instrumentalist and pedagogue
Samo Kutin (1982) is self-taught, sound researcher, maker of musical instruments and one of the most prominent improvisers of the Slovenian scene. He is known for using unconventional instruments, either those that have already disappeared from everyday use, or home-made ones. One of the traditional instruments he uses is the Hungarian medieval musical instrument hurdy gurdy, with which he can be seen mainly at concerts of experimental improvisation, where he performs as a soloist or in duos (Jean-Luc Guionnet, Lee Paterson, Martin Küchen, Pascal Battus, Tomaž Grom, Vid Drašler et al.).
He leads music workshops for children, creates music for fairy tales, animations, theater, puppet and dance shows and participates in music groups Širom, Bakalina Velika and Kačis, among others.
https://www.sploh.si/en/about-sploh/artists/samo-kutin
Contact: kutin.samo@gmail.com
Diskography
· Samo Kutin – Spaces XI – Harps (Zavod Murmur 2023)
· Pascal Battus in Samo Kutin – Živi mostovi / Living Bridges (Inexhaustible editions, 2022)
· Širom – Utekočinjeni prestol preprostih / The Liquified Throne Of Simplicity (Glitterbeat, tak:til, 2022)
· Bakalina Velika – Zviezdna srebruo (Čadrg records, 2022)
· Kačis – Nedognano / Unfathomed (self-publishing, 2021)
· Šalter Ensemble – Štiri dela (Sploh, 2021)
· Širom I. (Torto Editions, 2020)
· Lee Patterson & Samo Kutin – The universal veil that hangs together like a skin (Inexhaustible editions, 2020)
· Ana Kravanja & Samo Kutin – Trosi kumulusa / Cumulus Spores (self-publishing, 2020)
· Samo Kutin & Martin Küchen – Jecljanje in stavkanje / Stutter And Strike (Sploh, 2020)
· Širom – Svet, ki speče konju cvet / A Universe that Roasts Blossoms for a Horse (Glitterbeat, tak:til, 2019)
· Bakalina Velika – Prvi krajec (Čadrg records, 2019)
· Širom / Yoshio Machida – Kače čakajo modro nebo, mrzla cesta, prekmalu zame / Snakes waiting for blue sky, cold road, too soon for me (self-publishing, 2019)
· Jean-Luc Guionnet / Samo Kutin – Kopaš (Sploh, 2017)
· Širom – Lahko sem glinena mesojedka / I Can Be a Clay Snapper (Glitterbeat, tak:til, 2017)
· Širom – I. (ZARŠ in Klopotec, 2016; Amorfon, 2016)
· Samo Kutin – Plovilo / Vessel (Sploh, 2015)
· Samo Kutin / Ana Kravanja – Ni ravno najboljši kraj za pristajanje na drevesih (Samo Kutin, 2013)
· Najoua – Deveteronog (Klopotec, 2014)
· Najoua – Tojevsekarsespomnim (Klopotec, 2012)
· Lunin med – Po lougi lejče (Čadrg Records, Klopotec, 2012)
· Ubrana urbana – Za v žep (Čadrg Records, 2012)
· Horda grdih – Tod in ondod (Čadrg Records, 2011)
· Horda grdih – Hurdy gurdy (Čadrg Records, 2010)
· Salamandra salamandra – Črn trn (Čadrg Records, 2011)
· Salamandra salamandra – Kava, čaj, Kakav (Čadrg Records, 2008)
· Salamandra salamandra – Kafa (Čadrg Records, 2004)
· Salamandra salamandra – Tuvzž (Čadrg Records, 2003)
Current Projects
· Solo: Samo Kutin – hurdy gurdy
· Ana Kravanja and Samo Kutin: Ana Kravanja – violin, viola, tubular bells, sound object, voice; Samo Kutin – hurdy gurdy, balafon, ikitelia, tubular bells, sound objects, voice
· Širom: Iztok Koren – banjo, three string banjo, bass drum, percussion, bells, balafon, objects; Ana Kravanja – violin, viola, ribab, cünbüs, kheychak, balafon, objects, voice; Samo Kutin: hurdy gurdy, ikitelia, lyre, balafon, one string bass, ring drums, bras, objects, voice
· Bakalina Velika: Jani Kutin – voice, lyrics, flute, goat horn; Renata Lapanja – accordion; Marjan Stanić – percussions, drums; Matej Magajne – electric guitar, bass guitar; Andrea Pandolfo – trumpet, wing horn, piano; Dejan Lapanja – drums, acoustic guitar, bass guitar; Samo Kutin – bass guitar, acoustic guitar, balafon, brac, hurdy gurdy, bass harp, n’goni, objects; Bogdana Herman – voice
· Kačis (Ana Kravanja – voice, Tea Vidmar – voice, Samo Kutin – lute, acoustic resonators…)
· Salamandra salamandra: Neža Naglič – keyboards, objects; Dejan Lapanja – percussion, objects; Matej Magajne – bass guitar, electric guitar, objects; Sabina Magajne – horn, objects; Samo Kutin – bass guitar, hurdy gurdy, balafon, objects; Jani Kutin – voice, objects
Pedagogue
Workshops
· Samo Kutin and Ana Kravanja – Smetiščni orkester / Junkyard Orchestra (self-made musical instruments and sound effects)
· Samo Kutin – Improvisation on hand-made musical instruments and objects (also for adults)
Awards
· Landscaping of the learning path to RCERO (prostoRož) – Zlati svinčnik for excellent realisation (2017)
· Award of theatrical critics and theatrologists of Slovenia for the best performance of the 2016/2017 season – performance Zločin in kazen (2017)
We Point Out
Kopaš (2017)
Jean-Luc Guionnet / Samo Kutin
Jean-Luc Guionnet – alto saxophone
Samo Kutin – hurdy gurdy
Jean – Luc Guionnet – drawings
Jernej Babnik Romaniuk – recording
recorded in november 2017 at:
– Jame – abandoned war-shelter complex, Ljubljana region
– Galerija Škuc, Ljubljana
– Španski borci, Ljubljana
– Francuski paviljon, Zagreb
Janez Križaj – mix, mastering
Jani Peternelj – design
released by Zavod Sploh (2017)
“The Slovenian label Zavod Sploh published a meeting between the Slovenian improviser Samo Kutin and the French improviser Jean-Luc Guionnet. Kutin is responsible for some of the more obscure sounds, such as the background detonation triggered by the amplified hurdy–gurdy. Guionnet is much more versatile, and his role is limited to the tense dynamics of quiet–loud saxophone droning variations that he spent most of his impro career reasrching in another of his projects Hubbub. Kutin almost did not use the instrument to create a mutually rich drone experience in the first half of the album; instead, it is the same atmospheric trigger for some of the freakier and haunting sounds on the album, which invite mystic experiments by rubbing the bow over the metal parts of the bike at White Fog Sylvie Hallett. In the long fourth improvisation that sounds like a mysterious pagan ceremony, the classic sound of this instrument, which has recently been very exploited in the new French tendencies called auvergnat folk improv, is finally cleared. I am challenging you to find the adventurous use of the hurdy gurdy in the frame of the world of free improvisation – this album definitely sets some new parameters!” (Marko Milićević in Predrag Karanjac, Popscotch, 2019)
http://www.sploh.si/samokutin.html
audio
Kopaš by Jean-Luc Guionnet & Samo Kutin
video
improvisation, hurdy gurdy
Glasba za Žabe, ukulele and trash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZ–ak2in60
Samo Kutin & Prostorož – Rcero
Samo Kutin and Ana Kravanja