David Kollar was born in Prešov, Slovakia in 1983.
A young generation artist, guitarist and film music composer with a unique musical vision that absorbs and reflects complex music moods, retaining an enviable individualism and a high quality craftsmanship that can span from music creativity to a very powerful and deep sound. Some critics surnamed him "young Andy Warhol" focusing on his dizzy creativity.
David till his 29 has released 7 albums, music for more then 18 films and some very original music for dance projects: Artrance performance with Andrea Ladanyi and Debris Company with Jozef Vlk.
In 2009 David formed an international group called David Kollar Project with Adam Marko on drums and Gergely Baranyi on bass and released jazz rock album Equation of Time [Hevhetia]. Last of his albums The Son was released in July 2013 also inHevhetia record company. This work got an excellent reception in USA, France, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Which was the most joyful musical moment do you remember?
There were so many. When I as a 14 year-old played the song with the band of my dad. I think it was the song Empty Rooms by Gary Moore. I had a terrible stagefright and when I finished I felt like a star. I had a period at that age when I fell in love with the guitar. I would go everywhere with it and I copied by ear the solos of Gary Moore.
Next that I recall is the first concert with Gergo Borlai. First time I was on the stage with such a quality drummer. Gergo uses very often a polyrhythmic playing. This was a big problem for me, but step by step I got into it and it opened my eyes to other things within music.
Why did you choose to play the guitar ?
It began in my childhood. I'm from a musical family. Especially when there broke out the era of Nirvana and Metallica our housing estates were literally littered with guitarists. Everyone was sitting outside and playing the guitar. It seemed like a bravado while my heart accrued to this instrument.
I think the electric guitar is an instrument with tremendous dynamic, which no other instrument possesses. I mean the complete tool guitar - cable - amp.
Without it the guitar as an instrument is not complete. It can be rough, prepared, soft, warm, aggressive. It's not like a viola or any other instrument that already resonates in your head and you know what are its options, more or less. Electric guitar in today's terms is almost an unlimited instrument. It is proved by Fred Frith, Eivind Aarset, Marc Ribot, Nels Cline, Pat Metheny ...
How would you define "soundscape" ?
It is a very difficult question. Couple of times I've heard the opinion that anyone could compose a soundscape, but it 's far from truth. It's seen as a music area, which goes its own, but not in a very dramatic way. To make a good soundscape is very difficult, in order to achieve color, music, and -specially- not being predictable after the first minute ....
Which work of your own are you most proud of?
I am proud of all I have managed to do. All I did followed on what had come before. I am proud that it goes on and on. That I got still bigger motivation to work on myself and to play. Thanks to music I can travel and meet interesting people. I am proud of being able to work with the musicians I work with. I am grateful for many things to Eivind Aarset. He showed me a lot. I'm really grateful for it.
What's the relationship, in your work, between analogic and digital ?
I think both have something to say. It's always good if someone can choose and has not only one chance. With at my age I don´t have a lot of options to work with analogue at recording, for example .
One thing you have learned with effort through composition
I have devoted in the past to the licks of Miles Davis. I spent a lot of time with that... about 2 years intensively. It opened my eyes also in out-tonal playing. These are very interesting things.
What's the difference between a good guitar and a bad guitar ?
The sound, the tone ... a guitar must have life in itself , but on the other hand, I think that even a bad guitar can be good for something ... It makes you to play differently. I like to work in the restrictions, I am actually used to it :) Just if it tunes ...
What are the challenges and benefits of today's digital music scene ?
It is good that we have Internet and we can move further. It enables me to find interesting musicians which radio and TV don´t show us. But of course it has also taken its toll. There is a lot of music on internet and there is a chaos. CD media is losing its value because of the internet and the listener loses his interest in buying music. It's not easy. I believe that some path will be found that would be advantageous to both parties.
What are your preferred sound devices in the music gear?
My best pedal is a volume pedal and a whammy. I do not know exactly what sensors I have in my guitar. It was tailor-made by the excellent Slovak producer Sivcak. In the body of the guitar I have a built-in microphone, which resonates the whole guitar. I get thus more color and a real interesting sound.
I started playing the VOX AC 30 and I am very happy with this apparatus. I use Ableton Live from which I take loopers , the delay and reverb.
How do you work in film and music composition ?
It's still another process. Sometimes I make music in advance, sometimes directly for the film. I still try to understand the screenplay and to give that as much as possible what I think the film needs. It's also the matter of a director and communicating with him. Sometimes it's harder and sometimes more easily. I'm trying to do it especially interesting and original. I began to reject the offers because I am sometimes asked by a director who wants me to do an imitation of 21grams or he thinks I 'll create to Monday something like the new Batman .
What is your relationship with other disciplines such as painting , literature , dance , theater ... ?
I think that the various artistic genres are intertwined. In each of them the artist wants to say something and to express himself. Of course I love to read and watch movies. Of the painters I really like Mark Rothko. I saw about him a very interesting movie. Also his paintings are the soundscapes which we talked about .... I have something on the walls at home , but obviously not the originals. Hieronymus Bosch, Mark Rothko, Klimt ...
What dead artist would you like to have collaborated with ?
I would like to know what would Hendrix and Miles Davis do today, of course, and I would like to play with them. I would like to cooperate with Andrei Tarkovsky on his new film and from the Slovaks artists with Dežo Ursiny which was very original in his last albums and uses incredibly beautiful Slovak language .
What's your next project about ?
On 15th January I'm flying to Italy where I am going to play several concerts. In February I begin to work on a new performance with Prague physical theater Spitfire Company. Other things still crystallize and fix, but it looks like a very strong year. My album THE SON was by several magazines and blogs included in the Top 13 albums of last year, which I obviously offered me more options.
Discography
Music albums:
- 2005 - DAVID KOLLAR BAND, Free your minds
- 2006 - DAVID KOLLAR BAND, Way from east /HEVHETIA/
- 2009 - DAVID KOLLAR INTERNATIONAL PROJECT, DVD - One night in Budapest /HEVHETIA/
- 2010 - DAVID KOLLAR, Film soundtracks and Ideas /HEVHETIA/
- 2011 - DAVID KOLLAR PROJECT, Equation of time /HEVHETIA/
- 2011 - DAVID KOLLAR, Film works /MYSTERY STABLE/
- 2013 - DAVID KOLLAR, The SON /HEVHETIA/
- 2014 - DAVID KOLLAR, Animal Exitus - music for physical theater /mystery stable/
- 2015 - KOMARA - KOMARA /Hevhetia/
- 2015 - The Blessed Beat - MIV /Hevhetia/
- 2016 - The Son RMX 2016
Film music:
2009
- Witness - short film by Michail Verner
- Labyrint osudu - short film by Erik Bosnak
- Výročie - short film by Michail Verner
- Vidíme vás - short film by Erik Bosnak
- Rana z milosti - short film by Michail Verner
- ČF 1 - experimental film for live shows by Michail Verner
2010
- Herostratos - short film by Michail Verner
- Stretnutie - film by Michail Verner, screenplay by David Kollar
2011
- Baltazar Banan - theater performance, directed by Sergio Sekicki
- Immortalitas - 3D phantasy triller, directed by Erik Bosnak
- Comeback - drama about prisoner, directed by Miro Remo
- Roxanne - documentary drama, directed by Veronika Mikalova
- The snow queen - theater performance, directed by Sergio Sekicki
- Wonderfull man in faraway dreams - comedy documentary, directed by Miro Remo
- Starci už len klopú - Comeby by Igor Jankovič
2012
- Three pigs and a Wolf - theater performance for kids - directed by Srdjan Sekicki
- The road Back - documentary film about Tibor Huszar - directed by Miro Remo
- Im miner and - drama by Roman Fabian
- No EXIT - Hybrid performance merging theater, opera and instalation art by Martyna Lyko
- Kolísky - moving performance by Debris company, music by David Kollar & Jozef Vlk
- Banícky chlebíček - documentary film. Directed by Roman Fabian
- EPIC - theater performance by Debris Company
2013
- Cooltura - documentary film by Miro Remo
- Dlhý, Široký a Bystrozraký - theater performance for kids by Srdjan Sekicki
2014
- Animal Exitus - SpitFire Company - performance
- Stanko - Road Movie
2015
- Unfinished stories - documentary
- Cooltura - documentary
- Spot the Difference - performance w Marketa Vacovska