Versopolis Podcast #21: Poetry in music and verses in sound

Music, poetry and sound are deeply interconnected. But what do spoken word, rap, songs or even everyday noises have in common with poetry, and where are the boundaries between them most distinct? I spoke with two poets, Andrés Sánchez ‘Andrelo’ and Primož Čučnik, who both experiment with music and sound.

Andrés Sánchez ‘Andrelo’ is a Spanish music therapist, poet and rapper who recently released his first album, HILO, through his project Desatado. On the album’s 13 tracks, he blends poetry, hip-hop and electronic music. The political energy in his work arises from his candid personal experiences.

Primož Čučnik, one of the leading voices in Slovenian poetry, also loves to experiment with sound. Along with Ana Pepelnik and Tomaž Grom, he forms the experimental trio CPG Impro, creating soundscapes using a double bass, household items and spoken word.

When does poetry become music? How do they complement each other, and when can verses be heard in even the most ordinary sounds?

Andrés Sánchez ‘Andrelo’, music therapist, cultural agitator and accelerator of cultural particles. In his poetic work, for 15 years, he has toured venues and festivals with his perfopoetry shows Poesía UZI: Homenaje a Oyetu Miramipito; Poesía Automágica and Astroesía, a show that combines poetry and astronomy. Stage animal. Frontman for seven years of the plankton music band WavesOlasOndas. He is also a member of DESATADO, selected in the Artistic Residencies of La Laboral Centro de Arte de Xixón. A spoken word, poetry and electronic project, together with EzParx, both from the MidSide Noise Collective, and whose album Hilo was released in 2024.

Primož Čučnik, poet, writer, translator, editor. He has published ten poetry collections, some essays and prose, including the books Two Winters (1999, Debut Award), Delo in dom (2007, Prešeren Foundation Award), Kot dar (2010, Jenkova Award), Mikado (2012, Veronika Award) and finally Not a Dream (2022). He (co)translated several contemporary authors from Polish and English (Białoszewski, Sommer, Świetlicki, Wiedemann, Sosnowski, O’Hara, Bishop, Ashbery, Cage, Whitman, Auden). For many years he was the editor-in-chief of the Literatura magazine, where he now edits poetry, and he is also the founder and editor of the Šerpa publishing house (since 2003). He participated in the music compilation Košček hrupa in ščepec soli (2002) and is still an active member of CPG (a trio with Tomaž Grom and Ana Pepelnik).