The Stroj is a Slovenian experimental music collective founded in 1997 in Laško by Primož Oberžan. The name is a wordplay — stroj means "machine," and when pronounced with "The," it sounds like destroy, reflecting their constructive-destructive artistic approach.
Initially, the group focused on rhythm-driven performances using percussion made from buckets, scrap metal, and tools. Their visually spectacular shows took place in mines, train stations, buses, and industrial buildings, often enhanced with fireworks and pyrotechnics.
Their early albums — Ventilator (1999), Gremo! (2002), and Cona/The Zone (2006) — established them as masters of powerful, mechanically-structured rhythms and unconventional sound instruments, with sound production by Aldo Ivančič.
In 2000, they received the Golden Bird Award, and Slovenian National Television produced a documentary about them. After extensive touring, most members transitioned to the StrojMachine project in 2007, while Oberžan continued The Stroj, launching the Cymaticon project in 2009, integrating visualizations with sound.
Their fourth album, Metafonik (2013), marked a milestone — blending human rhythmicity, electronic processing, polyphonic instruments, and female vocals to explore the relationship between technology and human creativity.
