MENT Ljubljana

Applications for MENT Ljubljana 2018 are open until 4th August

Bands, live acts, solo artists … welcome!

MENT Ljubljana welcomes artists with previous concert experience and publicly available audio and video material.

MENT Ljubljana is a three-day (31 Jan–2 Feb 2018) showcase festival of fresh artists from all of Europe and beyond, during which around 60 acts perform at different venues in Ljubljana. The international conference focuses on the music industry and creativity.

The 3rd edition in February 2017 was attended by 3400 visitors and 421 music professionals from all over Europe and beyond. The last day of the festival was sold out. Our focus are the regional and Eastern European scenes, though we host acts from all over Europe, and the same goes for professionals. In previous years, our guests have included representatives of festivals (EXIT, INmusic, Glastonbury, Sziget, Eurosonic, Pohoda, Tallinn Music Week, Iceland Airwaves, United Islands of Prague, Les Trans Musicales, Rock 4 People, Waves Vienna, Le Guess Who?, Reeperbahn, Taksirat, Super Uho, Europavox ...), record labels (One Little Indian, PIAS, Glitterbeat, Ghostly International, Beggars Group ...), booking agencies (Toutpartout, Belmont, Pitch & Smith, Charmenko, Ink Music, Paper and Iron ...), music media (KEXP Radio, Under the Radar, The Quietus, Clash, Intro, Louder Than War, The 405, Drowned in Sound, GIITTV …), and the likes of Factory 92, The Orchard, Phonofile, music export offices and other music related outfits. There's a significant attendance by professionals from the ex-Yu region – mostly from Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia.

More about the event: www.ment.si
Aftermovie (2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xE4YfJJFOI

“If I organized a music festival, I’d probably do a comprehensive copy-paste of MENT.”
– Mariusz Herma, Beehype

“MENT Ljubljana was really a breath of fresh air. You can immediately see when the right people are doing things for the right reasons and also have the skills, knowledge and good taste in doing so. The quality of the music was super impressive!”
– Helen Sildna, Tallinn Music Week

“It’s the best rock-orientated showcase event I’ve been to, and you score highly for the quality and diversity (so important!) of the showcases and the vibrant quality of the conferences.”
– Nick Hobbs, Charmenko

“MENT was my third showcase this year. And to be honest, it was the best one. I felt the organizers didn't do it just as a part of their business, but because they're truly interested in presenting new music and new names. This was the main point of the festival, and that’s what we (musicians) really need.”
– Natallia Kunitskaya / Mustelide (artist)

“One of the key differences that makes East European music events so addictive is the spread of bands they put on. There is no search for the next big thing, that indie X Factor where success and the stadium flyers of the future are the key. By booking a thrilling and diverse range of bands and musicians, events like MENT are conversely following their own instinct whilst showcasing a daring local band scene that serves as a template for an alternative universe and a peek into a new future. By not following the music business model and relying on instinct and a fascinating local scene, MENT could well be breaking out another set of bands who could end up being bigger than the usual tried and tested music.”
– John Robb, Louder Than War / The Membranes