Music Information Centre Lithuania is continuing its tradition of publishing Note Lithuania’s annual dissemination and promotion compilations, and after a three-year break has turned its attention to the country’s experimental and post-industrial music scene. The newly released Note Lithuania: Experimental/Electronic 2023 features 16 tracks by new and established artists, and it can also be heard on the mic.lt playlist.

This year, exactly 100 tracks were submitted to the open call for submissions. After a stormy and lengthy debate by a panel of five experts, this year's selection includes tracks by Banachtarski, Darius Žičkus, Fume, Girnų Giesmės, Hedda Gamma, Mantas Mockus, McKaras, Migluma, Morrigun, Nim, noema-noesis, Sheep Effect, Tarvainis, Teatre, Veiveris and Vilkduja.

“It’s nice to hear more light, to see more female names. The selection is solid and diverse, with a balance between old and new names, strong emotions, low frequencies, and proof that even intense electronic music can be funky!” said Nerijus Damaševičius, event organiser and the soul of minimal.lt.

Inga Ramoškaitė, music editor and host of LRT Opus radio, believes that this year's participants fascinate with their willingness to dig deep and explore – new forms, surprising means of expression, unusual sounds, and inspiring themes. “What does the birth of a star sound like? Or a thunderbird? Music on Mars? Robot folklore? From dark experiences to embracing the light. From attempts to capture the timbre of the human voice to haunting ritual dances. From echoes of Lithuanian folklore to an audio diary.”

According to Jurij Dobriakov, another member of the jury and a researcher of contemporary culture, the task of selecting the works for this genre is becoming increasingly difficult. “Not because there are few good pieces, but because at least two such releases could be compiled from the high-quality competition entries, which are worthy of the attention of a wide audience,” he says in the album's annotation.

“Alternative electronic music – for some time now – has been a field where Lithuania not only keeps up with but sometimes surpasses foreign production in originality. The 16 tracks presented in the collection show that Lithuanians have a broad and distinctive understanding of the terms ‘experimental’ and ‘electronic’. The result is an eclectic and daring compilation,” said Andrzej Bong, founder of Suru Records and editor of suru.lt, who helped assess the tracks.

“It’s an invitation to wander through the swamp of today’s Lithuanian weird music. A swamp full of depths, absorbing sinkholes and innate dreaminess, but also full of life, sunlight penetrating the thickets and prankish berry bushes. Our experimental electronic scene is growing rapidly, with new and mature discoveries every year, and this collection is like a fresh dream – eclectic and technical enough but connected by a similar sense of otherness and hope,” summarised Ugnius Liogė, head of the Mėnuo Juodaragis festival and the Dangus label.

The album Note Lithuania: Experimental/Electronic 2023 has already been distributed during the WOMEX world music expo in Spain, where it reached professionals interested in various genres. Next, the selection will travel with the Music Information Centre Lithuania to the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in the UK and will be included in every delegate's welcome bag. It’s also easily accessible to all music listeners on the mic.lt playlist. The album has been funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.