11 years of Naviar Records – Future projects, ideas, how to get involved.
Eleven years ago, around this time, the Naviar Haiku challenge received its first music submissions. I consider those moments the first steps of this incredible journey: the proof that someone else resonated with the idea of a project combining music and haiku.
I remember the excitement of clicking that “Post” button on Tumblr, and the overwhelming worry of being perhaps the only person in the world seeing these two art forms as related.
But a few people did participate, so I went on and kept finding new poets and poems to inspire others, trying to create a sense of community that I believe is necessary to become a better artist. Yesterday, we published our 575th haiku music challenge.
Being the person I am, over time I’ve also tried to expand the project, using whatever skills I have to make Naviar a space where people could enjoy the act of music-making, learn, improve, and find a new audience.
Fast forward to 2025, and I find it hard to put into words what this project has given me in all the years I’ve been running it.
To learn so much, and to find purpose in a passion, is a blessing and a curse. Naviar is a part of me, something that defines me and has changed me; as the project grew, I tried the best I could to keep up with it and not let it down because of my shortcomings.
My life has changed so much in these last 11 years that Naviar is truly one of the few things that 26- and 37-year-old Marco have in common. Despite all the life revolutions, I always managed to find the time to run Naviar, and help it grow, to the best of my abilities. Of this, I am proud.
However, I could never have done this without you. Your creativity, kind messages, and financial support have helped Naviar go through the tough times. Whether you participated in our music challenges once, a hundred times, or never, by simply showing your interest in the project you gave this small label the strength not only to survive, but to move forward, to see where new opportunities could be, and help make a few people’s lives a little better.
Most creative projects have interesting stories, so when I look back at Naviar’s journey, I feel moved by the memories of the many moments this small community allowed me to experience over the years.
The long conversations with people I met for the first time, whose music I knew very well.
The kind messages of support, when my brain kept telling me it was time to stop.
The successful and not-so-successful concerts.
The friendships, and sense of community.
The love for music, and what it means to us.
The challenges, the struggles, and the opportunities those paths created.
2024, the year of our tenth anniversary, turned out to be a pivotal moment for Naviar, in more ways than I anticipated. The highlight of the year is undoubtedly the 2-month tour in Japan, which allowed us to organise our first series of events outside of the UK, and meet our community in the Far East. Memories of those incredible days will stay with me for a long time.
Our show in Poznan, Naviar’s first in Continental Europe, was fantastic and opened up a plethora of new opportunities for the future. If someone told me a few years ago that Naviar would be able to attract a wonderful audience wherever it hosted a show, be it in Japan, the UK, or Poland, I'd not believe them. And yet!
But also our Discord server, which now hosts all our weekly meetups and is a great place for discussion and interaction among members of our community. The music-making sessions on Saturday morning, which encourage me to sit down and compose every week for an hour.
On a personal level, I haven’t felt this creative in years. I’ve made and published more music in 2024 than in the previous 10 combined, and it’s all thanks to the inspiration Naviar’s community has given me. To give is to receive.
If it was just me running Naviar, most of what we did last year wouldn’t have been possible, and the plans for 2025 would be way more conservative. Over the last few years, a small group of wonderful people have helped me run Naviar, and made the project less messy than it was when I was doing it solo: Argelia, Katrin, Gosia, Sadiq, and Ivona. Each one of them brought new ideas and a set of skills that helped us expand, and it’s nice not to be the only one giving input to a project!
We did a lot, and yet I feel there’s so much more that could be done. My mind is filled with ideas that I wish I had the time, and skillset, to bring to life. But we’ll try, real hard, which brings me to what you can expect from Naviar in 2025.
First off, the releases. We’ll start the year with our customary anniversary compilation, followed by an album by Istanbul-based producer Tetkik ve Tedavi. In February, we’ll publish our 28th Haiku compilation and a new album by Brazilian producer LunGao.
Starting this month, we'll resume our Naviar Virtual project: a series of conversations and live recordings by members and friends of Naviar, published monthly on our YouTube channel. The first conversation, with electronic producer leon clowes, will go live in late January/early February.
Aside from its weekly radio show on Resonance Extra, Naviar will start hosting a new bi-weekly podcast entitled A Transient Thread, broadcasted by the University of Arts in Poznań, with music from our community and beyond.
On Discord, our Saturday morning music session will turn into a daily meetup, starting from next week. Monday to Friday, from 7:00 to 7:45 AM CET, you can join me on Naviar’s Discord server for a few minutes of music-making before starting the day. No video required, so you can join on your pajama!
Finally, the concerts. We’re planning another trip to Japan, which will start from Sapporo this time. We're still in the early stages, but I confirm it'll happen in May 2025. There are ongoing conversations about hosting a series of events in Germany this year, and the idea of going back to London, three years after our unforgettable show at Café Oto, is lingering in my head.
Towards the end of the year, we'll collaborate with the Australian organization Red Earth Ecology to create a sound and poetry installation in New South Wales. After years of trying, it looks like we’ll manage to organize another event in Australia!
I want to conclude this (way too long) anniversary message by reminding you how you can get involved in Naviar’s projects.
The best way to join our community is by participating in the Naviar Haiku challenge. It's simple and free, and it might become a source of inspiration that'll keep you creative for years.
If you want to release an album on Naviar, or perform in one of our upcoming shows, you can get in touch, but bear in mind that regular participants in the Haiku challenge have priority.
If you want to support the project financially, I’d really appreciate it and there are many ways to do so.
You can buy one of our albums (or our full discography) on Bandcamp, donate when buying one of our many free albums, or if you’re not interested in our music but still want to support us, you can donate via PayPal.
Naviar’s subscription programme offers a lot for those interested in supporting us:
For £12/year you get access to our entire discography, available in high-res streaming and download.
For £48/year, you’ll be able to participate in our music-making sessions, joining me and others every morning to start the day making music.
Finally, for £120/year, you’ll get everything above, plus daily notifications on job opportunities for composers and music producers, early access to all our publications, one-on-one album review and marketing planning support, and 20% off on mixing/mastering services.
End of message. I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to run this project for so long. It’s brought me joy, has given me a purpose, and helped me rediscover my creative self. I hope that, in some way, Naviar has helped you become a more creative and happier human being.
Marco