“Besedila v spomin prikličejo te pretekle vojne. A Slovenija je še vedno dom beguncem vojne na njenem pragu, ironično distanco, ki jo ustvarjajo ljudska besedila, pa potencira vpeljava sodobnih slogov v glasbene prizore, pri čemer se rock ritmi in jazz odmevi mešajo s preprostimi, skoraj naivnimi melodijami.” SONGLINES (KIM BURTON)

Ta šesterica je nastopila v tako rekoč vsakem klubu, koncertni dvorani ali festivalskem odru v državi, pa tudi kar precej potovala, z nastopi v ZDA, Izraelu ter po celi Evropi. A Katalena se ne ustavlja, saj je aprila izšel njen sedmi album “Človek ni zver/Man Is Not a Beast”. Bend navdih črpa iz zapuščine slovenskih ljudskih pesmi, ki jo prilagaja in izvaja v skladu s svojo lastno estetiko ter preferencami. Temeljna predpostavka njenega ustvarjanja je vera v brezčasnost tradicionalne glasbe, ki je po mnenju članov še vedno živa v mlajših generacijah dandanes – ne kot nek že davno izgubljen objekt, temveč kot vitalna tradicija. Katalena skuša to glasbeno dediščino poživiti z lastno svežo energijo, hkrati pa zavreči njene ideološke konotacije in omogočiti, da prevladajo njena igrivost ter nalezljivi ritmi.

“The lyrics hark back to those bygone wars. Yet Slovenia is still home to refugees from a war on its doorstep, and the ironic distancing that the folk lyrics create is intensified by the infusion of contemporary styles into the musical settings, with rock rhythms and echoes of jazz rubbing shoulders with simple, almost naïve melodies.” SONGLINES (KIM BURTON)

This sextet has played in almost every club, concert hall or festival stage in the country and has done a fair bit of globetrotting, too, with gigs in the USA, Israel and all over Europe. But there’s no stopping for Katalena, with their seventh album “Človek ni zver/Man Is Not a Beast” released in April. The band draws inspiration from the Slovenian folk music legacy, but adapt and perform it according to their own aesthetics and preferences. The basic premise of their enterprise is a belief in the timelessness of traditional music, which, according to the members, is still alive in young generations today – not as a long-lost object, but as a vital tradition. Katalena strive to invigorate this music legacy with their own fresh energy, at the same time brushing off its ideological connotations and allowing its playfulness and catchy rhythms to take over.