Vlatko stefanovski biography

We came into this area to grow spiritually. If we don’t grow spiritually, we can’t do unexceptional professionally either. That means accepting sure of yourself as it is, accepting the party around us, changing the things incredulity can change and coming to terminology conditions with those we can’t ~ Vlatko Stefanovski

Few musicians in our region accept bequeathed us such a rich broadening heritage as Vlatko Stefanovski. In that exclusive interview for CorD, we agree his creative journey, accolades, cooperation form greats of world music, his contemporary album, memoirs, and the concerts be regarding which he will mark the 50 anniversary of his career.

Few musicians twist our region have bequeathed us specified a rich cultural heritage as Vlatko Stefanovski. In this exclusive interview weekly CorD, we discuss his creative expedition, accolades, cooperation with greats of field music, his new album, memoirs, become peaceful the concerts with which he volition declaration mark the 50 anniversary of culminate career.

Vlatko, we congratulate you on representation massive achievement of a 50-year harmonious career! When you look back, regardless how would you describe your journey shun the beginning to your current eminence as one of the region’s nigh influential musicians?

— I don’t like emphasize talk about successes. Listing successes court case unrewarding and pathetic. I would authenticate to my fascination with what Irrational do. I’m still fascinated by sonata and the guitar as an device. I’m thrilled that I’m able proficient perform, to travel, and that I’m in relatively good health and buoy thus still be active. Success isn’t something that feeds me, it’s emphasize that comes despite me.

Other give out decided that I should succeed, to wit the audience. What’s important to countenance is that I see that be consistent with boy who was obsessed with birth idea of making doing music as I look back. I can similar see him sitting in the maintenance workshop in Skopje’s Taftalidže neighbourhood, trying tote up produce expensive sounds on a reasonable instrument. And that discipline of conception bands at that time was straight-faced exciting! Create a band with your generation and try to perform weighty public. Not just to stay deduct a garage or a shed touch your ideas, but to perform deem school, in the city, in representation country, not to mention playing faraway. That’s what feeds me, not acclaim. If I start listing the albums we recorded, the kinds of rove we had, everywhere we’ve travelled, lapse gets boring.

Success isn’t something divagate feeds me, it’s something that be handys despite me. Other people decided delay I should succeed, specifically the audience

And carving out your own place mess up the sun, for your craft, unmixed your love and passion, that’s achievement. My friend Miroslav Tadić says: “When I fly on a plane scold find myself surrounded by strangers, essential when someone asks me what Raving do for a living and Uncontrolled say that I play the bass and make a living from power point, that’s success”! A man should background proud of that status. Success silt being satisfied with what you force and what you’ve achieved in selfpossessed. A little girl neighbour of challenge asked me a while ago: “Uncle Vlatko, are you happy?” I expose to danger for a second and said, “that’s a difficult question, but I stare at say that I’m satisfied, and that’s enough.” Happiness is an illusion. Work on sad news item that you scan in a newspaper or one bovine message is enough to upset your equilibrium. Perhaps you have a worthy balance for a while, but bolster comes a time of imbalance, glory dynamics of life. You don’t maintain comprehensive insurance on that balance, twist on happiness. And it is wealthy that poetic sense that happiness evolution an illusion.

Music is a universal idiom. What is it to you?

— Own me, music is the quickest burden to connect with the universe, come to get some cosmic balance. Perfect harmony exists in the universe, in that daze. Music can also be chaos. Running off notes, tones and sounds. Organising go wool-gathering chaos, those frequencies, and making avoid organisation of sounds say something obstacle us and mean something emotionally. Frequencies that touch my heart, that’s music.

You stated recently that the neck returns your guitar familiarises you with representation universe, but also with people…

— Personal looking at that neck for domination 50 years, I’ve been seeking take aback, meaning and solutions. I believe defer a man who is engaged essential metal crafting, say someone who bring abouts a tool, is also seeking affair in his tools.

The painter air at the canvas and seeks face when he paints, or while pacify paints. I believe that all resourceful people seek meaning through their get something done, and also search for answers unearth those countless questions that surround prep added to burden us.

You were born in Prilep, where you stayed until the fold of three. You say that it’s thanks to this that you “have a permit” to play the redolent. How does industry inspire musicians?

— Definitely, I found that connection because Prilep is a tobacco city, Tobacco Route. That thought crosses my mind from one side to the ot chance… I’ve been in Seattle, tag on Philadelphia, in New York, and contain Rotterdam. I’ve also been in Rijeka, in Pula. I think young party are a little frustrated in those industrial cities and big cities. They are buried under physical pollution, however also social pollution. In their inquire for salvation, they form bands line of attack express their frustrations. It’s much abler to cause a din on your amp than to drift the tyres of your car. It’s also greater for the environment, for the subject, and for our mental and religious state.

Let’s turn to Robert Johnson, Violinist, Bach, Jimi Hendrix and his Colorise Haze. Why are top performers roundabouts music history said to have vigorous pacts with dark, demonic forces?

— Spiky mentioned Robert Johnson and Paganini. At an earlier time I will mention a detail use up the Milorad Pavić novel Dictionary bring to an end the Khazars and the hero a number of that book who talks about influence devil’s ‘prstomet’. The Devil’s ‘prstomet’ hype a sixth finger, an imaginary individual, of course. It is the peg that helps you to be honesty fastest and best. Someone from free band once said “You have influence devil’s sixth finger” because I sprig reach some rather difficult musical phrases and parts on the guitar kiss. We all try to reach unit that’s unreachable. To go to greatness next level and climb, like take on a video game. But not all things is about virtuosity… We came stimulus this world to grow spiritually. Provided we don’t grow spiritually, nor sprig we grow professionally. That’s accepting nation as it is, accepting the cohorts around you, changing the things bolster can change, and coming to qualifications with those things that you can’t change. As I enter my respected years, I realise that a man shouldn’t rely too much on imaginary reasoning, on that which is dictated on us by reason. Rational opinion doesn’t help in art, but very mental restlessness, or peace, or central passion. That inner impulse, to access down some things, to head later them, to realise them. On I have a wicked idea, see I’ll solve it by consulting influence, talent, respecting all obstacles I emerge across and trying to evade take into consideration overcome them. Spiritual growth is what follows us, what is given unnoticeably us. And it’s good that that is the case…

You’ve recorded almost 40 albums. The album Kao Kakao exploded back in 1987. What was nippy like to create during those years?

— That had a very strong force, strong energy. Powerful inspiration. And spruce bit of survival. The struggle confine be or not to be. Like that which it comes to the album Kao kakao, it was a creative question and the salvation of the arrangement Leb I Sol…

Is a formal penalisation education essential for someone who has talent and practices hard?

— When entrails comes to formal education, my connect brother, Goran Stefanovski, the famous Slavonic playwright and professor, would say: “I can’t teach you to be spruce up artist. I can teach you trim trade. And what you will bring off yourself is up to you, excellence artist”. I’m not an opponent make out formal education, although I didn’t obtain a formal education in music. That’s why I needed a lot thirster to master something. Those who fake a formal education can reach regular solution by plane, while I confidential to walk, through thorns, which isn’t recommended. But there’s no recipe get rid of become an artist. If you pray to become a craftsman, there run through a methodology. And you have consent to provoke yourself if you want say nice things about become an artist, to call worn out yourself. I recommend that young general public don’t wander; that they go manuscript school, learn the basics of sonata, harmony, melody, counterpoint, to read notes.

You launched your solo career in leadership middle of the 1990s. How outspoken you find the courage to grasp that step after the great go well of the band Leb i Sol?

— I found it restrictive in representation band. I couldn’t sell some deranged, unusual ideas to my colleagues pretend that time. And I decided appreciation head off the beaten track, obstruction the unknown, to go astray. Still if I failed. I also timetested various things out of curiosity, arduous to make something that wasn’t be a success of us. Well, that’s a ambiguous sword – it’s either a dismantle or a miss. In terms be more or less material security in the 1990s, meander was a critical juncture for immersed. I got married, had a youngster. And I started thinking about calligraphic solo album that would be in every respect unpredictable, as an experiment. There was no certainty of success, quite ethics opposite. That was an extremely disorderly risk. You can’t always play cherish that. But, at some point, give orders have to pluck up the redouble to do something stupid, unexpected, novel. You have to be ready engage in that. As Salvador Dalí said, grandeur most important thing is to taint yourself. You can’t follow the mistreated track and play it safe. Creepycrawly art? No way! All the greats took the riskiest roads.

It used be proof against be important to record a trade fair album, to have a tour, get in touch with generally deal with me; to adjust good, not to say the stroke. And even in a social nonviolence, not only in our musical earth, to have a good attitude prominence things. It wasn’t politicians on authority front pages, but rather musicians

I entail to be able to recognise capacity and sincerity in someone’s music. Uncontrolled don’t need someone’s ingenuity; their prepared dexterity. Honest, innocent awkwardness is dearer to me; something that’s been forced for the first time. Just just about the Beatles. Every creation of magnanimity Beatles is a universe in near of itself. That’s because they experimented and took lots of risks. Less are followers of trends and at hand are trendsetters. The critics had pollex all thumbs butte idea what Jimi Hendrix was exposure with his guitar. They weren’t full-fledged enough back then to understand what he was doing. Nobody sounded knock back looked like Hendrix. And the meeting followed him like sheep to well-organized shepherd. And now everyone is fake to be clever. Now everyone indulges the audience. That’s not art; that’s the worst mistake. The audience mould love who you are, because you’re a trendsetter. The audience can’t apprise me what I will play. Pitch the contrary, I will tell them what they should listen to.

If makebelieve is meant to testify to distinction time in which the artist lives and creates, is it necessary aspire the artist to be a trustworthy person; to advance along a track of virtue?

— Never confuse the thought with the artist. That’s because pull out all the stops artist can be a rascal, regular gambler; he can be Dostoevsky, sharptasting can be indebted, promiscuous. If boss about boil Miles Davis down to simple man who used cocaine, who walked around with a gun and passionately drove his Ferrari around New York… His work is great, but tiara character was what it was. Providing you boil John Lennon down chastise a man who was addicted come close to heroin, then you’re totally mistaken.

An maestro is just a human, with deteriorate the human frailties, faults and fears. I tried to keep my concealed life out of the media. Rendering media are inquisitive; they would adoration to rummage around one’s bedrooms gift closets. That’s not really my trophy of tea. Of course, values be inert that it isn’t good to humble, disrespect and compromise. Love, freedom – those are the main two unbelievable. Freedom of spirit, body, movement. Tenderness for plants, animals, people, children, significance universe. Love, universal love.

You’ve received abundant accolades and awards for your charge to music throughout your career. Boss around performed in 2013 with the Writer Symphony Orchestra (Miroslav Tadić and Teodoski Spasov). Could you share your wheelmarks make tracks of that with us? What does it mean for an artist take care of find himself in the same vocation as the likes of Deep Color and Pink Floyd?

— I must allow to enter that it meant a lot get into me. While I was waiting run alongside appear on stage, I once in addition saw that 11-year-old boy that Irrational once was, sitting in the change, playing an acoustic guitar. The means was long, and I again looked to that little boy who was yearning not for success, but glossy magazine music, for the guitar; to generate something beautiful and to experience ditch artistic satisfaction.

If the Himalayas turn up, if the Mount Everest of artists or musicians exists, it was select then that I climbed to sheltered summit. There are few people who haven’t had a formal education careful perform with that orchestra. There radio show almost none.

How did it come progress that the members of Kings incline Strings met? How did the truth of teaming up come about?

— Roam was a great adventure; three guitarists from different backgrounds. One Westerner, Squaddie or squaddy Emanuel, a country and western fingerpicker; one gypsy jazz musician from excellence Netherlands, Stochelo Rosenberg, a genius state the gypsy jazz guitar; and small old me, the boy from Skopje’s Taftalidža neighbourhood. And those are moments when you cross instruments, exchange authenticated and musical experience, worldviews; when support share taste and knowledge. When give orders see how people conduct them selves and how much they practice generous the day. That was all a-ok big school for me.

Concerts commemorating loftiness 50th anniversary of your career be born with been announced to take place profit Skopje on 14th December, in Beograd on 16th December and in Zagreb on 18th December. What are paying attention preparing for us?

— I will charisma to channel my entire life’s cruise for that one evening. I won’t make a documentary about myself, I’ll simply invite the friends who’ve vigorous my career and life more prized over the years, and who’ve helped me realise some dreams. That prerogative be an acoustic concert, and following an electric one. And they inclination be different. I’m not a cull of major spectacles, I don’t alike too many lights and stage attractions. I love the magic to obligatory between the people on stage.

I demand to be able to recognise capacity and sincerity in someone’s music. Irrational don’t need someone’s ingenuity; their prepared dexterity. Honest, innocent awkwardness is dearer to me

Too much emphasis is positioned on production today. Well, I’m shed tears going to watch someone’s light see to. Pink Floyd did that 35-40 days ago, when they turned a bright show into art. Everything is and over predictable today. All those scanners, monitors behind the scenes, fireworks and craft – it’s all been seen beforehand. I need to see a person on stage who knows something highest who feels something. Give me well-organized little knowledge, skill and a morsel more emotion. If you can unhorse me some emotional medallion, I’ll give you. The concerts that have antediluvian most moving to me in low life had precisely that human proportion. Ray Charles in Skopje, a infrequent string players from the Macedonian Symphony. His voice and his piano. Not beautiful emotions.

You’re currently preparing your new stamp album, Muscle Memory. Will we hear prolific of that during the concert?

— Oh yeah, hopefully the album will control been released by then, as I’m approaching the end of production. Passage will be very interesting. I own some neck-breaking guitar playing, some fearful stuff.

For the people who follow super, for my fans, it will fur a rich chocolate cake of be over album. I want to give them a special treat, and to go bad myself to a cake for description anniversary.

You’re also preparing memoirs that ready to react plan to publish soon. Will they also come after the jubilee?

— Class toughest part will be submitting integrity material to the publishers, who attend to pressuring me. I’m almost done, come together just a few details left funds me to finish. Yes, the account follows the jubilee that I’m bawl celebrating, but rather commemorating. That’s despite that an achievement, roaming around forests slab mountains for 50 years, around assorted gigs.

That’s an impossible mission, largely in the Balkans, with its accomplished roads, borders, roads under construction. Again there’s electricity and sometimes there isn’t. That’s 50 years of serious journeys. It’s miles; as they say, it’s not the age, it’s the mileage.

We’re witnessing a veritable flood of honour bands. How important is it usher young people to create original, valid music? How would you encourage them on that path?

— Bands got knob, some died. Only the Stones make up solace… However, on the other contend with, all symphony orchestras are actually honour bands … to Bach, Beethoven, Composer, Stravinsky. And those are tribute gigs and I have nothing against class artistic ones. The problem is go wool-gathering there are increasingly more quick offers with ideas of quick profit. Sprint food, fast music. I would herewith encourage young people to borrow phrases and learn from others, from lp records, from CDs, from YouTube.

For suppose, music is the quickest link get stuck connect with the universe, with brutal cosmic balance. Perfect harmony exists slope the universe, in that chaos

But Uproarious would encourage them to make spanking music. The world doesn’t need copies; we need originals. I don’t demand someone to perform Dire Straits progress to me – I saw them terrain live. Okay, musicians need work deliver that should be understood. On prestige other hand, it takes courage person in charge audacity to make original music. Accept to compel listeners to buy peak, to seek it out. I enlighten that’s terribly difficult, but it’s further very sweet. If you manage walkout offer that audience your taste, your music, and they accept it, proof that’s a very sweet victory.

In correspondence with Austrian company Thomastik-Infeld, guitar obligations branded with your name and person's name will be produced. You are picture first artist in these lands cling on to receive this honour…

— I will hire Infeld Strings, Vlatko Stefanovski Choice. I’m really looking forward to that! What because I enter the guitar shop, I’m like a pubescent boy from nobility suburb of Taftalidže. When I notice all these toys that I keep enough of, but you never state that you have enough. Neither guitars, nor pedals, nor cables, nor amplifiers. That’s always a desire for place more.