Michal and Guro recorded an album with us – read about the Slovakian-Norwegian residency

This summer, music and horror-like screams  could be heard from the main hall of Malý Berlín. Don’t worry, there was no drama, it was just our residents who decided to record new songs for their EP here. We talked about (sometimes really dark!) music with (our old friend and) musician Michal Jahoda and his residency guest, Norwegian singer Guro Kverndokk.

You may have already caught Michal Jahoda’s name in connection with Malý Berlín. A year and a half ago, he spent a few months on a residency here, during which he recorded songs for his previous musical project. After a long break, he returned, with his finished Black Hole Constellation project (part of which he recorded here), and he brought reinforcements to a familiar environment. “I am collaborating with the Norwegian singer Guro Kverndokk on a new EP and I am glad that we can work on its creation in this space,” says Michal Jahoda.

Who is this colleague of his at the residency? “In the past, Guro recorded experimental vocals for The Outsiders Saga II as a guest in a studio in Bergen. Due to the very good cooperation, mutual openness to go to the limit of musical abilities and the desire to experiment even in the most uncharted musical waters, we agreed that it would be interesting to make a joint EP.”

For Guro, it was the first experience not only with Malý Berlín, but also with Slovakia. “My experiences with the place and the people are very positive. I had never been here before and to be honest I knew very little about this place. That’s why I didn’t know what to expect,” admits the Norwegian singer.

The pair set up a studio in our main hall. “The space is large with lots of windows, so it’s possible to get air and daylight from the outside if needed. If you need to create your own scene and atmosphere, curtains and other acoustic elements can be used to completely block out light and noise,” explains Guro. In the course of five days during their stay in Malý Berlín, they recorded vocals, choirs, various voice experiments and also arranged parts of new songs. On the last day, they performed for us, the people from Malý Berlín, a small concert with a short demonstration of the creation process.

“We mostly used the time to find our sound, connect elements and build the skeleton of the album. We will now work on it separately in our home countries and hope to meet again at the end of autumn,” Guro hints at their plans. The singer, who also recorded terrifying screams in Malý Berlín that should be used on the album, was quite happy here, never feeling alone in a foreign country. “I consider Malý Berlín to be a very open and inspiring space to work. It can be a lonely experience when you go to work in another country alone, but thanks to the close contact with the people working in Malý Berlín, I didn’t feel lonely at all. The first day I was shown around town and we all went for a glass of wine. I always had someone to ask about everything I needed,” says Guro.

Making an album is a long process. When could we hear the results of the work of Michal and Guro? “If I were an optimist, and we would get the necessary resources and opportunities to devote ourselves to it 100%, I believe that it would be possible to hear it in a few months. Despite the fact that we have a vision and experience, such a creation will require more time, as we want to come up with something we have not heard yet,” explains Michal Jahoda.

Michal, who came up with the idea for the residency in Malý Berlín, had already been to our cultural center in the past. He spent three and a half months here working on his compositions, and when asked if we will ever see him here again, he answered positively. “This place and the people here are still in my heart. So I believe that there will be an opportunity to come back here again.” In a similar spirit, his musical colleague Guro expressed herself at the end of the residency: “I think what surprised me the most was how well everything was organized. Easily accessible resources and a sense of community. I’ve done a lot of coordination work myself and I know how difficult it can be. I am very impressed!“

Photo: Petra K. Adamková