For my mid-term performance bachelor exam at the Cologne Musikhochschule, I presented a piece called Infernal Necromancy. Deep in the middle of my saxophone studies I was looking for ways to break out from the constricts of the school with its focus on conventional jazz harmony and big band. I had gotten a lot of flack from the conductor at being to soft on my horn on second alto and he had done a good job of rallying the band against me. Back then I was 20 years old, shy, and hadn’t yet done my Serbian special forces training so I simply took the insults in silence and pressed on with a touch of sadness in my heart. Luckily I was blessed with other musicians around me outside of the jazz department who were willing to risk something and break out of the mould wearing dog collars and all, as was the case with Antonis Anissegos. I was also joined by Thomas Lehn, Paolo Alvares, and Tom Manoury, as well as Gareth Lubbe. At that time in Cologne there was a strong contemporary scene and some of the pieces I had heard of Kagel spoke to me and said: fuck this jazz modulation table - let’s put on some lycra body suits and sing some overtones- or something of the kind. The voices in my head are often multiple and I’m never sure which is which. In any case, the question marks on the Jury’s face remain to this day but I managed to slide through and I remember a couple of the classical piano professors actually enjoyed it.