You’ve described your music as bridging club culture and contemporary composition. What made you start blending electronic dance music with classical structures?
I wouldn’t say something made me do it – it’s just the way I do things as a composer. I was always interested in both electronic dance music and contemporary experimental music. During my studies, I naturally gravitated towards a more academic approach at first, but that was just a phase. It ended with P.E.R.C.S., my first electroacoustic piece for percussion, movement and electronics. That was when I was finally provided with the tools and abilities to make the type of music I’d always longed for.
Of course, it wasn’t easy. I think it took courage to resign from an easy academic path and stand on my own. But hey, if this is something I’ll do for the rest of my life, why shouldn’t I do it the way I want?
Your multimedia piece Birdsongs combines live instruments, electronics, and visuals. How do you approach balancing these different elements, and what are the effects of their interactions?
Birdsongs is one of my latest so-called total pieces, though this year I’m premiering new ones for smaller ensembles but longer durations. Making such complex works – and by complex I mean the amount of audio-visual layers – is very natural to me, always was. Most of the time, I have precise ideas that combine different elements. Of course, there are fields I’m not even trying out to work with, like choreography, but when something is within my reach and my capabilities, I’m eager to try it out.
Balancing everything is a matter of constantly changing perspective. As a multimedia artist, I need to constantly zoom in and zoom out – once to see the details, another time to see the whole picture. This way I can see what needs editing, what needs to be cut or added, prolonged or shortened. Sometimes it’s tough, especially when some parts need a lot of time to prepare, but once again, this is the way I am. For me, this constant change of perspective is very natural.
And what comes from this intersection of different elements? New meanings. Mixing different contexts and contents, putting something in a new framework, creates new connections, which in turn create new interpretations. And if there’s something I’m looking for in arts, it’s the essence, the meaning, not the tools.
LGBTQ+ themes play a significant role in your work. Do you view your compositions as activism, and what do you hope to convey?
First of all, I’m part of the LGBTQ+ community, so in a way, I’m making music about myself and others who share similar experiences. In the past, I didn’t consider it activism, but over time I’ve come to see that focusing on these themes is a form of it. Later, with works like Haphephobia (and the entire concert We’re Here, which I curated) or Totentanz, I started engaging in activism more consciously and deliberately.
In Amen, Brother!, you focus on a drum break sample that has captivated audiences for decades. Do you remember the first time you heard it, and how did your relationship with it change after having worked with it so extensively?
Oh my, oh my…I love this anecdote: The very first music video I remember from my early years is “Firestarter” by The Prodigy. My parents aren’t artists by any means, but they always listened to good electronic music. At home, we always had the TV on channels like Viva or MTV. I remember one day seeing this music video made in tunnels with wild, energetic music… Of course, “Firestarter” doesn’t have the Amen break, but it definitely shaped my music taste, which led me to discover different genres like jungle, drum’n’bass, and hardcore in my teenage years. So I think I was about 16 when I read about the Amen break on the internet. That’s also when I got familiar with technicalities, like what a break is.
Tell us about your inspirations. Which artists or sources of inspiration have significantly influenced your recent projects? And do you have any timeless classics you keep returning to?
There are several figures that influence me. Squarepusher, Autechre, and Sophie are the most prominent. In recent projects, Birdsongs references Cosmo Sheldrake and Kode9. In 2024, I co-created this huge theatre play directed by Krystian Lada called D’ARK, where I referenced psychedelic rock in one scene while being inspired by Alva Noto’s music in others.
I also have to say my music is heavily influenced by camp aesthetic, but this comes from my LGBTQ+ identity. In Totentanz there’s a very specific sense of humour that some decode instantly while others struggle to. But that’s completely fine with me – I don’t want to make music that fits all tastes, because it’s not possible.
You’re participating in Sanatorium Sonorum 2025, known for its site-specific works. Can you give us a hint of what audiences can expect from your performance? How does the festival’s unique rural environment shape your ideas?
I’m coming with my work titled JUDGES, which emerged in my head three years ago, but last year, I was able to make it a fully realised project. It happened in Pecice, as I was attending an artistic residency here. So we’re going to see this work exactly where it became real.
This specific work is meant to be performed by myself, with the voice of an actor prerecorded in the studio. It’s a queer psychedelic sci-fi story, which I could describe as belonging to the New Weird aesthetic. I don’t want to spoil anything else, but expect some geek shit!
Sanatorium Sonorum is a festival of sonic arts held in the village of Pěčice near Mladá Boleslav. The first edition of the festival was awarded by the Vinyla Awards for the Achievement of the Year in 2024. This international listening festival features compositions and artistic projects created on-site during residency programs. The selected artists represent contemporary trends in sonic arts. This year’s edition scheduled for example a collaboration of the music composer Sara Zamboni and Orchestr Berg, a composition for 3D printer, quadraphonic audio-visual installation, experimental radio play etc. The event is set in the vicinity of the gamekeeper’s lodge and is open air.
By purchasing a sponsor’s entrance fee, you can financially support the reconstruction of the lodge and enable its further development.
Saturday 16. 8. 15:30 – Buy tickets možnost zakoupení vstupenky s dopravou / tickets with transport available – zájezd: Pěčice
–
LINE-UP
4 pm and 5 pm Richard Grimm /SK/
6 pm Sara Zamboni /IT/ a Orchestr Berg /CZE/
8 pm Johana Klára Kratochvílová /CZE/
9 pm Rafał Ryterski /PL/
10 pm KittyChaosPlanet /CZE/
11 pm Oliver Torr /CZE/
You can attend the audio walk by Samuel van Ransbeeck from the 2024 edition all day through.
–
BUSES:
You can purchase round-trip bus ticket for 1:30 p.m. departures from Černý most with your festival ticket. Buses will depart back to Prague 30 minutes after the last performance. You can either get off at Černý most or Hlavní nádraží.
