Music performanceOndrej Zajac (SK)

For years Ondrej Zajac tried his best to make the guitar sound like something different. Always on a hunt for new sounds, afraid of being boring and disdained as unoriginal, he constantly rejected his past works to the point when the audience never knew what to expect during the next show.

However, the final destination was not to be found in foreign lands – but in his own self. Contemplating his inner world and bringing it on stage for everyone to see has become his new pursuit.

Here comes the anger, the love, the happiness, and the sadness. Everything together in music, which is still created on the fly, but without the rejection of the past. Old conversations are being read by computer and triggered by the frequencies of the guitar strings. Was it a real human being, or just a bot? Does this human/bot know his lines are part of a music performance? Flutes and drums are intertwined with pure acoustic elements of prepared guitar techniques. MIDI and computers and effects, all raging together but never in a way of music that would sound just as honest if it was performed with an acoustic guitar. Music, which is chopped, warped, reversed or just really simple if he wants it that way. And most importantly – the silence and melodies – two aspects that were never really present before but now they became the new building blocks of the story unfolding.

Influenced by everyone and nobody at the same time, Ondrej Zajac hopes to show up, make an impact on you and be forgotten afterwards. This way, you will only know him as a feeling you have had once, unable to remember where and when but happy to remember it.

Concert is realized in cooperation with NEXT festival (A4, Bratislava, SK).

Ondrej Zajac (SK)

Hailing from Slovakia, Ondrej Zajac is an experimental musician pushing the boundaries of guitar. His solo and collaborative works have resonated not only in his homeland but also in the Czech Republic, UK, Mexico, Peru and beyond. He seamlessly blends his distinctive soundscapes into film scores and gallery exhibitions, crafting immersive auditory experiences.

At the same time, Zajac constantly reinvents himself, discarding his past works without hesitation. Once known for its intensity and sadness his music has since evolved, becoming more approachable. His music is marked by both technical rigor and spontaneity, captivating audiences from festivals in Switzerland, to secret shows in botanical gardens or small improvised setups in Japan.

Zajac doesn't just stick to solo work; he collaborates with Banausoi (alongside Petr Vrba and Václav Šafka) and explores new sonic territory with Data Koroptev (featuring Ondřej Ježek and Václav Šafka). Lately, you can see him playing in a duo with Stroon.