ConTRIOlogy + Oùat

Contriology – Cimbalom, accordion, and vocals make up the trio Contriology, formed in the autumn of 2016 at Janáček Academy of Performing Arts.

Their new album, Minulo, is inspired by the folk songs that Leoš Janáček collected and put into the cycle called Moravian Folk Poetry in Songs. The trio fuses Moravian folk tunes and their own composition and improvisation, creating a continuous sequence full of timbres and soundscapes coloured with strong emotions. The individual compositions retain the simplicity and naturalness of folk songs, pervaded by a strong element of improvisation and sonority. Tomáš Vtípil permeates the whole set with his sensitive use of electronics.

Oùat – Drawing on the sound of the acoustic piano trios from the 50s and 60s, Oùat (Once Upon a Time) sets off to explore the standard form of contemporary songs. Their forms are flexible, open to improvisation, and spread across a wide range of techniques. In terms of aesthetics, Oùat’s music sometimes comes close to expressionism and romanticism in classical music, but at the same time flows through genres and cultural influences from all over the world. Various inspirations feel like dry bricks – carefully stacked on one another to disturb and question the age we're living in. Sounds and tempos intertwine in an unusual mix of recognizable disorder and unrecognizable order.