Czech musician Floex (known also for the soundtracks of video games Machinarium and Samorost) comes with a new project in collaboration with British pianist and composer Tom Hodge. They will introduce it live in A4 on Tuesday of 6th November – together with a live band and “Virtual Symphonic Orchestra” screened on balloons of different sizes floating dreamily above the heads of the band.
Tomáš Dvořák has been composing beautiful music with the help of both electronics and acoustic instruments for almost twenty years. Classical instruments, humanistic approach and the musical side always won a few points over the electronics. This kind of joyful listening experience is also to be found on his new album A portrait of John Doe. Floex had recored it with British musician Tom Hodge who he shares the love for clarinet with. (( listen here ))
What originally started as an innocent game grew bigger than expected and turned into a full album. The musicians invited the Symphonic Orchestra of Prague Radio to perform during the recording. So how is the sound? In the album the sound of contemporary electronic music intertwines with piano and classic orchestra. Acoustic and electronic instruments live in a joyful symbiosis. It’s a masterful collaboration of artists, instruments and genres. The project also got a unique form of multimedia performance thanks to the live band and the virtual symphony guys and their video installation.
John Doe is an ordinary person, it can be any one of us. The album is a celebration of the everyday, it’s a music for those who seek solace and peace and are done with never-ending hustle and stress. It’s the music for the every day moment. It brings out topics that we all share, celebrating the presence and the moment, according to Floex.
Every since the time Floex made video-game soundtracks (Samorost and MAchinarium) he became fond of original and captivating visuals. You can find them on the cover art of his album but also in your own head when closing your eyes listening to his music. Music of “A portrait of John Doe” is very imaginative. When you keep your eyes closed you can find new details in it with every repeat. It’s rich in sound and details, playful and truly inventive. It grows and builds itself inconspicuously and modestly, with something happening all the time. The complex sound and rhythmic palette makes us explore music introspectively, dance inside of ourselves. And once you open your eyes again, this setting stays in your mind long after the last tone fades away.
A portrait of John Doe brings moody music – somewhere between the contemporary classic music and electronics. It is the ideal autumn listening experience that will remind you of the last works by John Hopkins, Hans Zimmerman or Nils Frahm.
You can experience the only Floex performance in Slovakia on 6th of November in A4.