Unlike a Virgin

Chrom Records, 1999

The duet's sophomore album was a radical departure from the amiable electro-pop of Ma non troppo. This intense, unruly, tumultuous record – laden with distorted synthesizers, digital noise, and electric guitars – is Silence's grittiest, angriest work to date.

The making of the album introduced considerable changes to Silence's usual methodology. Normally, the duet avoids venturing into the studio before wrapping up the songwriting process. In this case, however, Silence entered the studio with nothing more than sketches. The latter were then gradually moulded into fully-fledged songs. The duet was thus able to merge the songwriting and production processes and achieve a greater amount of spontaneity.

Unlike a Virgin revealed Silence's proclivity for experimentation. It also introduced one of Silence's key traits: the duet's knack for eluding straightforward categorisations.

The title of the album, an allusion to Madonna's 1984 album and single, was concocted by Benko's father, Bogdan. The latter is also responsible for the title of the duet's debut. After listening to Ma non troppo for the first time, he remarked: Silence... ma non troppo (Silence... but not too much).

The album is available on Bandcamp

Ma non troppo

Chrom Records, 1997

With their debut album, Silence paid homage to the music of their youth. This was not a conscious decision, though. As such, it resulted in a remarkably candid, guileless album. Ma non troppo is a love letter to one's idols, written with a lover's fervor... and blindness.

The album blends the synthesizer galore and unbridled melodiousness of the 80's with beats typical of the 90's. It includes a surprising cover of Elvis Presley's slightly overlooked classic, The Girl of My Best Friend. Silence's version first appeared in Elvis de Luxe (1997), an outlandish play produced by the Grapefruit Theatre. Another prominent track is Kraljestvo mačjih oči, the only song on the album in the duet's mother tongue. The record also features a hidden track, #1 Hit Single. This innocuous, jocose song was actually a source of considerable distress for Chrom Records. The label was convinced the song's euphoric lambasting of the media would alienate the press. Drastic preemptive measures were implemented; the song was placed five minutes after the album's penultimate track, I'm a Memory, and removed from the booklet.

Ma non troppo marks the beginning of Silence's long-lasting and remarkably prolific collaboration with producer Peter Penko.

The album is available on Bandcamp

SOUNDTRACKS

Ljubezen na smrt

Music from Matjaž Pograjc's same-titled play / banquet / musical
Mladinsko Theatre, 2007

Ljubezen na smrt – Koncert za kuharja, 6 vajencev in 3 pomivalce (Love Unto Death – Concert for a Cook, 6 Apprentices and 3 Dish-washers) – the 9th collaboration between director Matjaž Pograjc and Silence – is a peculiar concoction of theatre, cuisine, poetry, and music. The play's versatile cast acts, prepares a selection of delicious specialities under the supervision of chef Danilo Ivanuša and performs live – in pure musical style – fifteen songs written by Silence and eleven renowned poets. All of which simultaneously.

The performance takes place in what can only be described as a twisted Sushi-bar. A new dish is prepared during each song and placed on a conveyor belt circling among the viewers. Due to the limited amount of food produced by the cast, only 78 viewers are admitted per play.

The play's unorthodox concept proved a success. Ljubezen na smrt opened on April 12th 2007 and is still going strong. According to Delo (Slovenia), Ljubezen na smrt is ... an unusual, original and mature theatre play ... like every true work of art, it gives rise to numerous unpleasant questions.

In March 2007, Silence set to music fifteen poems written by predominantly expressionist and symbolist poets (Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Georges Bataille, Charles Baudelaire, Else Lasker-Schüler, Oscar Wilde, Gottfried Benn, Georg Trakl, Edgar Allan Poe, Federico García Lorca, and Georg Heym). All poems share the subjects of love and death or, better yet, the undeniable relation between the two. The poems also share an unsettling, yet delightfully irresistible directness. They are humorous, cynical, morbid, perverse, shrewd, uncanny – not to mention completely nuts – and will undoubtedly shatter any preconceptions you may have about poetry. Here's a sample – Gottfried Benn's A Fine Childhood:

The mouth of a girl who had long lain in the reeds
looked so chewed up.
When we broke open the torso, the esophagus was so full of holes.
Finally in a bower under the diaphragm
we found a nest of young rats.
One little sister rat lay dead.
The others were living off liver and kidney,
drinking the cold blood and enjoying
a fine childhood.
And fine and fast was their death too:
we threw the whole bunch into water.
Oh, how those little snouts squeaked!

The album, produced and mixed by Blaž Celarec and Silence, was recorded in April 2007 at studio Jork. The songs are sung by the play's cast (Neda R. Bric, Maruša Oblak, Branko Jordan, Janja Majzelj, Ivan Peternelj, and Ivan Rupnik) and performed by three remarkable musicians: Blaž Celarec (drums, percussion, clarinet), Žiga Golob (double bass, steel guitar, ukulele, singing saw), and Jože Šalej (upright piano). As each song is realized in a different style, the soundtrack's most distinguishing feature is – beyond doubt – its surprising diversity. Even a shred of Russian Orthodox church music can be found amidst the soundtrack's extensive list of seemingly incompatible genres: country, samba, blues, cabaret ... Another peculiarity: Ljubezen na smrt is Silence's first album in Slovene, the duet's mother-tongue.

Veronika

Music from the contemporary dance performance Veronika Decides ...
Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, 2005

If Veronika would've heard this soundtrack, she might have decided to ... dance.
Maja Pertič, Primorske novice

Top class and virtuosic.
Rok Vevar, Delo

In July 2004, Silence were asked to write a score for a contemporary ballet based on Paulo Coelho's bestselling novel Veronika Decides to Die.

The protagonist of Coelho's novel is a young woman from Ljubljana (the capital of Silence's homeland, Slovenia) who, after a failed suicide attempt, discovers beauty and love in the strangest of places; the local sanatorium. In the words of Gagik Ismailian, the director of the piece: Coelho's novel is about those who do not fit into patterns considered normal by the society. It is about madness and the need to find an alternative way of living for people who frequently have to face other people's prejudices just because they think in a different way.

The ballet, produced by the Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana, required 80 minutes of original music ranging from intimate miniatures to complex orchestral compositions.

Despite the introspective nature of Coelho's book, Veronika Decides ... was first of all a dance piece. As such, it required intensely rhythmic music. The score was therefore based on rough electronic beats and distorted synthesizer sounds. The latter were in turn contrasted by lyrical strings and pianos. In order to emphasize the universality of Veronika's predicament, Silence decided to record the vocals in an imaginary language composed of words taken from various (living and dead) languages. The soundtrack was written, produced, recorded and mixed between July 2004 and March 2005 in Silence's private production facility, the Daily Girl studio.

The album is available on Bandcamp

Maison des rendez-vous

Music from Betontanc's same-titled play
Nika Records, 2003

Betontanc's ninth play, inspired by the work of Harold Pinter, took place in a macabre room that appeared to have a life of its own. Constantly swinging like a giant seesaw, the hostile room deprived the actors/performers of what we all take for granted: the firm ground beneath our feet. The remarkable stage provided the perfect setting for the exceptional mastery of the Betontanc dance company; a setting in which one is forced to bend and occasionally break the law of gravity in order to survive.

The music is predominantly electronic. In order to capture the play's claustrophobic, unhinged feel, the duet used a wide array of radically down-pitched synthesizer bells. Maison is Silence's first self-produced album. The record was written and programmed in the duet's private studio, The Daily Girl. All acoustic elements (vocals and strings) were recorded by Peter Penko at Raingarden 9. While undoubtedly intense and dark, the score is primarily defined by its unbridled experimentalism and kooky humour.

The album is available on Bandcamp

Strange in a Strange Way (Disco Politico)

Digital release, 2016

They're here! The barbarians are among us! They're invading our homes, disrupting our lives, wrecking the economy, breaking laws, causing conflicts and misery ... and dancing in a silly fashion. We are, of course, talking about politicians.

We must build a great wall of irony around us, lest they drive us mad. Allow us to provide some building material: we present Strange in a Strange Way, or, as we lovingly refer to it, the Disco Politico.

The single is available on Bandcamp

PROJECTS | PRODUCTION

Laibach + Silence – White Christmas

Mute Records, 2024
Arranged and produced by Silence

White Christmas was released digitally on November 21st 2024. The two-track single release, which marks the fifth collaboration between Laibach and Silence, examines the comforting bauble that adorns everyone’s festive season, and challenges people to scrutinise what lies beneath its warm veneer.

Both tracks, White Christmas and White Christmas (Silence Night), were arranged and produced by Silence. The title track features pianist Sašo Vollmaier, violinist Oskar Longyka, cellist Igor Mitrović, Benko, and His Master's Voice.

White Christmas, one of the most popular and covered Christmas songs, was written by Irving Berlin in 1940. Berlin was a Russian-born immigrant who, interestingly enough, did not celebrate Christmas at all, as he was Jewish. The song actually stems from a personal tragedy, the loss of a child. Berlin's three-week-old son, Irving Berlin Jr., died on Christmas day in 1928. Every Christmas thereafter, Berlin and his wife visited the baby's grave.

The first public performance of the song took place on Christmas Day, 1941, a few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Berlin attributed the song's popularity to World War 2 and the fact that Christmas symbolises peace.

The new version invites us to consider what future Christmases, with the aggressive climate and political changes around the world, will look like. Let this track be a weapon in the war against misery and unhappiness. 

Laibach – Party Songs

Mute Records, 2019
Arranged and produced by Silence

Dear Comrades, we're happy to introduce an essential addition to your collection of communist disco classics. Party Songs, a six-track EP, features unpublished tracks from the repertoire of Laibach’s and Silence’s 2015 performances in North Korea.

The EP, released on 12" vinyl and digital platforms, features two adaptations of Honourable, Dead or Alive, When Following the Revolutionary Road, an aria from the North Korean revolutionary opera Tell, O Forest (1972). The latter was avowedly written under the guidance of Kim Jong-il. The release also features a remodelling of We Will Go to Mt. Paektu, a popular song by the Moranbong Band, whose members were selected by Kim Jong-un. The songs, arranged and produced by Silence, feature Benko.

Last but not least, the EP features live renditions of We Will Go to Mt. Paektu, Honourable, and Arirang, which were recorded in Pyongyang. Honourable and Arirang were arranged and performed by students of the Kum Song School of Music. They were joined on stage by Benko.

Laibach's and Silence's expedition to North Korea is chronicled in Morten Traavik's and Uģis Olte's 2017 documentary film Liberation Day.

Laibach – The Sound of Music

Mute Records, 2018
Arranged and co-produced by Silence

Glorious silly covers are bright as a copper kettle
Ben Beaumont-Thomas, The Guardian

Utter masterpiece.
Attila the Stockbroker, Morning Star

Perhaps the group's most remarkable release of recent times.
Luke Turner, The Quietus

This is an extraordinary record, a project of remarkable scope, ambition and deep humanity that makes everything else seem a bit small and inward looking.
Jared Dix, Echoes and Dust

Laibach conceived the album in 2015, after being invited to perform in Pyongyang. It seemed only natural to address the people of North Korea with something as universal as The Sound of Music. Robert Wise's 1965 musical film is, after all, the best known piece of Western culture in North Korea. For years now, the film has been part of the national curriculum—as an English-learning tool.

Silence were tasked with reinterpreting nine songs from the musical. Sound of Music, Climb Ev'ry Mountain, Do-Re-Mi, Edelweiss, and Favorite Things were written for the Pyongyang performance. The remaining tracks—Maria/Korea, The Lonely Goatherd, Sixteen Going on Seventeen, and So Long, Farewell—were written specifically for the album. The duet also adapted Arirang, the unofficial anthem of North and South Korea.

The album's closing tracks, The Sound of Gayageum and Welcome Speech, are mementos from Laibach's and Silence's stay in North Korea. The Sound of Gayageum is an instrumental piece performed by students from the Kum Song Music School in Pyongyang. Welcome Speech, on the other hand, features Mr. Ryu, a representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Committee for Cultural Relations.

Benko appears as guest vocalist on ten tracks. The album also features vocalist Marina Mårtensson, the Edelweiss children's choir, pianist Igor Vićentić, and drummer Janez Gabrič. The album was co-produced and mixed by Iztok Turk.

The Sound of Music marks the third collaboration—the first two being Volk (2006) and 1 VIII 1944 Warszawa (2014)—between Laibach and Silence.

Laibach's and Silence's expedition to North Korea is chronicled in Morten Traavik's and Uģis Olte's 2017 documentary film Liberation Day.

Laibach – Volk: Dead in Trbovlje

Mute Records / EMI, 2008
Features material composed, produced, and performed by Silence

This is an absolute must as companion to the 'Volk’ album, thanks to the stage presence of the band, the power of the live delivery, and the enhancement of the content and message via video screening. Laibach's gesamtkunstwerk still proves totally unique and constantly evolving ... Japan's anthem, sung by Boris Benko, is still the highlight – absolutely breathtaking and Laibach's most musical moment ever. 
Terrorizer

In June 2008, Laibach released the recording of their March 24 2007 concert in Trbovlje (SLO) – the band's birthplace – on DVD. The release features the entire Volk repertoire, written and produced by Silence, performed live by Laibach and Silence. Hladnik – who was part of the entire Volk tour – plays the keyboards, whilst Benko performs Nippon and Slovania as special guest. As a bonus, the DVD offers a collection of some of the most relevant screens that were projected during the show, animated stories of some of the most important songs. The Laibach music videos associated with Volk are part of the content too. The project ends with a tour medley, a short video commentary as a souvenir from some of the places where Laibach have toured with Volk.

Laibach – Volk

Mute Records, 2006
Composed and produced by Silence

A beautiful and deeply charged reworking of fourteen national anthems, with Laibach's stentorian vocals augmented by gorgeous sounds from the Slovenian duo Silence, whose Boris Benko sings like a Mitteleuropean Billy Mackenzie. 
The Quietus

... A beautiful, profound, engaging album ... encourages repeated listening in a way previous Laibach records do not.
MOJO

... It is that subtlety, humility almost, that marks Volk as a masterful stroke, the likes of which Laibach may never again achieve.
PopMatters

... Serious contender for this year’s best album. 
Virus!

... Superbly realised. 
The Guardian

Volk is a true masterpiece and this is mostly thanks to the impressive productional work of Silence. 
Gothtronic

Laibach devised the concept for their 7th studio album, Volk, during their extensive 2004 – 2005 WAT world tour. The band, renowned for its harsh, industrial sound and relentless, straight-kick beats, was ready to enter uncharted territory. Aside from re-interpreting national anthems, the band’s idea was to reveal the mainstream potential of an otherwise profoundly subversive, underground act and focus on what was usually hidden: the subtle side of Laibach. Needless to say, finding songwriters / producers capable of bringing this bold idea to life without damaging Laibach’s integrity and alienating the band’s vast fan base was a delicate task.

Meritorious for the release of the Maison des rendez-vous soundtrack on TehNika in 2003, Laibach’s Ivan Novak brought Silence’s subsequent work on Vain – A Tribute to a Ghost and Veronika to the attention of other Laibach members. Soon afterwards, Silence were given the unique opportunity to write and produce for one of the most remarkable bands in the world.

During the following eight months, Silence composed and produced thirteen tracks under Laibach's supervision: Germania, America, Anglia, Rossiya, Francia, Italia, Espańa, Yisra’el, Türkiye, Zhonghuá, Nippon, Slovania, and Vaticanae. The lyrics were written at a later stage by Laibach. All of these tracks – except Nippon and Vaticanae – were recorded and produced (with the exception of Milan Fras' vocals, recorded at the NSK Studio) in Silence's private production facility, the Daily Girl Studio. Silence recorded most of the vocalists (the children choir in Rossiya, Mina Špiler, Brina Vogelnik-Saje, Elvira Hasanagić, and Nagisa Moritoki) and instrumentalists (Miha Dovžan, Luka Jamnik, and Peter Dekleva) that appear on the album. The grand piano, strings, and five other vocalists (Seaming To, Zed Mehmet, Maria Awa, Yolanda Grant-Thompson, and Artie Fischel) were recorded during the final stages of production at various facilities: Studio Metro (Ljubljana), Metropolis (London), and The Instrument (London).

Hladnik's engagement – he was responsible for the album's piano and string arrangements – resulted in what is arguably his best work so far. This becomes apparent while listening to Nippon, a complex acoustic track performed by a 40-piece string orchestra and piano soloist. Some might recall it from the Key Silence promotional concert in Cankarjev dom, where Nippon was first performed. Hladnik also wrote the arrangement for Vaticanae, a track that marks Silence's first encounter with a remarkable instrument: the church organ. 

Benko, responsible for programming and vocal arrangements, appears as guest vocalist on seven tracks (Germania, America, Anglia, Francia, Nippon, Espańa, and Slovania). He also appears as backing vocalist on three of the remaining tracks (Francia, Rossiya, and Vaticanae). On Volk, Benko mainly experimented with extensive vocal layering (numerous overlapping vocal lines sung by an individual vocalist), thus achieving elaborate and distinguishable vocals.

Post-production and mix were done by Paul Walton a.k.a. P-dub (Goldfrapp, Björk, Massive Attack) and Laibach at The Instrument. The album was mastered by Tom Meyer at Master & Servant (Hamburg).