{"id":9876,"date":"2026-01-21T09:38:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T07:38:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ment.si\/?post_type=news&p=9876"},"modified":"2026-01-21T09:38:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T07:38:37","slug":"full-conference-programme-for-ment-2026","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/ment.si\/en\/news\/full-conference-programme-for-ment-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Full Conference Programme for MENT 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n
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After months of planning, rethinking, debating, emailing, and exploring, we are proud to present the full programme of the <\/span>MENT 2026 Conference<\/b>. This year\u2019s gathering brings together a wide range of debates, interviews, mentoring sessions, networking events, listening sessions, receptions, and presentations \u2013 all with the shared goal of highlighting diverse scenes, ideas, and stories, exploring how music organisations operate across different countries, and above all connecting music activists, workers, artists, and audiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

The conference unfolds in a strong independent spirit, driven by a curiosity about new musical adventures, from local and regional perspectives to European and global contexts.<\/span><\/p>\n

See the full programme HERE<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

We are announcing more than 30 newly confirmed guests, completing the lineup of conference speakers, moderators, and mentors for 2026. More than 70% of all speakers will appear at the MENT Conference for the very first time. In total, this year\u2019s programme features more than 80 speakers, 25 panels, presentations, and interviews, 8 mentoring sessions, 7 official networking events, and 6 receptions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bob van Heur<\/b> from <\/span>Le Guess Who?<\/b> festival in Utrecht will join us for a special interview in the year of the festival\u2019s 20th anniversary. Guided by the motto<\/span> \u201cListening is the Way Forward,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Le Guess Who? is widely regarded as one of the most forward-thinking festivals today, dedicated to promoting sounds that are often overlooked and offering fresh perspectives on what music can be. The interview will be moderated by <\/span>Darek Mazzone<\/b> from <\/span>KEXP<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

On Saturday, ahead of his performance with <\/span>aya <\/b>at Kino \u0160i\u0161ka, <\/span>Marcel Weber<\/b>, aka <\/span>MFO<\/b>, will speak about his work as a visual artist and director for lighting and visuals. He is the director of light and visuals at <\/span>Berlin Atonal<\/b> and a long-time collaborator of <\/span>Unsound Festival<\/b> in Krak\u00f3w, Adelaide, and Toronto. Recent projects include work with <\/span>Caterina Barbieri<\/b> and <\/span>Lyra Pramuk<\/b>. He has also toured extensively with sound artists such as <\/span>Aisha Devi<\/b>, <\/span>Ben Frost<\/b>, and <\/span>Tim Hecker<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both Bob van Heur and MFO join the series of interviews alongside the already announced guests <\/span>Valentina Magaletti<\/b>, <\/span>Mo Dafa<\/b> (Caf\u00e9 OTO)<\/b>, and DJ and label head <\/span>Rey Colino<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shawn Reynaldo<\/b> curates the panel<\/span> Music & Politics: The Calculus of Speaking Up<\/span><\/i>, bringing together <\/span>Yuko Asanuma<\/b> (agent and journalist, setten), <\/span>Jaymie Silk<\/b> (producer and DJ), <\/span>ABADIR<\/b> (producer and DJ), and music journalist <\/span>Ed Gillett<\/b>. As discourse around music becomes increasingly politicised, artists, fans, and industry professionals are facing growing pressure to speak out, and even boycott events in response to issues ranging from genocide and colonialism to systemic discrimination, environmental degradation, and the expanding role of investment capital in culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Carin Abdul\u00e1 (Outer Agency)<\/b> will moderate a panel on adventurous electronic music festivals, featuring <\/span>Olgica Peri\u0107 (DJ Olgica)<\/b>, who started the<\/span> ISKRA <\/b>festival in Serbia, <\/span>Bruno Abreu<\/b> from the Portuguese <\/span>Mucho Flow<\/b> festival, and <\/span>Shilla Strelka<\/b>, who is involved in the Viennese projects <\/span>Unsafe+Sounds<\/b> and <\/span>Struma+Iodine<\/b>.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Media researcher <\/span>Milo\u0161 Hroch<\/b> will present a talk based on the article <\/span>Playlisting the Periphery<\/span><\/i>, co-written with <\/span>Petr Szczepanik<\/b>. The research focuses on local intermediaries, such as digital distributors, major labels, and artists\/content creators, examining how they attempt to leverage inequalities stemming from \u201casymmetrical geographies\u201d while simultaneously reproducing them.<\/span><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s local focus is on the legendary venue <\/span>MKN\u017d<\/b> in Ilirska Bistrica, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2025. <\/span>Damjan Manevski<\/b>, a long-time MKN\u017d regular and musician known for his work with Lelee and Rush to Relax, will guide us through decades of resistance alongside people who have worked at the venue across different eras: <\/span>Jan Surina<\/b>,<\/span> Martin Stadler<\/b>,<\/span> Nina Petra\u010d<\/b>, and<\/span> Simon Grbec.<\/b><\/p>\n

At the <\/span>Sounds from Below <\/span><\/i>panel, we will explore regional venues and promoters with <\/span>Club Pave <\/b>(Bulgaria), <\/span>Defy Them <\/b>(Kosovo), <\/span>Inverted Spectrum <\/b>(Hungary), <\/span>Mrtov Konj <\/b>(North Macedonia), and <\/span>Slayvenija <\/b>(Slovenia). The shared aim of the initiative is to support mobility, creativity, and networking among artists and collectives working in contemporary music.<\/span><\/p>\n

A strong presence of European venues is also expected this year, partly due to the <\/span>Liveurope<\/b> meeting taking place at MENT. The Liveurope platform brings together 24 concert venues from across Europe, strengthening cross-border collaboration and artist mobility.<\/span><\/p>\n

MENT will also host a meeting of <\/span>UPBEAT <\/b>\u2013 the European Showcase Platform for World Music. In its first three years, UPBEAT supported over 550 bands and 1,000 music professionals through a network of 20 members and 14 associated partners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional guests from the festival world include <\/span>Mateusz Jakielski<\/b> from <\/span>Good Taste Production<\/b>, the Polish company behind festivals such as <\/span>BITTERSWEET, Letnie Brzmienia (Summer Sounds), Salt Wave Festival<\/b>, and<\/span> NEXT FEST Music Showcase & Conference in Pozna\u0144<\/b>.<\/span> Natasja Alers<\/b> from the Dutch <\/span>Grauzone Festival <\/b>will participate at a listening session; <\/span>Katrin Pr\u00f6ll<\/b> from Austria\u2019s<\/span> Salam Music <\/b>will contribute to the UPBEAT listening session; and<\/span> Luca Jacob<\/b> from<\/span> WOMEX<\/b> will present their work at a panel on global sounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Together, the MENT 2026 Conference offers a space to listen, question, exchange, and connect. We invite you to dive into the programme and join us in Ljubljana!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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