EMS Radio Belgrade

ELECTRONIC STUDIO RADIO BELGRADE
composer-in-residence, artistic director 2016-2021

Photo © Ksenija Stevanovic. Download and usage not permitted

Since September 2016 I worked at Electronic studio at Radio Belgrade. The studio being famous for hosting EMS Synthi 100, is the only place of its kind in Serbia that allows professional research in domain of electro-acoustic music and provides tools for production of electro-acoustic music and radiophonic art. Except for continuously developing my own artistic work by using studio facilities, making music and jingles for the radio program, in Electronic studio I was organising various activities. Since its official re-opening in 2018, I have organised:
a) EDUCATIONAL program for local artists, consisting of two courses that provided the participants with knowledge and skills that allow them to independently work on their own projects in the studio. These courses were EMS Synthi 100 course with Paul Pignon and Basics of electro-acoustics at Acoustics Laboratory, School of Electrical Engineering Belgrade. Artists who successfully finished these courses were provided with extensive amount of time to develop their works in the studio. These works have been premiered on Radio Belgrade 3, in the show "Electronic music studio - Live" that was established and produced by Ksenija Stevanović and me.

b) RESIDENCY program for invited artists
Each visiting artist made contribution to the radio program and/or participated in knowledge sharing with local audience through public performance, radio feature, workshop or lecture. Participating artists were so far: Rastko Lazic, Robert Lippok, Katalin Ladik, Mia Zabelka, Robert Pravda, Paul Oomen, Lisa Stenberg Zlatko Baracskai, Filip Sijanec, Nicola Ratti, Marton Bertok, Midori Hirano. For each artist, I provided introductory sessions where I demonstrated the basics of working with EMS Synthi 100 and I sometimes also assisted them in realisation of the works. With some artists, I have worked together in the studio and we co-created works.

From 2018-2019, I have initiated and helped organize digitalisation of our rich audio archive. Electronic studio possesses large number of magnetic tapes that are now catalogued, labeled and saved in optimal conditions.

Since 2018, Electronic studio had two larger international project.

Featured in Makery blog by Dare Pejic (ENGLISH, FRENCH)
Interview for Fonoteka elektrika blog by Ангел Симитчиев (BULGARIAN)

All photos © Svetlana Maras. Download and usage not permitted

STUDIO RE-OPENING MARCH 2 2018

Radio - Television of Serbia, official announcement of the show
Live radio and TV broadcast

"In March, radio-and-TV show „Studio 6“ enters its sixth season, and at the same time, Radio Belgrade is celebrating the re-opening of the Electronic studio, while Television is marking its 60th birthday. Since its conception, the show „Studio 6“ aims not only to promote music as art form and to create a new „performing scene“ within Radiotelevision of Serbia, but also to present and develop new technologies in the multi-media environment. „Concerts in Studio 6“ is a unique format that cannot be found in any other concert or non-concert venue. Through the cooperation of TV channel RTS3 and Third program of Radio Belgrade, live broadcast of these events offer „the best of both worlds“ - perfect sound created in the context of studio recording session and the image of top quality, enabling the audience to discover and experience this new „stage“ of music experiment and new possibilities. Our March show celebrates two jubilees, as well as the re-opening of the Electronic studio. After long period of stagnation, activities of Electronic studio were resuming, after the reparation of the EMS Synthi 100 device, in September of 2017. This analogue synthesizer is protected by Museum of Science and Technology as the „cultural heritage“ of Serbia, and his historical importance is immense. It is a unique device - analogue synthesizer of sound created in the beginning of the 70’s, and one of the most complex and most successful instruments of its kind. It still attracts a lot of attention of international music community, which we hope would be even further enticed by the project “Synthi 100 for the new age” which was supported by Innovation Fund of the EBU. The program of the concert on March 2nd was conceived in such a way to simultaneously use the potentials of Studio 6 (which was fitted with the new mixing console Studer Vista X only two months ago), and Electronic Studio, (where Synthi 100 was also brought back to life), and to demonstrate the encounter of digital and analogue technology, as well as radio and television.

In the first segment of the performance, young electronic musician and composer from Belgrade, Svetlana Maraš, will present her latest composition (commissioned by Radio Belgrade), created for and performed on Synthi 100. The audience in Studio 6 will follow her performance via two large TV screens, placed inside the studio, since she will be performing her piece on the Synthi, which is placed four floors higher in the building, in Electronic studio. In the middle section of the program, Italian artist Nicola Ratti, who is for years actively performing with analogue synthesizers, will use the materials created in Electronic studio of Radio Belgrade, for his latest piece. During his stay in Belgrade, he will also work in the Studio, creating patches and samples, which will later be presented within project “Synthi 100 for the new age” supported by Innovation Fund of the EBU. His stay in Belgrade is also supported by Italian Cultural Institute. Technically most complex segment of the concert will be the performance of the multi-instrumentalist and composer Paul Pignon. This artist, together with Vladan Radovanović, was one of the founders of Electronic studio of Radio Belgrade, and was the author of the manual for the use of Synthi 100. During his performance, on the acoustic instruments such as saxophone, block-flute and didgeridoo, he will create the sounds that would activate pre-prepared “patches” on Synthi, after which the processed sound would come back to Studio 6, via loudspeakers, and become audible for the audience in Studio 6, as well as the listeners of radio transmission and TV broadcast. "