festnoise | Music & Festivals

After all these months of confinement, what were supposed to be just a few songs ended up being the solo project in the form of an entire album of whom seems to have earned the right to be recognized for himself. I'm talking about Badfocus, the emerging project of the nineteen-year-old Prague-based producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Prokop Korb, who in addition to being part of acclaimed band Teepee, last September launched ‘Wallflower’. A self-produced album that is a set of soundscapes, and a mixture of genres with which to let yourself go. Hoping we can see him live soon, and just a few days before the weirdest Christmas we can remember, Prokop took some time to answer a few questions.

After listening to ‘Wallflower’, it looks to me a very emotional and personal album, and it has an elegant and mature sound. How did you get there in terms of musical background?

Prokop: “Well, I have to say I’ve always loved doing almost anything related to music. Whether it’d be playing gigs, producing, making beats, mixing or even organizing events. So I’ve been lucky enough to be around music almost all the time, which enabled me to gain quite a few experiences. For example in my early teenage years we had a jazz quartet with my friends called Lost Notion, and generally I have to say I was quite a jazz guy back in those days – and as we used to hang out and jam a lot, I’ve been able to really learn about the communication within a band, both at the musical and human level – which has been one of the most impactful experiences for me.”

The album also sounds very free, with a mix of genres that includes electronica, classical music, hip-hop, or indie pop. What is the connecting thread of all these different genres and sounds?

Prokop: “Basically I tried to put everything I personally love about music in general (whether it be different genres, sounds, instruments or moods) into this album. Also, I didn’t originally intend to make an album, or even release it – it all began with me just experimenting with different sounds and concepts I liked at that time.”

In Wallflower there are sounds that remind artists such as Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds or Bonobo. Is it a coincidence or these are references for you?

Prokop: “Definitely not a coincidence, you just named some of my biggest inspirations!“

Composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, from music production and mixing to mastering, in this album you have done everything by yourself. Regarding the creation process, I read a comparison with the Bauhaus school, mainly due to the craft approach that seemed to me very interesting. Can you tell me a bit more about how this creative process has been?

Prokop: “Well, I think all of these steps are equivalently important and I do respect the importance of every single one. For example if you let two different engineers mix your song, as their mixes will naturally sound different, they will both embrace a different mood, emotion and will have a distinct impact on the listener. The same goes for production, where the producer processes certain concepts and arrangements. And same for mastering with dynamics, loudness and overall sound character. Of course there are blurred lines between each of these processes and as I have a certain idea of how a particular track should impact the listener, I want to make sure each of these steps fulfills the potential to make the impact as strong as possible. “

When listening to your album, it seemed like an album loaded with very visual sounds, full of landscapes and nature. Perhaps this is why it seems to me that your music would gain a lot of strength when combined with visual effects or collaborating with other types of artists. Do you have something in mind in this regard?

Prokop: “Thank you, I’m super glad it does! I originally wanted to create an audio-visual show for wallflower using AR projections, which I eventually didn’t, as it is very difficult and expensive. However it’s always been a big dream and I’m definitely planning on doing such a project in the future, hopefully next year!”

You were on tour with Teepee last Winter, what kind of relationship do you have with the band, is it a side project to this of your own or are you going to continue touring or even recording with them?

Prokop: “I have to say that more than bandmates we’re very close and good friends. Sometimes it almost feels like a second family. There really is something special from my perspective and it definitely isn’t just a side project!”

The tour with Teepee and the Berlin concert at Bi Nuu was one of the last ones in the city. How has this year been for you, how has it affected you that the world has stopped in so many ways?

Prokop: “It’s been a crazy year! I personally experienced the biggest ups and downs in my life, definitely a lot of life changing experiences… For me it’s been a great opportunity to live at a slower pace and be able to reflect and realize things that matter the most. It also was a great opportunity to really dive into a creative state of mind – as there is always too little time for creating something, there suddenly was plenty!”

“Matter of fact, during the first lockdown in spring we recorded an experimental ep called emergence vol. 1 with my really good friend and a wonderful sound engineer Láďa Štěrba. I have to say that if it wasn’t for the lockdown, we definitely wouldn’t find the time to record it. I’m actually really happy about the ep, as it was a very spontaneous process and literally emerged from us, just messing around in the studio. And it’s coming out 22/1/2021 so stay tuned!”

Whenever I have the chance to interview an emergent artist, I usually take the opportunity to ask what they need and thus understand the industry a little better from another point of view. It is also in a way, an opportunity for someone to contact you. So as an artist, what do you need at this moment to continue growing, what would you ask the industry?

Prokop: “Well, I think a lot of artists would agree that at this particular moment live shows and concerts are the most needed. However you can’t really ask the industry about this, right? So maybe I’d ask the industry to remain strong, get over these difficult times and to be able to get people going to live shows and live culture in general when it gets back to normal.”

“Maybe I‘d ask for help from anyone who can help me and my team to spread the word about this project abroad and maybe even invite me to play once this all craziness settles so I could reach new audiences. As I’ve always loved the time spent in Germany, it is definitely one of the destinations where I would like to play and maybe even collaborate someday. So I definitely hope to see you and your readers face to face as soon as possible!”

I have to confess that Czech music scene is a bit unknown for me but I can tell your songs and setup would be a great fit for the Berlin club scene. So I hope that soon everything returns to normal and we can see you around. However, before that happens and as a last question, what do you expect from 2021?

Prokop: “Well, during these times, maybe better not to expect anything. No, just joking. I think the next year will be a very important year for me both as an artist and as a human - I’ll be (finally) graduating high school, I’m planning on releasing a lot of new music and I also recently started a few collaborations as a producer and a mixing engineer as well. “

“Otherwise I hope that we all will be able to live our lives at least a bit more normally than now. These times are of course very difficult for a lot of people, not only from the music industry – so I wish that everyone will be able to see at least some kind of future perspective in any field.”

Follow Badfocus on Facebook and Instagram and listen to his debut album ‘Wallflower’ on Spotify

Cover photograph by Ondřej Hons