Primorski fantje

Ansambel Primorski fantje is a Slovenian narodnozabavna ensemble from the coast, playing since 1974. It is on Muzika-Balkan because it is a Slovenian band based in Piran, and the town of Izola named its members "Ambassadors of the town of Izola" for what they did for its tourism. They sing in Slovenian, in the folk-pop style of the Slovenian ensembles.

The band was founded by the accordionist Pino Vežnaver, the guitarist Branko Bembič and the bassist Bogdan Fras, and in the early years various singers joined them. They mostly played other bands' songs, but in 1979 they won second prize for performance at the Števerjan festival, and Ivan Malavašič's lyrics for them won the prize for the best text.

The turn came in 1988, when they met the producer Tomaž Tozon and the singer Bogdan Gerk joined, took over as leader and started writing their own songs. The singer and songwriter Ivica Vergan followed in 1992. Festival success came almost every year: the Golden Orfej at Ptuj in 1993 and 1994, overall victories at Števerjan in 1994 and 1996, and first prizes at Vesela jesen in 1994. Their biggest win was Slovenska polka in valček in 1999, where "Karamela" was named the best polka.

They recorded for the ZKP RTV Slovenija label, with albums such as Primorski fantje (1992), Mini krilo (1993), Amore – Amore (1995), Decembrski dan (1995), V naši vasi zvonovi zvonijo (1999) and Mislim nate (2001), and they played for Slovenian emigrants in Canada, Switzerland and twice in Australia. Bembič died in 1999, Fras left in 2007 and Vežnaver stopped playing in 2008.

In 2020 only Gerk and Vergan remained, joined by Ivica's son Maksim Vergan, Niko Poles and Jan Čekada. Gerk died in 2023, and at his wish the others carry on, singing the band's greatest hits. The playlist holds their official videos, from "Poljubi me" and "Mi manjkaš" to "Z vešpo rumeno te bom ujel".