The name The Stroy comes from the Slovene word ‘stroj’ which means a ‘machine’. Pronounced
together with ‘the’ the phrase sounds as ‘destroy’. The Stroy is a pun with two meanings: machine
and destruction.
Musical
collective
The
Stroj
was
formed
in
1997
in
Laško.
Originally
The
Stroj
was
a
percussion
band,
consisting
of
eight
members
who
used
plastic
and
metal
waste
barrels,
discarded
machine
parts
and
various
working
tools
to
make
their
music.
Distinctive
percussive
compositions,
based
on
striking,
mechanically
structured
rhythms
and
industrially
sounding
percussion
instruments
marked
the
collective's
early
work.
Music
from
this
period
can
be
found
on
the
albums
Ventilator
(1999)
and
Gremo!
(2002).
When
painter
and
musician
Aleksij
Kobal
joined
the
collective,
their
music
became
enriched
by original wind and string instruments, as recorded on the album Cona/The Zone (2006). All three albums were produced by Aldo Ivančič.
The
Stroj
became
known
mostly
for
its
striking
music
performances,
based
on
expressive
rhythmics,
created
by
using
non-conventional
percussion
instruments,
on
spectacular
pyrotechnics,
and
unusual
concert
venues
like
stone
quarries,
mines,
a
remade
city
bus
and
various
industrial
buildings.
In
the
past
decade
The
Stroj
performed
on
festivals
across
Europe,
in
countries
of
the
former
republic
of
Yugoslavia,
and
in
Singapore.
In
the
year
2000
The Stroj received the Golden Bird award for its musical accomplishments, and a documentary film about the group was produced by TV Slovenia.
In
2006
the
collective
was
featured
in
a
music
and
dance
performance
called
Temporarily
Autonomous
Zone
at
Cankarjev
dom.
At
the
beginning
of
2007
most
of
the
original
members
of
the
collective
left
The
Stroj,
and
started
working
under
the
name
StrojMachine.
In
April
2009
new
line
up,
lead
by
the
founder
of
the
group
Primož
Oberžan,
premiered
their
latest
project
Kymatikon
in
Kinodvor
movie
theater
in
Ljubljana.
The
project,
named
after
the
device
which
displays
cymatic
visualizations
of
sound,
indicated
a
transition
to
a
new
creative
stage,
with
notable
changes
having
been
made
in
the
sound
and
visual
presentation
of
the
group.
With
this
project
The
Stroj
began
upgrading
their
performances
with
live
video
projections
of
cymatic
sound
effects by using different types of liquids and powdered substances.
On
November
3rd
2009
at
52nd
anniversary
of
lounch
of
Sputnik
2,
The
Stroj
released
single
Laika
with
Eva
Breznikar
on
vocals.
The
Stroj's
music
is
still
based
on
expressive
and
complex
rhythmical
structures,
as
well
as
typical
percussion
instruments
and
sound
devices,
made
by
Oberžan,
but
is
now
complemented
by
electronically
manipulated
field
recordings,
various
electronic
devices
and
odd
electromechanical
equipment.
In
2012
The
Stroj
took part in the European Capital of Culture, where they staged a large scale musical event at Surovina recycling centre in Tezno near Maribor.
In
2013
Stane
Špegel
aka
HouseMouse
aka
Monom
joined
the
collective
and
helped
them
to
finish
the
compositions
for
album
Metafonik.
Metafonik
was
released
in
October
2013
at
MKC
Maribor.
Their
music
is
still
based
on
expressive
and
complex
rhythmical
structures,
as
well
as
typical
percussion
instruments
and
sound
devices,
made
by
Oberžan,
but
is
now
complemented
by
electronically
manipulated
field
recordings,
various
electronic
devices
and
odd
electromechanical
equipment.
In
Oktober
2014
TV
Slovenia
presented
one
hour
production
with
The
Stroj's
live
performance
and
interview
with members of the collective. In addition to their recent repertoire, they also performed a remake of Terminator theme with LadyBird on vocals.
In
April
2017
The
Stroj
celebrated
20
years
of
existence
followed
by
retrospective
exhibition
in
the
Coil
Mining
Museum
of
Slovenija
in
Velenje
and
release of their latest single Grandioso.
