Twins Jiří and Ondřej who go under the moniker Bratři, is a new duo on the Czech electronic music scene. They conceived a music project, which oscillates around a combination of catchy electronic dance, techno and ambient.
The central driving forces are Jiři’s live percussion/drum beats and the melodic motives and sequences created by Ondřej on analogue and modular synthesizers. Two captivating streams converge on stage in one uncompromising flow of electrifying energy.
Let’s find out more about the two artists and dive into their interview.
Connect with Bratři on Soundcloud | Website | Facebook | Spotify
Could you introduce us to your musical background? Are you classically trained in any instruments?
Yes, we started playing a musical instrument as children. Both of us have played piano and drums. We were spending a lot of time practising the drums and then we decided to do an exam at the Prague conservatory which is focused on classical music and playing in an orchestra.
Having said that we have been always interested in electronic music and classical music was a good experience and introduction to electronic music.
In your view, what were/are your biggest challenges?
Lockdown definitely. All of our gigs were cancelled last year and it was pretty much stressful a challenging for us because we were fed up with restrictions completely we had to clean our diary. Especially to stay positive and try to do something useful. On the other hand, we could finish our debut album Two Minds which was released on September 24th.
What motivated you in the first place to get into production? And why did you lean towards electronic music?
After years when we were spending time in rock or pop bands as session drummers, we started being bored with playing with other musicians. We wanted to do something together as twins. Electronic music and synths have always been our love. It is fun to make music in our studio and be independent.
Can you tell us about your setup in the studio? Do you have any go-to pieces of equipment that you used a lot on the album?
We have been working with Ableton 9 for many years :). It is our main tool which we use every day in the studio or on stage. Recently we bought the upgrade and we are working with Ablteon Live 11 as well. This way we can share projects between our two laptops more easy.
In our studio, there are also a lot of synthesizers for example. A Moog Matriarch, Roland JUNO 106, Dave Smith Mopho or 6U modular system. Everything is plugged into RME UCX via midi or USB. We are into hardware synths and use them as much as possible.
On the album Two Minds, we’ve used a lot of industrial sounds from the modular system (Noise engineering modules, Mutable Instruments, 4MS..) and sequences from MakeNoise 0coast. Pads and bass lines were made from Matriarch or DSI Mopho. These beasts we love to use in our live set a lot as well.
Now that the album is out, something that has been such a personal project for quite some time, how do you feel?
We are very happy that the album is finished . And of course, very satisfied with the result. It was a long journey to collect these sounds and forms to make tracks.
Every track is unique and has its own story!
We have learned a lot of new things and upped our skills with our DAW and other gear. Now, we want to play live as much as possible all over Europe. On top, produce more tracks as soon as possible.
What can we expect from Bratři during the next months?
We are also ready ready for touring, so we hope the pandemic will be gone soon. Next spring, we are going to release a new single and EP. For now, we have finished our remix for an Estonian band, so stay tuned!
Thank you!
