“Croatia on the Move” is a double LP by We Move Music Croatia, featuring 23 Croatian artists selected by KEXP’s Kevin Cole, set to premiere at SHIP Festival in Šibenik.

This project takes We Move Music Croatia’s mission into a new format: a physical release designed to put Croatian music directly into the hands of international music professionals.

The idea was born in Groningen ahead of ESNS. Rather than producing another digital catalogue or playlist, WMMC wanted to create something lasting and tangible — something people could take home, put on a turntable and actually spend time with.

For the selection, WMMC turned to KEXP’s Kevin Cole, whose career has been built around discovering and championing new music. Cole was given a broad range of contemporary Croatian artists with international ambitions, as well as complete freedom to make his own choices.

His final selection brings together 23 names:
ABOP, Bad Daughter, Chui, Daliborovo Granje, DJECA!, ETHER, freekind., IDEM, Irena Žilić, Jonathan, Kries, LHD, Nemanja, Neon Lies, Nipplepeople, pocket palma, Porto Morto, Sara Renar, Them Moose Rush, Tidal Pull, Trokut, Žen i ŽIVA.

Cole’s selection brings together rock, pop, electronic, jazz, experimental and alternative music, spanning different generations, experiences and aesthetics. That is precisely why Croatia on the Move is not an attempt to define the Croatian music scene, but a view of it from the outside — through the independent filter of a curator who has devoted his entire career to seeking out new music.

“I was truly honored to be asked by We Move Music Croatia to compile this album. Having already featured several Croatian artists on my show, curating this collection offered me the chance to take a deep dive into the country’s vibrant contemporary music scene. While the scene is so rich that it would take a box set or two to capture every great artist and band, I did my best to showcase the diversity of sounds on this double album, Croatia On The Move. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed putting it together,” says Kevin Cole.

The first copies of the release, featuring a striking visual identity from award-winning Croatian design duo Kazinoti & Komenda and pressed by Austro Vinyl, will reach the hands of international music professionals on September 11 at SHIP in Šibenik, where Kevin Cole will present it in person.