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“In childhood I liked to observe various sounds and to sing, inventing by heart lyrics characteristic of that age. Later I sang in the school choir and began for a short time to play bass guitar, and then drums and percussion, because I felt rhythm completely. However, at the same time I listened to Romani musicians from the neighbourhood, as well as diverse traditional music from the area of the Middle East, India and from our own regions. In that way I began to experiment with different music and instruments, so that the focus of my interest remained the tarabuk, or darbuka, and the Indian tabla.

Dnevnik: The unusual choice was probably conditioned by unusual learning?

“I formed the technique of playing the tarabuk by myself, and later I perfected that knowledge during my research in the countries of the Middle East, where this instrument is widely represented. My wish was to play the Indian tabla. They, like the tarabuk, have a special sound, and the technique of playing both instruments implies the use of the fingers, which for me was the most appropriate way of expression. So at the age of 24 I went to India, where I seriously began to study the tabla.”

Dnevnik: Describe to us what it is like to learn in India.

“Musical education in India is acquired by the traditional, several-thousand-year-old method of guru-shishya-parampara, which in Sanskrit literally means ‘teacher – student – inheritance’. The teacher teaches one student per lesson. There are, of course, schools and universities, but they do not have an adequate approach because of the large number of students. My teachers were Vikas Tripathi and Kailash Nath Mishra, the son of the legendary tabla player Samta Prasad. From them I gained knowledge which I perfected by travelling thousands of kilometres through India, as well as during a visit to Pakistan. In the end I passed the examination at the branch of Prachin Kala Kendra in Varanasi and obtained a diploma in classical Indian tabla.”

Dnevnik: What does a diploma mean to you? Was it worth the effort?

“In order to deal with music, it is necessary that you have sensibility for it. If you do not have it, your diploma will not have any role, nor will anyone ask you about your education in the classical sense. That is a question of prestige in circles where image is greater than the music itself.”

Dnevnik: What did your collision with Eastern music look like?

“The music of the East, into which Serbia also largely falls, has its own particularity, which is reflected in intuitiveness and sincerity of emotion. The music of the Middle East carries within itself great passion and is based on quarter-tones, dynamic rhythm, and the emphasis is on melody. The Indian musical system is probably the most complex and draws its roots from Vedic knowledge. It is based on shruti, microtonal intervals and very complex rhythmic structures. Confrontation with such a system forces you to develop hearing because of which music from some other parts of the world, as well as that from medieval Europe, sounds scarce to you.”

Dnevnik: Where did the idea to write a book come from?

“When I became interested in the tabla in Serbia, there did not exist a person who played them, and literature could not be found either. It was also difficult to get hold of the instrument itself. During my first visit to India I did not come across adequate literature in the English language. After six months of writing notes, I came to the idea of writing a book that would be accessible to everyone.”

Dnevnik: What does the professional life of a percussionist look like?

“Most percussionists have a role in a certain orchestra or group, or they accompany some singer, while behind themselves they do not leave independent work. On the other hand, a large number of them perform with tiring rhythmic solos to which concept runs out. Music is also called in Sanskrit sangit. It is a consolidated of two words: sam, meaning ‘together’, and git, meaning ‘song’. Therefore, to sing, to make music together. The second problem arises from the belittling of the role of the rhythmic instrument in music, although rhythm is even more than music itself. Everything around us, and we ourselves as well, is made of rhythm: the vibration of molecules and atoms. Because of that we also sway in rhythm and play, because in that way we merge with that universal vibration.”

"The music on ‘Sounds Of The East’ is full of vitality and authentic musical grit. Expect to be surprised and delighted and you will not be disappointed, for this album is as much an historical record as a cultural pageant through diverse and contrasting countries."

 - Angie Lemon (ARC Music)

"I was surprised when I held this CD/Album in my hands. One piece really enchanted me: Tri Mukha Raga Bhairavi Bansuri..."

- The Irish Consume

"This is not a consistent album to be played as background music at a cocktail party or curry house, but more akin to a visit to a good art gallery where a broad spectrum of visual artists is on display."

- Athur Shuey (World Music Central)