DVA: Cherries On Air (Chuchel Soundtrack) - LP

Dva are delving into the world of games once again, this time with "Chuchel"

Amanita Design has once again chosen the duo DVA for their next collaboration, who already have the soundtrack for the game "Botanicula" under their belt. Following the successful (and third) instalment of "Samorost", they released the fun game "Chuchel" in the spring, featuring the main character Chuchel and his rival Kekel – it's a comedy-style adventure game full of situational humour, tasks, and puzzles. The soundtrack could only have been created by DVA. They let their imaginations run wild, resulting in the crazy album "Cherries On Air (Chuchel Soundtrack)". It will finally see a wider distribution on 27th April (digital download and streaming services), and will also be released physically on 31st May on red 12" vinyl through the Minority Records label.

On their new record, Bára Ungerová and Jan Kratochvíl fully capitalise on their creative musical scope, including their own language (in this case, probably closest to English). Into the set of twenty-three tracks, they've packed numerous preludes and interludes, interspersed with regular melodies boasting almost pop-like contours. Their signature humour is ever-present (even in the track titles), as are their playfulness, attention to detail, and a sort of childlike excitement for the world of Chuchel and Kekel. "Cherries On Air" is fast-paced and rushes forward like the game's own story sequences, featuring plenty of sampled sounds and pre-recorded loops of distorted human voices, as if Bára and Jan wanted to transform all the virtual dialogues of the game's characters. The diversity kicks off with the polished "Buena Vista Chuchel Club", while the captivating "Chuchel Walk With Me" leads you somewhere into a dreamy alternative within a secret labyrinth of riddles. In contrast, "Young Chuchels" is interwoven with a rap insert, and "Labyrinth" is a somewhat unexpected ambient postscript. In effect, the "Botanicula Soundtrack" is a less zany precursor to "Cherries On Air (Chuchel Soundtrack)", but one can assume this was the duo's intention all along.

The DVA project has been active since 2006, with their major debut "Fonók" released two years later by the Brno-based label Indies Scope (which also charted on the WMCE). This was followed by the equally successful pair of albums "Hu" and "Nipomo", the latter released under their own Home Table label. Their music combines many genres, reflecting cabaret, circus acts, beatboxing, freak-folk, acoustic, and electronic music – according to the duo themselves, it's a variation of pop without predefined boundaries, sung in their own (invented) language. An important item in their discography is the aforementioned soundtrack for the game "Botanicula". "On Botanicula, DVA successfully took their microcosm to new levels. They squared their enjoyment with their tangibly relived childhood, their playful handling of individual melodic elements and vocal inserts fit together like the most beautiful kaleidoscope," emphasises Dan Hájek at the end of his review on musicserver.cz. Everything he said also applies to their new audio adventure on "Cherries On Air (Chuchel Soundtrack)".

Contents: Cherries On Air 1 Buena Vista Chuchel Club Chuchlegg Cherries On Air 2 Chvchls Cherry I Love You So Much Chuchelman & K-boys Stranger Cherries Cherries On Air 4 Chuchel Walk With Me Cherries On Air 5 Nino Chuchel Chuchelson Chucheley Cherries On Air 6 Kin-dza-bab Chuchel's Morning With Cherry Toothpaste Cherries On Air 7 Los Kekelos Cherries On Air 8