Music Export Latvia, Music Estonia and the Lithuanian Music Business Association are thrilled to present the full Baltic moMENT programme at the Slovenian new music discovery festival MENT Ljubljana, March 28th – 31st.
The programme features a dozen artists from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, along with a wide variety of Baltic industry players sharing dedicated insights into the region’s music markets and scenes – from its recording industry and the media landscape to its singing, rocking and dancing revolutions.
Estonian talent is represented by Ajukaja & Mart Avi, the duo of the longest-serving shaker of the Estonian underground and the country’s swiftest-moving avant-pop agent; as well as the moody new-gen RnB of manna; a pinch of surrealism and modern folklore by Puuluup; and the cross-generational fuzz rock attack of Zahir.
Latvia is proud to present Bel Tempo, an act with one foot firmly in dusty beat-making and the other in soft anthemic storytelling; Elizabete Balčus’ bedazzling dream pop collages and musical vegetables; queer RnB icon-in-waiting Eliza Legzdina; and skilfully sensuous post-rockers Nesen.
Making their way to Ljubljana from Lithuania are Jausmė with her urban lullabies and zither-harp kanklės; the transnational tropical anarchists Planeta Polar; the fearless Plié, ready to lure the crowd into cleansing headbanging; and Superkoloritas with their breezy beach pop and space-age nostalgia.
These 12 acts will be joining the MENT Ljubljana’s diverse line-up of 77 artists that include internationally renowned names like the UK’s hip-hop/post-punk alchemist Wu-Lu, French icons of glamorous psych-punk La Femme and Irish modern rockers Just Mustard.
The Opening Reception of Baltic moMENT takes place at Kino Šiška on Wednesday, 29th March, followed by a full-day series of presentations, panels and speed meetings at the MENT conference on Thursday, 30th March.
CEO of Music Export Latvia Agnese Cimuška-Rekke, Director of Music Estonia Ave Tölpt and Director of Lithuanian Music Business Association Vaidas Stackevičius will provide an overview of Baltic Music Markets – from each country’s key festivals, venues and promoters, to their labels, music media landscape and notable success stories.
Guna Zučika from the Latvian Every Little Thing agency, Roman Demchenko from Estonian Damn.Loud Agency and Victor Diawara from the Lithuanian art factory Loftas will share know-how for all those considering touring the Baltics. Those yearning to dig even deeper will get crash courses on the region’s niche scenes – from the revitalisation of the former Lukiskės Prison by Martynas Butkevičius, the head promoter at the Lithuanian agency 8 Days A Week; to the adventurous spirit of Latvian Skaņu Mežs festival by Lena Sme; and the Dancing Revolution of Estonia by Raul Saaremets, the king of the weird and wonderful leftfield of the northernmost Baltic state.
Tallinn Music Week’s Head of PR Ingrid Kohtla will host the Baltic Listening Session, letting the panel of distinguished international tastemakers analyze tracks by all acts from Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. There will also be a special speed networking session to meet the region’s music professionals one-on-one.
MENT conference will also present an interview with Elena Natale, the founder of Tallinn’s “Berghain” HALL about the importance of nightlife in all its variety. Director of Tallinn Music Week Helen Sildna and founder of Latvian Positivus Festival Ģirts Majors will share their perspectives on the post-pandemic festival circuit. Kristine Kleina from Every Little Thing will moderate the roundtable on the challenges of managing new talent, whilst Tanya Korenika from the Estonian UCE agency hosts the discussion about the “Go West” prospects of Central and Eastern European artists.
The Baltic moMENT programme kicks off with Baltic music flicks screenings at Kino Šiška on the eve of MENT on Tuesday, 28th March.
Starring, among others, Estonian Baltic moMENT act Mart Avi, .u.Q. by director Ivar Murd is a hypnotic docudrama about musician Uku Kuut, his soul/jazz diva mother Maryn E. Coote and their manic search for the American Dream. Techno, Mama short directed by Saulius Baradinskas is a visual essay about two Lithuanian generations unable to find a way to love each other in a post-Soviet urban wasteland. Jelgava 94 by Latvian Janis Abele is a coming-of-age tale and a portrait of the cultural chaos that reigned in former socialist states during the 1990s.
The Baltic moMENT programme is supported by the Baltic Cultural Fund in partnership with the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Council for Culture, the Embassy of Estonia in Prague, the Embassy of Latvia in Hungary and the Embassy of Lithuania in Austria
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Baltic moMENT timeline
Tue, 28th March
Baltic moMENT films
Kino Šiška
19:00 u.Q (EE)
21:00 Techno, Mama (LT) + Jelgava 94 (LV)
Wed, 29th March, 18:30
Baltic moMENT Opening Reception
Kino Šiška (upstairs)
All MENT’23 PRO delegates are welcome to join the Baltic moMENT’s kickoff to meet the region’s key players
Welcome speeches:
Agnese Cimuška-Rekke. CEO at Music Export Latvia
Ave Tölpt, Director of Music Estonia
Vaidas Stackevičius, Director of Lithuanian Music Business Association
H.E. Mrs Gita Kalmet, Estonian Ambassador to Slovenia
DJs
Raul Saaremets (Ajukaja, EE)
Andis Ansons (Bel Tempo, LV)
Giedrė Nalivaikaitė (Superkoloritas, LT)
Drinks, snacks, toasts
Thu, 30th March
Baltic moMENT Conference Focus
A full-day programme dedicated to the music scenes of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
10:00 – 11:00 Speed Networking: Baltic moMENT – M Hotel HJ
11:00 – 12:30 Presentation: Baltic Music Markets – M Hotel HJ
13:30 – 15:00 Baltic Listening Session – Komuna (Kino Šiška)
16:00 – 17:30 Ready to Tour the Baltics?- M Hotel AB
Other panels featuring Baltic speakers
Thu, 30th March
11:30 – 12:30 Listening Session – Komuna(Kino Šiška)
13:15 – 14:15 Agent’s Panel: Going East – M Hotel AB
Fri, 31st March
11:00 – 12:00 Speed networking – Meet the Festivals – Komuna (Kino Šiška)
11:00 – 12:00 Managers in Action: Skyrocketing the Emerging Artist – M Hotel HJ
12:45 – 13:45 The Unpredictable Future of Music Festivals – Komuna (Kino Šiška)
15:30 – 16:20 Interview: Elena Natale (HALL) – M Hotel HJ
For more info see Baltic moMENT panels, speed networking, speakers, schedule
Baltic moMENT Music Programme
Wed, 29th March
Puuluup (EE): 20:00 – 20:40, Kimo Šiška Katedrala
Nesen (LV): 20:40 – 21:20, Kino Šiška Komuna
Planeta Polar (LT): 22:00 – 22:40, Kino Šiška
Thu, 30th March
Elizabete Balčus (LV): 22:15 – 22: 55, Klub Gromka
Zahir (EE); 23:00 – 23:40, Memza Prikoritu
Superkoloritas (LT): 23:15 – 23:55, Klub Gromka
Plié (LT): 00:30 – 01:10, Gala Hala
Fri, 31st March
Jausmė (LT): 21:00 – 21:40, Stara Mestna Elektrarna
manna (EE): 23:15 – 23:55, Channel Zero
Eliza Legzdina (LV): 00:00 – 00:40, Zorica
Ajukaja & Mart Avi (EE): 00:30 – 01:10, Klub Gromka
