Currents of Time is the debut album by Slovenian composer Borut Kržišnik. Originally released by ReR Megacorp (London, 1991), two rereleases followed: first by Tone Casualties (Hollywood, 1998) and then by Claudio Records, division Claudio Contemporary (Peacehaven, 2012). The album established Kržišnik's signature style, defined by critic Miha Zadnikar as a "polyglot musical language" - a term later adopted to frame Kržišnik's broader oeuvre.
Context It features six musicians from diverse backgrounds united in musical exploration, employing varied instrumentation (acoustic, electric, and electronic) and techniques—from scored composition and free improvisation to electronic processing, musique concrète, tape manipulation, and circuit bending. Surpassing conventional categorization, they frame contrasts as parallel musical perspectives.
During the album's production, Kržišnik employed spontaneous composition—his primary method in the 1980s–90s—using a portable multitrack recorder and limited computer processing. This approach allowed on-the-fly recordings in diverse locations, capturing the immediacy of creative moments. The technique mirrors the album's broader ethos of music production.
Kržišnik emphasized the role of spontaneity in his creative process. When asked whether he conceived compositions in advance, he replied: "Never! If that were the case, making music would be pure formality, just administrative note-writing." For him, the essence lay in "the process of music coming into being, when all paths are still open"—a method embracing uncertainty and the unknown while allowing measured control.
Critical reception Currents of Time received attention for its conceptual approach and eclectic synthesis. The Wire highlighted its diversity, while Delo emphasized its "conceptual layeredness", noting how Kržišnik "moved with sovereign ease" between musical idioms. MusicWeb International deemed it a "genre-bending" work that defied clear categorization.
Later critics contextualized the album within Kržišnik's broader output. Luka Zagoričnik of Delo described it as "primal and direct", yet noted it already featured the "longer compositions that would characterize his later work". Kržišnik acknowledged this observation, explaining that extended formats allowed him to develop musical elements, "their metamorphoses", and "merge ideas into a more complex whole."
Helena Šenica of Stop called it 'a cross-section of our era,' framing its instrumentation—from "wooden sticks" and concrete sounds, through "classical instruments" to "rhythm machines, samplers and […] computers"—as emblematic of "the diversity we witness today."
Miha Zadnikar of Delo identified the 'interaction between man and machine' as the conceptual core of Kržišnik's work—a dynamics between human spontaneity and mechanical rigidity, epitomized by live performance clashing with unyielding electronic systems.
Track listing
Personnel Musicians Borut Kržišnik: guitar, piano, sampler, rhythm machine, tape, noise Mario Marolt: saxophone (#3, #5, #10, #12) Nino De Gleria: double bass (#4) Hugo Šekoranja: piano (#11) Mire Lovrič: vocal (#14) Anton Kovač: double bass (#13), rhythm machine (#15)
Production Composed and produced: Borut Kržišnik Recorded at P.N. Studios, July - August 1990, Ljubljana, Slovenia Recording engineer: Bac Kajuh Mastering: Colin Attwell Front cover artwork (mixed technique): Tomaz Kržišnik Front cover photo: Bojan Selaj Design: TBT design The album was originally released by ReR Megacorp and its edition Points East in 1991
Label Claudio Records (division Claudio Contemporary)
Reviews
Interviews
Other Sources
References
External links Official website Claudio Records RER Megacorp