Bosnian Accordionist Mario Batkovic set to hypnotise South Africa

His music has been described as “a stunning marvel of saw-sawing melodies and warm wheezes” by Rolling Stone magazine an American biweekly magazine that focuses on popular culture and The Irish Times said, “The sound he achieves is immense. It pays no heed to limitations. Instead, it extends the range of possibilities towards wild new frontiers. As journeys into sound go, this one is interstellar.”

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Batkovic is a Swiss solo accordion player who was born in Bosnia. A fully established artist in Switzerland, he has worked with various musicians as a producer, as well as being involved in many bands and projects. Batkovic was awarded the Artist Recognition Award from the Capital in Canton Bern, where he has his own studio and runs his own record label. He is also highly regarded as a film score composer, with many of the projects he has worked on being nominated for and winning various awards.

With his recent album rated by Rolling Stone as one of the 20 Best Avant Albums of 2017, Mario Batkovic’s return to South Africa will provide for an opportunity to hear the virtuosic musician’s work, as well provide for exciting partnerships with South African artists.

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Batkovic leans on no particular style of music, instead connects different musical worlds distilling them into one unique concentrated sound. His playing has been described as challenging and experimental, yet maintaining a masterfully beautiful quality. He scratches every nuance out of the instrument, integrating scratches and clicks into the arrangements and making a feature of the kind of tonal scars and birthmarks which are usually eradicated from recordings and live performances.

With his mission to advance the sonic possibilities available to the instrument and the communication of these sounds, Batkovic embarks on a journey to collaborate with South African musicians to create new work.

Listen to his amazing sound here:

Batkovic will be performing at the  Market Theatre, Johannesburg on 24 May.