ZARŠ Records

ZARŠ Records (Slovene: Založba Radia Študent, abbreviated ZARŠ) is an independent record label based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, attached to the country's long-running student and alternative radio station Radio Študent. The label was founded in 2008 in response to the growing difficulty young and unrecognized alternative musicians faced in the publishing market. Its mission is to give a platform to non-commercial, experimental and underground musicians from Slovenia and the surrounding region who might otherwise struggle to release physical or digital records. ZARŠ releases albums, EPs, compilations and vinyl/CD editions, with a catalogue spanning noise rock, improvisation, jazz-adjacent experimentation, singer-songwriter work and various strains of alternative pop. Artists who have released music on the label include persons from porlock, Nikki Louder, Barely Modern, Trus!, All Strings Detached, Širom and Lolita. The label also maintains close ties to Slovenia's club and festival scene, most visibly through its annual Klubski maraton compilation, which typically features six lesser-known bands and aims to raise their profile. ZARŠ distributes its music mainly through its Bandcamp page, offering digital downloads, streaming and physical goods such as vinyl and CDs. Its web shop lists releases by artists including Katalena, Rok Zalokar Zhlehtet, Hexenbrutal, Ingver in Gverilke, Jure Bajt and Uryan, as well as various-artists compilations such as the yearly Klubski maraton editions and the Senzorama volumes. Its Bandcamp profile gives its location as Ljubljana, Slovenia, and links to the Radio Študent publishing website as well as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram accounts. As a label closely tied to Radio Študent, ZARŠ occupies a particular place in the Slovenian music ecosystem: rather than a major commercial player, it is a curatorial and support structure for the alternative scene. Its output is closely bound up with the radio station's editorial ethos, which has historically championed independent, non-mainstream and domestic music. The label's continued activity, including recent compilations such as Klubski maraton 2025, shows that it remains an active part of Slovenia's independent music infrastructure.

ZARŠ Records, formally Založba Radia Študent, was established in 2008 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, as the publishing arm of Radio Študent. The label emerged at a time when the Slovenian music market offered few opportunities for young, unestablished and alternative acts to release records. Radio Študent, itself a historic alternative and student radio station, created ZARŠ to fill that gap, providing a structured but non-commercial outlet for music that did not fit mainstream label expectations. From its early years, ZARŠ focused on releasing albums and compilations by artists from the Slovenian and wider regional underground. Its catalogue grew to include acts such as persons from porlock, Nikki Louder, Barely Modern, Trus!, All Strings Detached, Širom and Lolita. These releases often crossed genre boundaries, reflecting the eclectic programming of Radio Študent itself. A recurring project for the label has been the annual Klubski maraton compilation. Each edition typically presents material by six unknown musical acts, selected to gain exposure through the compilation and related promotional activities. This series has become one of ZARŠ's most visible ongoing initiatives, with editions documented for years including 2023, 2024 and 2025. Over time, ZARŠ has also released various-artists collections such as the Senzorama series and albums by artists including Katalena, Rok Zalokar Zhlehtet, Hexenbrutal, Ingver in Gverilke, Jure Bajt and Uryan. The label distributes its music primarily through Bandcamp, where it offers digital downloads, streaming and physical formats such as vinyl and CD, alongside merchandise. Its Bandcamp page identifies it as based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and provides links to the Radio Študent publishing website and social media channels. While ZARŠ does not operate as a large commercial label, it remains an active part of Slovenia's independent music infrastructure, closely tied to Radio Študent's mission of supporting non-mainstream and locally rooted music. Its continued output, including recent compilations, indicates an ongoing role in documenting and promoting alternative Slovenian music.

• 2025

  Klubski maraton 2025 compilation released.

• 2024

  Klubski maraton 2024 compilation released.

• 2023

  Klubski maraton 2023 compilation released.

• 2008

  ZARŠ Records (Založba Radia Študent) founded in Ljubljana as the publishing arm of Radio Študent.

Independent, non-commercial record label supporting alternative and experimental Slovenian music, operated by Radio Študent.

• Klubski maraton 2025

• Klubski maraton 2024

• Klubski maraton 2023

• Senzorama vol. 2

• Hexenbrutal IV

• Kaj bi blo?

• Intention, Intensity, Shuffle

• Buje at Sunset

• Meja

• KABOOM!

• Plovi mi, plovi

• The Shape of Things to Come

• Pekoče v milini

• Trenutki mehkobe

• Ta veseli dan

• Kavasutra Vol. 1

1. 1Music | ZARŠzars.bandcamp.com
2. 2ZARŠ Records - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Založba Radia Študent - Wikipediasl.wikipedia.org