This week, Balkan Express will beam aboard Chui, a Croatian space jazz band. Hailing from the country's capital Zagreb, they are stradling the precious space between art and pop which earned them a substantial following at home. And now, possibly abroad, too.
Chui is, in fact, an English transliteration of Croatian word Čuj or Listen. As in, listen to this. And it turns out there's so much to listen to. But if you understand jazz in the broadest of terms. Chui are a hybrid band, combining jazz, techno, rock, chill and pop into an eclectic and artistically unique musical experience.
Chui
Chui are an all-male four member act of accomplished muscians, each with their own specialised interest. All of which are obviously reflected in their music. Toni Starešinić is the keyboard player and band leader. Vokan Jocić is the unmistakeable sax player. Konrad Lovrenčič is the bass player while Ivan Levačič takes care of the drums.
It is not just the wildly differing musical influences that band members bring aboard Chui. It is also the fact that they are all actively involved with other bands and other genres. Levačić is involved with a techno band ABOP, Lovrečić is involved with several bands and is co-leader of a band called mixed-up Mary, Jocić plays the saxophone at the jazz band of the Croatian public radio and television while Starešinić is also a band leader of Mangroove, a pop act that was already featured in this here show many moons ago.
One of the things that make Chui such an interesting band is their interest in science fiction pop culture. This is, for example, patently obvious in their 2019 album titled Iz Kapetanovog Dnevnika / From Captain's Log, an overt reference to the Star Trek saga. They also make nods to other sci-fi phenomenons like the Terminator and Star Wars, but seeing how last Sunday way Star Trek Day, we'll go with that.
But it is not just science fiction that Chui are enamoured with. It is science and space exploration, too. Hence, space jazz, if you haven't figured it out by now. Namely, earlier this year, Chui released a track called Svemir ima novi pozivni / The Universe Has A New Area Code, which is set to become the first Croatian song to be transported into space, onboard a micro satellite. Talk about boldly going where no band has bone before.
To date, Chui have released six albums, with the latest one being a conceptual release inspired by urban landscapes in Zagreb and Berlin. But they also frequently collaborate with other Croatian pop artists which makes their music shine in a completely different light.
And that's all the time we have for today. Check out Chui on YouTube, Spotify and wherever you get your music from and Balkan Express will be back next week.
—
Balkan Express brings you the latest and/or the greatest in music from the Balkans. On air every Tuesday at 11am on Ara City Radio, it is hosted by Aljaž aka @pengovsky who once did the world a solid and vowed never to sing again in public. Which is how he ended up doing radio.