David Kollar

Slovak experimental guitarist / composer David Kollar (39) emerges as one of the most intriguing figures on the European Avant-Garde / Jazz scene in the last decade. His utterly unique approach both to the guitar as an instrument and the contemporary improvising / compositional idioms are fascinating and completely innovative. 

Kollar's numerous recording projects, both as a solo artist and as a collaborator, are milestones of contemporary European experimental music sphere and each of those discloses another facet of his complex and constantly developing musical identity and his artistic personality. 

Kollar treats his music with a deep degree of seriousness and personal involvement, as if each and every one of his projects was not only his proverbial brain child but as if it was his actual offspring. He treats his instrument as a gateway between his complex ideas and their audible representation, the same way a sculptor treats the chisel or a painter the brush. 

David has released ten expansive albums, book, scored 20 films and worked on many multimedia projects. 

In 2015, David founded the band KOMARA with Pat Mastelotto and Paolo Raineri.  

As a guitarist and sound designer, David has participated in two tracks on Wilson's latest album TO THE BONE (2017) – one of the top 10 best-selling albums in some countries around the world including Great Britain (The UK Albums Chart), USA (Billboard - Top Rock Albums Chart and The Independent Albums Chart), Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Finland, Switzerland and New Zealand. He also collaborated on the new album of Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness - Love You To Bits (2019) 

David has a long list of albums and collaborations with many left-field artists to his name, including Eivind Aarset, Arve Henriksen, Erik Truffaz, Christian Fennesz, Steven Wilson, Tim Bowness, Pat Mastelotto, Trey Gunn, Gergo Borlai, Paolo Raineri, Simone Cavina, Marco Minnemann, ...

Pat Mastelotto describes his style as “An interesting combination of Eastern European classical influences, jazz, ambient, techno, IDM, trippy heavy blues rock mixed with eastern folk styles, played on a homemade guitar through a quirky combination of pedals and effects…I know critics often like to put music into categories but with David’s music that’s very difficult to do.” OK, but if comparisons must be made, and they can be helpful to the uninitiated, the closest I can come up with is another David who blazes his own trail, David Torn.

Awards and Nominations: 

TOP 13 Records of The Year - Guitar Moderne Magazine USA 

TOP album Ádécouvrir Absolument France 

TOP album Slovak doba.sk 

Radio Head awards Nomination for The best jazz album 

Radio Head awards Nomination for The best album 

Best Ever Albums of 2015

TOP 50 Best albums by PITCHFORK 2015

Progressive rock TOP albums 2015 

Hudba.sk Nomination for The best album of the year 

TMMP TOP albums of The year 2015

 Slovak Film and TV academy - Nomination for the best film score of 2016 

 101 Modern guitarist of 21th century, Prepared Guitar Spot  Portugal 

The Best Documentary film - NOMINATION Karlove Vary International film festival 2015 

Top albums Musical Melting Pot

TOP 20 Prog Mag

Top 20 CKCU

Top 20 Gagliar Archives

Radio Head Awards - Award for Contribution to the Music 2018

Radio Head Awards - Nomination for the best album of 2018

Slovak Film and TV academy - award for the best film score of 2019

Album of the year - Nomination by Tatra Banka Fundation 2020

TOP 50 Albums of 2020 by The fragmented flaneur

TOP 20 albums by hudba.sk 2020

Radio Head Awards - Nomination for the best jazz album of 2020

Radio Head Awards - Nomination for the best jazz experimental of 2020

Radio Head Awards - Nomination for the best word music album of 2020

The best jazz album of 2020 - Esprit awards 2021

Album of the year - Nomination by Tatra Bank Fundation 2021


 

Collaborations: 

Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) 

Erik Truffaz 

Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson, Mr. Mister) 

Arve Henriksen (David Sylvian. Supersilent) 

Eivind Aarset (Nils Petter Molvaer, Jon Hassel) 

Christian Fennesz (Mike Patton, Ryuichi Sakamoto) 

Trey Gunn (Peter Gabriel, David Sylvian) 

Lenka Dusilová (Lucie, Pusa, Čechomor)

Tadeusz Sudnik (Tomasz Stanko)

Gergo Borlai (Tony Macalpine)

Marco Minnemann (Joe Satriani, Aristocrats)