A Personal Story About “Ring Ring”

A Personal Story About “Ring Ring”

by | 26.05.2025.

Here’s Skoča’s story about the Ring Ring festival and the performance of the Japanese quintet ONJQ, which closed the 29th edition of the festival at Karmakoma Club, on May 25, 2025. The text was originally posted on Skoča’s Facebook profile.

. . .

You know those rare moments in life when you can literally feel yourself changing? There aren’t many, and that’s exactly why they’re so huge. One of those moments happened to me exactly around this time, 28 years ago. It felt like the doors to a whole new world had opened. I tiptoed in, quietly, like I wasn’t even supposed to be there, and started looking around. I didn’t understand much of what I saw, but I knew – just knew – that I loved it. And that it felt deeply, deeply mine.

It’s been almost three decades, and I’m still living in that world. I love it even more now, and thank God, I understand it a lot better. I don’t sneak around anymore – I sit comfortably in an armchair, smiling, watching younger folks stumble through the same door with wide eyes and confused hearts. Joni Mitchell captured that feeling in “The Circle Game”, and The Rolling Stones in “As Tears Go By”.

 

 

I was nineteen and didn’t know a damn thing about anything. But I loved music, deeply. I heard on the radio that some Japanese jazz band was coming to Belgrade, to some festival that had “new music” in its subtitle. When you’re nineteen, everything is new. I bought a ticket and headed to the “Rex” Cultural Centre, in Jevrejska Street. The band was called Ground Zero. After that concert, nothing in my life was ever the same.

There were ten or so musicians on stage, playing a mix of jazz, traditional Japanese music, avant-garde, and even some pop – but all done in a totally unique way. Their way. Capital T.

The horns were growling, the guitars were shrieking, the Japanese instruments were Japan-ing like mad, and my heart was pounding out of my chest.

 

 

The band was led by guitarist Otomo Yoshihide. I walked into Rex one person, and came out someone else. Never before – or since – have I experienced anything like that. Words may be my favorite toys, but even I can’t find the right ones to describe what I felt that night.

That was my very first time at the “Ring Ring” festival. After that, I went every year. Late May at “Rex” became one of the most cherished traditions of my life. The green treetops lining Jevrejska Street always held a special meaning for me. I discovered so much amazing music and so many incredible bands there.

In this country, I never had any doubt about which festival was the festival. Exit? Please. Don’t make me laugh.

 

 

Ground Zero’s frontman, Otomo, kept coming back to “Ring Ring” over the years with different bands and collaborators. Seven times in total – I caught five of those shows. They were always great, but never quite like that first one in May ’97. And then, last night, came his seventh appearance – at the 29th edition of “Ring Ring”. So many years have passed since that life-altering concert, but last night, Otomo brought me closer to that feeling than ever before.

Otomo Yoshihide’s New Jazz Quintet closed this year’s “Ring Ring” at “Karmakoma”. He formed the group right after Ground Zero disbanded in the late ‘90s. If you’ve ever wondered what a musical version of an “orgasm” might sound like, you might’ve found your answer at last night’s show.

Silence. Noise. Gasping. Growling. Whimpering. Shattering. And melodies – dreamlike, soaked in the sweat of daily life – all of it filled the little club near the Danube.

 

 

We heard Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman”, and also Jim O’Rourke’s “Eureka” – who’s been one of the biggest musical figures in my life for over 25 years. Both pieces were completely reimagined in Otomo’s gloriously warped style. I got chills all over my body. And when “Eureka” started, my friend – who had been with me at that Ground Zero show, and who had gone through the exact same transformation I did – just leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. We’re the same age, we both adore Jim, and we both became different people after that 1997 concert.

If I had to sum up last night’s performance in just one word, it would be emotion. When you tear up at a concert by a Japanese avant-garde jazz band… you know something big is happening.

I want to publicly thank Bojan Đorđević for creating “Ring Ring” nearly thirty years ago – a festival that brought tons of joy into my life, and continues to do so. For me, there simply isn’t a more important music festival in this poor, broken country.

 

 

Back in 1997, I was nineteen. If that Ground Zero concert had never happened, today I’d be 47. But it did happen. And among the million beautiful things it gave me, one of the most precious is this: it stopped time. So now, you’re reading the words of someone who’s far younger than 47. Only music can do that.

. . .

LET’S RECAP THE PROGRAM OF THE 29TH “RING RING” FESTIVAL

May 23, Studio 6 of Radio Belgrade

Marina Džukljev & dieb13 (Serbia/Austria)

May 24, Jewish Cultural Center

Pavel Fajt (Czech Republic)

Vicente/Dikeman/Škorić/Radojković (Portugal/USA/Serbia)

May 25, Karmakoma club

Oliver Steidle & Chris Pitsiokos (Germany)

ONJQ (Japan)

. . .

🔗  Ring Ring Festival:  Website   ǀ   YouTube   ǀ   Facebook   ǀ   Instagram

🔗  Vladimir Skočajić Skoča:  Facebook   ǀ   Patreon

 

Change in the 29th “Ring Ring” Lineup

Change in the 29th “Ring Ring” Lineup

by | 19.05.2025.

Instead of the trio Schick/Håker Flaten/Steidle, on the third night of the 29th Ring Ring Festival – Sunday, May 25, 2025 – we will hear the duo Oliver Steidle & Chris Pitsiokos.

. . .

Instead of the Balkan premiere of the trio Schick/Håker Flaten/Steidle, the third night of the 29th “Ring Ring” Festival will now open with a world premiere: the duo of Oliver Steidle (drums) and Chris Pitsiokos (saxophone).

These things happen… When you’re organizing a festival, you always have to be ready for risks and unpleasant surprises. Sometimes, unfortunately, a concert gets canceled at the last minute. But it’s extremely rare that the same artist cancels their performance two years in a row due to serious health issues. That’s exactly what happened with Ignaz Schick, who was supposed to perform at the 28th Ring Ring Festival in a trio with Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and Oliver Steidle. His health took a turn, so the concert was rescheduled for the 29th edition. And then – the same thing happened again.

We wish Ignaz Schick a swift and full recovery!

The “Ring Ring” Festival team quickly found a solution, with key advisory and logistical support from dear friends. We want to thank the brilliant Ring Ringers Marina Džukljev and Marko Prokić, who suggested we “try out” the duo of Oliver Steidle and Chris Pitsiokos. Big thanks also go to the Goethe-Institut for their great understanding and flexibility in this situation.

Saxophonist, composer, and improviser Chris Pitsiokos was born in New York in 1990 but has been living in Berlin for several years. Serbian audiences had the chance to hear him live at the 27th “Ring Ring” Festival – in a concert with Otomo Yoshihide, held at the Jewish Cultural Center on May 19, 2023. And, as coincidence would have it – at the 29th “Ring Ring” Festival, Pitsiokos and Yoshihide will once again share the same night, though in different formations.

See you for an evening filled with powerful free music energy!

. . .

PROGRAM OF THE 29TH RING RING FESTIVAL

May 23, 8:30 PM, Studio 6 of Radio Belgrade

Marina Džukljev & dieb13 (SRB/AUT)

May 24, 7:30 PM, Jewish Cultural Center

Pavel Fajt (CZE)

Vicente/Dikeman/Škorić/Radojković (PRT/USA/SRB)

May 25, 8 PM, Karmakoma Club

Oliver Steidle & Chris Pitsiokos (DEU)

ONJQ (JPN)

. . .

🔗 Website:  Oliver Steidle   ǀ   Chris Pitsiokos

🔗  Ring Ring Festival:  Website   ǀ   YouTube   ǀ   Facebook   ǀ   Instagram

🔗  Facebook Event:  Ring Ring Festival 2025

🔗  Tickets:  May 24  ǀ  May 25 

 

 

“Ring Ring”’s Festival Whistle Blows for the 29th Gathering of “Different Music” Lovers

“Ring Ring”’s Festival Whistle Blows for the 29th Gathering of “Different Music” Lovers

by | 08.05.2025.

The 29th edition of Belgrade’s one-of-a-kind festival of new and experimental music will take place from May 23 to 25, 2025, at Radio Belgrade’s Studio 6, the Jewish Cultural Center, and Karmakoma Club. Over the course of three adventurous musical evenings, audiences will hear artists and bands from Norway, Japan, Germany, Austria, Portugal, the Czech Republic, the USA, and Serbia.

. . .

The longest-running festival of alternative, experimental, free-jazz, and improv music in Serbia, “Ring Ring”, has gone through various phases since its inception in 1996, evolving in different circumstances. At times, it boasted a lavish program lasting up to seven days, while at other moments, it took a more stripped-down form. However, regardless of the number of concerts, “Ring Ring” has always focused on high-quality, challenging, and diverse content.

This year’s 29th edition of “Ring Ring” will stay true to that spirit. Despite the challenging circumstances, the festival will be held in its usual May slot, bringing five concerts to delight fans of “different music”. Over three nights of concerts, taking place in three different venues in Belgrade, we will hear musicians from eight countries.

Alongside local favorites such as Otomo Yoshihide, Luís Vicente, and Marina Džukljev, the program will feature old acquaintances and fresh names from the world of top-tier improvised and innovative music, with a slight emphasis on free-jazz this year.

The festival opens with a Serbian-Austrian duo consisting of MARINA DŽUKLJEV (piano) and DIEB13 (turntables), two artists whose highly praised album “Štrudel” is the product of long-distance collaboration and a simultaneous performance from Novi Sad and Vienna in “COVID October” 2020. This performance, which is a Balkan premiere, is scheduled for Friday, May 23, at Studio 6, starting at 8:30 PM.

Entrance to this evening is free, with prior registration required via email: ringringfestival@gmail.com.

The second evening, Saturday, May 24, will take place at the iconic “Ring Ring” location, the Jewish Cultural Center “Oneg Shabbat”. Czech percussionist PAVEL FAJT, who last performed at “Ring Ring” in 2012 as a member of the Mie Zabelka Trio, will showcase the richness and excitement of his solo performance, presenting yet another Balkan premiere at the 29th edition of the festival.

The closing performance of the second evening will feature the world premiere of a Portuguese-American-Serbian quartet made up of: LUÍS VICENTE (trumpet), JOHN DIKEMAN (saxophone), BRANISLAV RADOJKOVIĆ (double bass), and ALEKSANDAR ŠKORIĆ (drums). This will be a free-jazz fireworks display from these prominent improvisers.

The third and final evening, Sunday, May 25, at Karmakoma Club, will begin with another Balkan premiere. The German-Norwegian acoustic trio consisting of IGNAZ SCHICK (saxophone), INGEBRIGT HÅKER FLATEN (double bass), and OLIVER STEIDLE (drums) brings together three legendary artists from the contemporary European jazz, improvised, and experimental music scene.

And finally, to close the 29th edition of “Ring Ring”, the festival will welcome true international stars to perform before the local audience, led by the legendary Japanese guitarist OTOMO YOSHIHIDE. Otomo has performed at the festival several times, and now he returns with his acclaimed Japanese quintet ONJQ (Otomo Yoshihide’s New Jazz Quintet), which has been promoting energetic free-jazz and experimental music since 1999.

This will be their first performance in Serbia, expected to be a powerful conclusion to another edition of “Ring Ring”, a festival celebrating new sounds, human creativity, and togetherness through music!

Tickets for the second evening (1,200 RSD) and the third evening (1,700 RSD) can be purchased through tickets.rs and by email: ringringfestival@gmail.com.

The festival is supported by: the Austrian Cultural Forum Belgrade, Goethe-Institut, the Czech Centre Belgrade, Radio Belgrade 3, the Jewish Cultural Center “Oneg Shabbat”, and “Karmakoma” Club. The organizer is the “Ring Ring” Association in collaboration with MICS.

. . .

PROGRAM OF THE 29TH RING RING FESTIVAL

May 23, 8:30 PM, Studio 6 of Radio Belgrade

Marina Džukljev & dieb13 (SRB/AUT)

May 24, 7:30 PM, Jewish Cultural Center

Pavel Fajt (CZE)

Vicente/Dikeman/Škorić/Radojković (PRT/USA/SRB)

May 25, 8 PM, Karmakoma Club

Schick/Håker Flaten/Steidle (DEU/NOR)

ONJQ (JPN)

. . .

🔗  Ring Ring Festival:  Website   ǀ   YouTube   ǀ   Facebook   ǀ   Instagram

🔗  Facebook Event:  Ring Ring Festival 2025

🔗  Tickets:  May 24  ǀ  May 25 

 

 

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