VOLTA x Boiler Room at Zagreb's AKC Attack (2021)

Or How I Experienced a Club Revelation in Zagreb Amid the Mixes of Croatian DJs Babilonska, SZCH, Kornet, N/OBE, and Ljubljana Duo Warrego Valles at the Peak of the Epidemic in Slovenia.

SZCH, known for his characteristic humor and affinity for quirky pop, pulled the handbrake and steered us into completely different waters. He began with an edit of the millennial anthem "Barbie Girl," engaging people to sing along, and continued towards mutant dembow rhythms that, with their sex appeal, compel instinctive imitation of sexual choreography—whether we're fans of Daddy Yankee or TSVI.

Alongside various dusty techno and electro hits, a significant part of his set consisted of contemporary variations of the Brazilian ghetto genre baile funk, characterized by dynamic (poly)rhythms from the African diaspora and extremely sexual lyrics. In between, he captivated our attention with the banger "Nemoj da te sanjam" by Serbian youngster Hari Kvoter, the Balkan answer to the current mutations of gqom, baile funk, and other African electronic rhythms in club electronics.

He was most striking during his "antidrop," when he transitioned from breakbeat to the evergreen hit of our youth, "Faint" by the nu-metal band Linkin Park, defying all expectations. His eclectic mix often favored unexpected leaps over traditional rhythmically synchronized transitions, introducing deconstructed club rhythms, new-generation trance, amusing edits with helium vocals, reworked eurodance classics by the legendary Eiffel 65, various grime tunes, and other rarities from producers like Lou Kessler, MALIK.A, ZUTZUT, and label colleague Strahinja Arbutina.

The climax was reached with a track of Slovenian origin, Nomark's hit "Cel dan", which I caught by the tail, as I used the concluding part of SZCH's performance for my only visit to the restroom that evening. The music was simply too enticing.

Jaša Bužinel

Read the original review in Slovenian on SIGIC (Slovenian Music Information Center)

SZCH – Fight Or Flight (2024)

This one has sentimental value as Filip Šćekić, aka SZCH, was a role model for me in the mid-2010s. A lo-fi house trailblazer in the Balkans and master of melancholy summervibez™, his tracks such as ‘Untitled (B)’ were being played by Objekt at a time when our local scenes felt detached from the epicentre, always lagging behind. He’s helped increase the visibility of the region in recent years, both via the Low Income $quad label and their NTS show.

Bar his hilarious ‘Balkanised baile’ edits and rare Bandcamp dumps, I’ve been waiting for his proper comeback for years. Fight Or Flight must have been gestating for a long time. Connected by a scintillating ambient intro and Burial-esque outro, its core is made of ‘No Frenz’ and ‘Mess’, two saccharine, unabashedly euphoric, UK bass-indebted breaky tunes that revolve around declamations that recall forest sprites, and vocal chops. Like a charming Jadrolinija sailor trying his best pickup lines on the Brits as he heads towards Tisno, SZCH conspicuously flirts with hyperdigital patinas, syncopated beats, and cyborgian timbres to great effect.

Jaša Bužinel

Read the original review on The Quietus