ALL AROUND THE WORLD Our far-out trip to far-flung prog
With their most stable line-up and anew EP ready to go, the Czech sextet are aiming to reach out to a wider world.
Formed in Prague in the late 90s and having undergone a variety of personnel changes across four albums, Czech proggers Votchi have stabilised both their membership and sound while looking beyond their borders.
Founding member Mirek Mužík (keyboards/vocals) is now bolstered by singer Alex McBeat, guitarist Martin Smejkal, bassist Dominik Vozobule, drummer Jan Ježek and flautist Olga Vlachová. Their latest single release Out Of Love – their first new music since 2015 album Out Of Jail – trails the EP of the same name, which will be issued on Canadian label SODEH Records in early 2024.
“The band’s initial inspiration came from Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and Yes,” says Martin Smejkal.“By our third album, New Religion, we reached a more modern and progressive sound like Porcupine Tree or Dream Theater.”
Along with their musical development came a change in their lyrical themes.
“We’re trying to reach the inner child,” says Alex McBeat.“We’re really trying to see the world the way we used to when we were small. You want the good to be good, the bad to be bad, right to be right and wrong to be wrong. It’d be really beautiful to learn from children and to see the world as they do.”
Though Votchi are wanting to gain as wide an audience as they can with their music, they emphatically stress their objective isn’t to achieve fame purely for its own sake.
“It’s about communicating with people,” states McBeat.
“We really enjoy the music that we’re making,” adds Smejkal.“That’s the major point for us. We want to reach as many people as possible so that we can connect them.”
With their mission firml
