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Velenje is a town that developed due to its coal mines, and the mining tradition strongly marked the development of the town and the lives of its inhabitants. The end of the 145 years of coal mining in the mine of Velenje is apparently getting closer and closer, along with the operation of the Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant. In the past, both industrial plants, in addition to environmental degradation, were also the source of noise pollution in the Šaleška Valley.

Stane Špegel, composer and author of multimedia content, is very involved in the events within the Šaleška Valley, which is why he recorded the album “Zeleni transformator”, with ten original compositions, even before the closing of these energy facilities. These are mostly composed of modulated “industrial” sounds, which he recorded in the past few years inside the lignite mine, a coal mining museum, a thermal power plant and the surroundings of a coal classification plant and landfill. The album is an eclectic mix of industrial electro-mechanical sounds that are an essential part of urban rhythms, harmonies and melodies. These also extend to the fields of green transformations, since only “green” electricity produced in the domestic solar power plant was used in the creation of this project. It is therefore a carbon-free transformation of industrial noise into music and at the same time a look into the future with the increasingly present fifth industrial revolution. The music album was released by the renowned Magnatune label from the USA.

The project is upgraded with works of art from the series Industrial motifs by Stojan Špegel, a graduate painter and master of fine arts. With the help of modern graphic tools, Stane Špegel transformed his works of art from static images into moving, living pictures that bring new stories. The result of the transformation is post-industrial pop art, which simultaneously becomes a witness of time and a historical memory.