David Stypka died on January 10, 2021. At what stage was the recording of the album Breathe?
We knew what we wanted to achieve, what atmosphere the songs should have. At that moment, however, we only recorded the basics, without the songs. You were supposed to spin in the end. We wondered if it would be possible to finish the album at all. In the end, thanks to Martin Ledvin and sound master Ecson Waldes, we managed to extract David’s singing from the demos that were available and already determined the atmosphere of the songs. He sang to them like a god.
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When did the songs for Breathing begin to be born?
Album Neboj. we had filmed before we went into collaboration with SinglTon. After agreeing on what changes we would make, we rewound it. But the people who supported us in the Hithita collection at home have the original version of the album at home. They got it as a gift.
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After the release of the album, David’s author’s division took place. He started composing new songs. However, we still threw a lot of them in the trash, because when he developed an illness, he began to look at many things differently. He stopped identifying with some older texts and wrote new ones. This also happened to older songs at concerts.
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In the summer of 2020, we already knew what we wanted to create, what the board should be like. We had about thirty songs in various stages of birth, eleven of which reached Breathing.
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Did David Stypka start making a concept album after he developed the disease?
Although we worked on the songs as a band, I didn’t feel like he was intentionally preparing a concept album. But maybe he had it in him, in the end it turned out the same way. Breathe them of hope, faith, soul and love in many forms.
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In what sense did he start remaking the songs?
I must admit that I did not compare the texts that came before David’s illness with those that he began to write after. We played together for ten years and we were still looking for song shapes. We went through a lot of dead ends, but we had to go through them to make sure we found the right path. We literally missed them.
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There were always more levels in his texts. Listeners came to us after the concerts and told us that they were touched by the lyrics. At the same time, they often differed in their opinion of what they were about. And so it’s okay.
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Did David Stypka talk to you about what he writes about and how he feels when composing?
Yes, but I admit I’m a bit of a text dilettante. I like his lyrics, I can appreciate them, even if it takes me a while to understand them all. We were briefly informed about them. The atmosphere of singing, as well as the musical mood of the songs, also helped us to understand.
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A significant topic of our conversations was the song Your Eyes. He is the shortest on the album, he has less than two minutes. We were arguing over whether it was finished, or whether a woman’s voice would fit in it, and it would not be a duet. But those were the dead ends I was talking about. In the end, we came to the conclusion that in those less than two minutes, everything is supposed to be in that song.
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Previous board Don’t worry. was commercially successful. Did you feel under any pressure before you started working on Breathe?
There was nothing like that. Plate Neboj. she was rock, guitar and carried monstrous refrains. We left that, at least the new record is different. At times, it seems minimalist to me. For example, in the song Farmers, the drums play a simple beat, the bass guitar is slightly seconded, and the piano motif, David’s singing, is added – and that’s it. It’s such a carefree summer song for me.
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As the main author and singer, did David Stypka have a penchant for artistic egoism?
We all knew that if we wanted to create and record good songs, we had to put our egos off completely. David set an example. I don’t think he would have written such great things if his ego played a leading role, and that’s what our band was built on. We were primarily talking about songs.
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David wrote so-called wake-up songs, songs created after waking up. At that time, the author is not affected by the fact that he wants to achieve something, but by the desire to catch the idea and give it shape. David said he just picked the idea from space and began to develop it.
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What kind of bunch were you?
Terribly good. We also spent time outside the band together, we went for a beer, we visited, our families knew each other. I like to remember when we still went to concerts in borrowed vans that were not allowed to smoke. We built every five minutes, which was somewhat funny frustrating. We got out of the car and in the distance we saw the place where we smoked before. We enjoyed everything.
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Did David Stypka believe that he would defeat a serious illness?
Certainly. There is nothing left but to believe a person in such a situation.
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How ready did information about his death hit you?
We knew the disease had returned, but it wasn’t ventilated. For many people, David’s death came like a bolt from the blue, and we were kind of ready for it. But the shock was no less.
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Will you present the songs from the album in concert?
When we raised the issue of looking for someone to replace David, we immediately rejected it because it just didn’t work. Nevertheless, it will be possible to listen to those songs. The big memorial concert should take place on February 26 in Prague’s O2 Universe. David’s party will be shared by various singers and our friends.
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Before that, we will perform on Friday, September 24, at the FM City Fest in Frýdek-Místek. We will take advantage of the fact that it will feature Ewa Farna and friendly musicians. We have already prepared a repertoire.
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Bandjeez now accompanies Kateřina Maria Tichá. How did the connection come about?
The cooperation came completely non-violently. Kateřina helped us with the last two albums, she also helped to put together David’s collection of poems, which should be published in September. That’s when the idea was born to continue together. And it works great.
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