Hlas Kontrabas

 

Hlaskontrabas Duo brings together two experienced figures from the Czech music scene. 

The project is based on just two performers and two instruments—the female voice and the acoustic double bass. Original, pure, and stripped-back music, free from the usual layering of additional accompaniment. 

The self-titled album was nominated for the Anděl Award in 2016.

The paths of Ridina Ahmedová and Petr Tichý have intertwined for nearly twenty years. They first met in jazz formations and later performed together in the project Floex. “Now the time has come to fulfil a long-held dream—to try playing our own music as a duo, acoustically, in a pure and stripped-down form, without the usual layering of additional accompanying instruments,” say both musicians. “It was also important for us to build the project in a way that makes us equal partners. Not a singer with accompaniment, but two instruments moving freely within a shared musical space.”

In a way, the third member of their formation has become the loop station—a device that allows for multi-track recording and layering. “We use it in almost all of our compositions. It enables us to create a kind of ‘sound architecture’ and to work with both harmonic and melodic richness,” explains Ridina Ahmedová. In some passages, the number of layered voices typically reaches eight to ten, sometimes even thirteen. “Our goal was not to create the densest possible composition, but rather a landscape one would want to return to,” says Petr Tichý. 

Hraní v takto komorním obsazení je pro oba intenzivní zkušenost: “Přináší nám pevné mantinely dané prostým instrumentálním obsazením, ale současně i velikou svobodu. Je v tom křehkost i pevnost, protože když jsou jen dva nástroje, můžou se propojit hodně nablízko. Je to pro nás intenzivní cesta do čiré radosti ze zvuku.”

Ridina Ahmedová is a distinctive singer of Czech-Sudanese origin with extensive musical experience. She has been involved in a number of musical projects and was also invited to perform a duet with Bobby McFerrin at his concert in Prague. She has composed music for several theatre productions, most recently Eymen (Tanec Praha 2019).

Petr Tichý is a double bassist whose musical range spans from free jazz through electro swing to classical music. He collaborates with a wide range of musicians and composers, and also composes and arranges his own music. 

In April 2024, the album Kaleidoscapes by the Hlaskontrabas Oktet was released on the Animal Music label—an expanded acoustic ensemble featuring an original, tailor-made repertoire composed by artists from Norway, Iceland, Israel, and the Czech Republic.
Více informací na www.hlaskontrabas.cz

foto: Svatoslav Hofman