COMPOSER MICHAL HABRDA
I was born on 29 December 1968 in what was then Czechoslovakia, and I grew up in a household shared by my parents, siblings, and grandma. Besides my parents, the people who supported me the most in my musical endeavors were my grandma Eliška Holubová and Ivan Holub, my uncle, an acclaimed theater actor.
Sometime in spring 1982 music became a major part of my life.
I was still in elementary school when me and my schoolmates formed our first band, ATD. I was intensely driven, composing my own music for the very first time, writing lyrics, and trying to master other musical instruments. The very first song we recorded was Jediný Sen (The Only Dream)-It premiered in the Mladá Vlna radio programme and then went on to be broadcasted on the Radio.
Tell us about your greatest inspirations or influences please.
I like traveling and discovering new places and meeting local people. Another thing which prominently influences and inspires me is sound itself. I am inspired by nature, for example the sun, the sea, palm groves, and the desert. In terms of music, I am influenced by baroque compositions. pop music and hard rock metal songs.
How are the current trends in technology and innovation affecting your work as a creative?
We live in a fast-paced age full of various technological conveniences and tools - I am definitely influenced by this, and I continuously have to learn something new because I want to master these new technologies, software and hardware. The innovations often transform our approach and mindset. I personally work with the DAW software NUENDO, including various virtual tools and audio plugins which have become the heart of recording facilities in our NuArt Studio. Technology is changing rapidly, and sometimes I do worry where this is all heading and how technology often prevails over the spirit of an individual.
We’d love to hear more about your creative process.
Each composition has a different story of how it was born. It’s different when I am asked to write a song for a singer or a band, or when I am creating an instrumental composition for a film soundtrack.
Generally speaking, – composing –takes place in my head- which means that I can imagine the resulting piece quickly in my mind. These days I am getting ready to create an entire major soundtrack for a feature film SAMHAIN which is intended for a theatrical release next year. It is a mysterious crime thriller set in the present times. The music may be built around a certain folk-like feel, or even some minimalistic sound foundation relying on the combination of various surfaces, sound effects, and certain light rhythmic loops and energetic sounds. Right now it’s about experimenting to see what works well with the visual material and what speaks to me on some level. Once I have thought everything through, I need to decide which instruments will be used, what parts will be recorded live by musicians and what parts will be created with the help of virtual instruments.
Anything coming up that we should know about?
Yes, we are a small studio doing big things so watch this space! My next big job is to compose and record the entire soundtrack for a movie, along with all the postproduction of surround sound and sound effects. Our company is working on completing and finishing our first feature film for which we are also the sole producer.
What does wellbeing mean to you and anything in particular that you practice?
Although I enjoy composing I do consider silence and peace of mind to be very important. I need silence to concentrate and mentally organize all my thoughts.
Apart from taking frequent walks I also like to ride my motorbike because it gives me an entirely different experience of tranquility and freedom. I like to spend time in Dobrá Čajovna, my favorite tea room and the older we get the more I realize how important our time is. So the meaningfulness of my work matters and time with my sons, Daniel and Filip.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I would like to give my warmest thanks to Leila for this interview. It would definitely make me VERY happy if you gave my music a listen, because my hope is that it will make its way into many people’s hearts. Music speaks to the heart in ways words cannot express.
