Where can I find Slovene Folk Music and Songs?

Slovenia has great music and choreographic folk legacy. Undoubtedly, it is well-known among other nations. People who are interested often ask where to find them. Let’s find out this together! 

There are numerous paths to do this. Of course, they differ a lot, depending on your situation. You can visit Slovenian folk festivals, events of local Slovenian minorities in your country, listen to Slovenian radio and podcasts online as well as visit a concert of a Slovenian band.

Slovenian Folk Festivals

Definitely, this would be the best way to feel the Slovenian folk on your own skin. Maybe, not the skin because the music can only be heard. However, the atmosphere is what we are looking for now. It is amazing at such events. Slovenia is the perfect place to visit such festivals. The biggest folk festival here is the Mediterranean International Folk Festival, also known as MIFF. By visiting it, you can get acquainted with folklore music and singing, national dances, gastronomic culture. In short, it is all that you need to “feel Slovenia.” The event is taking place annually in Piran, and sometimes in Izola and Koper. Also, you can listen to folk artists from all the Mediterranean countries.

Slovenia’s folklore is the Jurjevanje Folklore Festival hosted in Črnomelj every June. The uniqueness of this one is the variety of activities. For instance, if you are into dances, you can take classes of traditional folk dances. Furthermore, there are book presentations, gastronomic tastings for gourmands, and of course, much, much, and much of the Slovenian folk music. 

The third one we will recommend is Bled Days and Bled Night. Bled is a Slovenian town located on the lake with the same name. It is already well-known among tourists for its incredible landscapes, history, and cuisine. However, one more reason to visit it is this festival. Its hook is the picturesque glowing of Bled Lake during the night part of the festival. Moreover, in the daytime, you can see a lot of craft, local art, taste Slovenian cuisine, and of course, listen to music. Therefore, all three festivals are worth it because every one of them has something exciting and unique. 

Local Events of Slovenian Minorities

The period of World War I and World War II was definitely hard for most of the European nations. This led to mass emigrations to different countries as well as sharing cultures as a result of it. Slovenian were not an exception. They immigrated to different countries, too. The most popular destinations were the United States of America, Australia, Canada, and Argentina; hence they are the locations of the most significant Slovenian minorities outside Europe. 

Those people shared a common legacy, which has been transformed into Slovenian organizations, national homes, and museums. If you are lucky enough to live in the mentioned above countries, you can easily visit them and experience a part of the Slovenian culture. For sure, they can share some recordings, texts, and videos of folk traditions. Moreover, sometimes they organize events where you can listen to some folk songs live. So, definitely, you should check those possibilities.

Inside Europe, the most prominent Slovenian population is located in neighboring countries such as Austria, Croatia, Italy, and Hungary. Of course, they organize events as well, but let’s admit, why not to visit Slovenia itself if you are so close?

Radio and Podcasts

On the one hand, it seems that radio is a relic of the past but hold your horses. Of course, the fewer amount of people listen to the radio on an everyday basis, but it is not dead. Furthermore, in the days of digital technologies, it transformed into online radios and podcasts. You can easily find most of the live broadcasting frequencies on the web net. This gives you an incredible possibility to absorb any information, culture, or music while doing something important since you have not to look at your screen like you are doing now. 

The biggest and most popular Slovenian radio stations are A1, Ars, Radio 1, Hitradio Center, Radio Ognjišče, Radio Slovenia International, and Val 202. Fortunately enough, they all have web broadcasting! A nice variety, isn’t it? The funniest part of it is the fact that there you can find some modern interpretations of folk songs and well as immortal classics. It really depends on your level of luckiness. Thus, the more you listen to, the more you can explore.

One more similar option is podcasts. Nowadays, they can be found everywhere on the internet. Just googling, using tags, or watching YouTube. We can recommend using such music streaming services like Spotify, Deezer, or similar ones. They are good at creating personalized playlists; hence you will have what to listen to at any time. Just use the tag #slovenianfolk. 

Concert in Your Country

Visiting festivals is fantastic. It gives an uncountable amount of different emotions: in short, you can live a mall life of the person from a particular culture. However, there are people who want just music, nothing more, and if you are such kind of person, we do advise you to visit a concert of a Slovenian band. 

The plus of such an event is that it even can be organized in your home city. Such famous Slovenian bands like Magnifico or Terrafolk are still touring around the world. They are used to mix elements of folk, rock, pop, blues, jazz, and other genres in order to create a unique sound. That’s why they became famous not only within Slovenia but abroad as well. So, don’t hesitate to buy tickets if you see an advertisement for their concert in your city, because you have an opportunity to sometimes even to speak to them, as concerts abroad gather not so many people. 

Moreover, the Slovenian music stage is full of new creators such as Koala Voice, Širom, Matter, Jardier, and a lot of others. 

A Music Souvenir

If you have a friend in Slovenia, if your friends are going to visit the country, if you are going there by yourself, you can use the possibility to grab a piece of music from there. The easiest way to do this is to buy an album of some Slovenian folk band. Of course, you can download all the songs on the internet, not a big deal. However, it’s not about the song itself; it’s about the connection, a memory, a physical thing. You can find them in any music shop in Ljubljana. Moreover, an option for the most diehard music fans would be to buy a vinyl record. A great piece that you could be proud of!

Furthermore, there is a variant for the people who travel by car or want to have a challenge. Why not buy a real accordion? It’s the most significant part of Slovenian folk that you can take with yourself! Just imagine the faces of your friend when you show it to them! Even if you are not a musician, it is never late to learn something new. If not, at least you can buy a small figurine of an accordion to remember the days you have been listening to the beautifully unique Slovenian folk. 

Answering the Main Question

Slovenes are definitely an exciting nation. They are part of Slavic heritage, but with the implementation of various external influencers. Therefore, they became such a unique thing which hard to miss. Long history was the precondition for the mixing of cultures. So, it happened with music. Their folk became diverse from other Slavic brothers’ one while still staying folkish. That’s why people are looking for ways how to use the possibility of experiencing it live. 

The best way, of course, is to visit Slovenia. It is worth it for sure. Incredible nature, friendly people, tasty cuisine. All these should be the argument already, but for real music fans – the Slovenian folk is the only argument. As we mentioned above, visiting a folk festival would be the best option, in the way that you will experience all the kaleidoscope of emotions, starting from visual one to the tactile sensations. There will be possible to touch wooden craft, to wear traditional clothes, to play on some simple musical instrument, to speak to natives, to try national food, even to drink local alcohol. These factors will strengthen your experience from listening to music, and you will have strong, unforgettable memories.

If it is not your case, or you are still not sure whether it worth it, try other options mentioned above. Listening to a Slovenian radio will also help you to learn a bit of the language. Visiting concerts will help you to get acquainted with Slovenians or Slovene decedents. This will help you to understand the culture, the people. Thereby, it is not only about folk music. It is an entirely new world that is ready to be discovered. So, the more you open, the better you know yourself.