Richter Band - Smetana (2024, 12", Infinite Expanse)

full stream: https://infiniteexpanse.bandcamp.com/album/smetana

Returning to the Czech Republic with a reissue of Richter Band’s first album, Smetana (Czech for ‘Cream’), released originally in 1990. Pavel Richter gained a considerable reputation as a guitarist, playing in a number of Czech avant-garde rock groups, including Švehlík, Marno Union and Elektrobus, and became one of foremost figures of the Prague scene which opposed the socialist regime of the 70’s and 80’s. Towards the mid 80’s, he began to focus on calm music and subtle sound structures, playing a number of gigs channelling this energy wtih Oldřich Janota and Luboš Fidler, and eventually forming a new group alongside Štěpán Pečírka and Jaroslav Kořán. Smetana is one of the highlights of that creative period, characterised by a fusion of Richter’s gentle electric guitar alongside the fidlerophone, a unique percussive instrument, invented by Fidler, made of jars and struck by plastic strainers, and whose sound is similar in character to Tibetan bowls or Gamelan.

Recorded in the spring of 1990 in the apartments of Štěpán Pečírka and Pavel Richter. Track 1 recorded in October 1988 at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague. Overdubs and track 10 recorded in October 1988 in the apartment of Pavel Richter.

Artist featured on the album:

Pavel Richter
electric guitars (2, 5–8), sampler 1, 3, 6, 7, 10), clarinet (1, 10), amplified jukebox (2), marimba (3), fidlerophone (4), amplified clockwork (9)

Štěpán Pečírka
trumpet (1), fidlerophone (2–9)

Jaroslav Kořán
fidlerophone (2, 4–6, 8, 9)