“My musical journey is quite extreme and has a very searching spirit,” states David Kovacs as we talk about his recently released album, I try to breath in a Vortex.
By Graeme Smith
“As a child I was interested in electronic sounds but as I got older, I was looking for something different, something more natural, in experimental contemporary music,” he goes on. “As time went on, I have started building my own electroacoustic instruments and using them in conjunction with traditional and normal instruments.”
It’s an honest, unexpected approach, and brings with it a uniqueness that makes the Mosonmagyarovar, Hungary-based Kovacs music a must listen. His album I try to breath in a Vortex is anything but conventional. It unfolds in freeform, instrumentation coming and going organically rather than fitting any preconceived pattern.
“I really like it when sounds can move freely without rules or limits,” says Kovacs about his composition method. “The sounds are like a live ensemble and I simply conduct them.”
The result is something that isn’t immediately accessible but will reward a careful, open-minded listener. If you listen carefully, the album’s narrative comes through, with each track revealing another part of Kovacs inner world.
The titles of the track give some hint as to each piece’s story. Maybe lost but I find suggests a hopeful melancholy which is supported by the mix of mournful bass and bright woodwind notes. Like every arrangement on the album, it unfolds gently, methodically, in no rush to reveal itself and becoming even more powerful as a result.
Elsewhere Blurred throbbings has a raw, jazzy feel, The Vortex bristles with an unknown cosmic energy, sucking us into an emotionally fraught world. The healing practice then offers a soothing balm to close out the album. Its delicate spiritualism makes it a final highlight.
The grey freedom introduces snatches of vocals, giving us even more narrative to hang onto. It’s a good example of the collaboration on display, despite it being a very personal album.
“The original idea for the album was completely different from what we end up hearing,” says Kovacs. “Only a few scores are used with my fellow musician friends in the end. I wanted a complete reflection with my spiritual world, and my friends sensed this. We managed to create a very eclectic sound, I think we soon there to continue.”
This seemed like a good segue to future plans, which I asked him about. “I will continue to create in this experimental world,” says Kovacs. “I am planning more performances with my solo projects Sonus Flexus and my old a bit darker Kokum.
“The most important thing always is to find something new that would drive me ahead. I don’t strive for success nor fame because my musical world is very far from it and also is the music industry. I have only one ambition, that the music to be honest.”
It’s a beautiful philosophy and approach which makes me want to stay connected. If you’re interested in what Kovacs is doing too, you can check out his website, or follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, and Bandcamp.
I try to breath in a Vortex is out now, available to buy as on limited edition 12” vinyl on Bandcamp. You can listen to it below.
Supported by Musosoup #SustainableCurator
