THE CLARINET FACTORY

How can an artist move forward and keep finding new ways of creativity and not stagnate? This question is as old as art itself but those who search can make a discovery. Such musicians whose every album develops the never-ending story of searching and discovering are undoubtedly the Prague-based Clarinet Factory. This internationally renowned ensemble, which has redefined the approach to and use of clarinets, has written with the new album Towers another chapter of its fascinating exploration of the sonic world across genres. With their characteristic invention and originality, the quartet of Boura, Nýdl, Pavliš and Valášek have prepared a unique eleven-course menu abounding in colours, emotions and dynamics. All of that is underlined by the visual part of the project, i.e. VJ Clad’s special visualisers and the stylistically minimalist artwork by Pavel Fuksa.

Although this album is four years apart from the previous one (Pipers, 2020), the gap is not a sign of sources of inspiration running dry, which is actually confirmed every time you listen to Towers. Rather, it was partly caused by all the band members being busy playing with classical orchestras and partly by the fact that the Clarinet Factory needed a longer time to prepare the present record.

“We worked on our new material for about three quarters of a year in several stages and each of us could only devote some time to it. Then we tried a lot of things in a small home studio. In the end, we seem to have been more prolific in a shorter time than in the case of our previous albums. Also, we didn’t play the new pieces in concert, as previously when we would go to the recording studio with a repertoire that had been prepared in detail. I think it all went smoothly and the tunes were composed more easily and completely naturally,” says bandleader Jindřich Pavliš.

“This time there was much more freedom. In the past we extended the compass of the clarinet sound, we work more sensitively with electronics and use loopers. Each of us now has a better idea of what to expect and we don’t need to talk about the music as much because we are connected to each other, so we work faster. I felt absolutely no pressure or worries about the outcome,” comments Vojtěch Nýdl, who not only plays the clarinet but as usual also sings on the album, in “Obloha šedá” and “Paleochora.”

The clarinet quartet, whose guests on the record include Beata Hlavenková as well as old friends Milan Cimfe and drummer Daniel Šoltis, also put a great emphasis on the listening experience as such. That is one of the reasons why this album, whose programme is specific in certain aspects and which is available in the usual digital formats, is conceived “especially as a three-sided vinyl record.”

“Side one is more straightforward as it includes two songs and lively tunes. Side two is more of a trip to various sounds and genres while side three is regarded by us as pausing in time and resting in a different universe. Those who buy the LP might feel these three moods gradually while those who listen to the album as a whole in a digital format might experience an uninterrupted journey from movement to serenity...” adds Pavliš.

The aforementioned makes it clear that Towers will become another important item (not only) in the Clarinet Factory discography. Its multiple layers will be a joy to discover with every listening, which – as mentioned above – will especially be the case of the limited edition vinyl LP, whose graphical design was created by the renowned artist, Pavel Fuksa.