian Art"), aka NSK, is a controversial political

art collective An artist collective or art group or artist group is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything t ...

that announced itself in

in 1984, when Slovenia was part of

. NSK's name, being German, is compatible with a theme in NSK works: the complicated relationship

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( ), are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, Slovenian culture, culture, and History of Slove ...

have had with

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

. The name of NSK's music wing, Laibach, is also the German name of the Slovene capital

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

, creating

controversy Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin '' controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an op ...

through evoking memories of the Nazi occupation of Slovenia during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

=Composition

= NSK's best-known member is the musical group

. Other NSK member groups include

IRWIN Irwin may refer to: Places ;United States * Irwin, California * Irwin, Idaho * Irwin, Illinois * Irwin, Iowa * Irwin, Nebraska * Irwin, Ohio * Irwin, Pennsylvania * Irwin, South Carolina * Irwin County, Georgia * Irwin Township, Venango Co ...

(visual art), Noordung (theater; originally named Scipion Nasice Sisters Theatre, also known as Red Pilot), New Collective Studio (graphics; also known as New Collectivism), Retrovision (film and video), and the Department of Pure and Applied Philosophy (theory).Anonymous. "State of Art: the new Slovene Avant Garde" (2004).

Northwest Film Forum The Northwest Film Forum (NWFF) is an nonprofit independent art house cinema and film-focused organization in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. that hosts screenings, multiple film festivals, film workshops, and public events. History In la ...

and Scala House, program for exhibit 18 – 24 November 2004 at Northwest Film Forum,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

.Regina Hackett.
Slovenian art collective is adept at working politics and art
. ''

Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. Th ...

'', 19 November 2004. The founding groups of the NSK were Laibach, IRWIN, and Scipion Našice Sisters Theater.

=Characteristics

= NSK art often draws on symbols drawn from

totalitarian Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public sph ...

or extreme

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

movements, often reappropriating totalitarian

kitsch ''Kitsch'' ( ; loanword from German) is a term applied to art and design that is perceived as Naivety, naïve imitation, overly eccentric, gratuitous or of banal Taste (sociology), taste. The modern avant-garde traditionally opposed kitsch ...

in a visual style reminiscent of

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...

. NSK artists often wiktionary:Juxtaposition, juxtapose symbols from different (and often incompatible) political ideology, ideologies. For example, a 1987 NSK-designed poster caused a scandal by winning a competition for the Yugoslavian Youth Day#Yugoslavia, Youth Day Celebration. The poster Appropriation (art), appropriated a painting by Nazism, Nazi artist Richard Klein (artist), Richard Klein, replacing the flag of Nazi Germany with the Flag of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav flag and the German eagle with a dove. Both IRWIN and Laibach are emphatic about their work being collective rather than individual. Laibach's original songs and arrangements are always credited to the group collectively; the individual artists are not named on their album covers; at one point, there were even two separate Laibach groups touring at the same time, both with members of the original group. Similarly, the IRWIN artists never sign their work individually; instead, they are "signed" with a Rubber stamp, stamp or wikt:certificate, certificate indicating approval as a work from the IRWIN collective. The NSK were the subject of a 1996 documentary film written and directed by Michael Benson (filmmaker), Michael Benson, entitled ''Prerokbe Ognja'' in Slovenian language, Slovenian, or ''Predictions of Fire'' in English. Among those interviewed in the film is Slovenian intellectual Slavoj Žižek.

=NSK State

= Since 1991, NSK has claimed to constitute a Sovereign state, state, a claim similar to that of micronations. They issue passports, have presented shows of their work in the guise of an embassy or even as a territory of their supposed state, and maintain Consulate general, consulates in several cities including Umag, Croatia. NSK have also issued postage stamps. Laibach, in 2006, recorded (some may say 'remixed') the NSK State National Anthem on the LP "Volk." The "anthem" adopts its melody from another Laibach song, "The Great Seal." Laibach's version of the NSK anthem includes a computer voice reciting an excerpt from Winston Churchill's famous "''We shall fight them on the beaches/We shall never surrender''" speech. The computer voice is clearly recognisable as the voice synthesiser Macintalk, built into classic Mac OS, and uses the preset voice Ralph. The NSK passports are an art project and as such are not valid for travel. However, many desperate people have fallen for a scam in which they are issued a NSK passport. Most of these scams originate in Nigeria and Egypt.

=Laibach

= Laibach is a Slovenian avant-garde music group strongly associated with Martial industrial, martial, and Neoclassical (Dark Wave), neo-classical musical styles. Laibach formed 1 June 1980 in Trbovlje,

(then

). Laibach represents the music wing of the ''Neue Slowenische Kunst'' (NSK) art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984. The name "Laibach" is the German name for Slovenia's capital city,