Borrtex is a minimalist piano composer from the Czech Republic, born in Havirov and raised in Prague. His original name is Daniel Bordovsky and he is only 21 years old. He began playing the piano at the age of six and attended the Leos Janace School of Music. His works as an independent artist have led him to a success with international reach; Borrtex has reached over 100,000,000 plays on Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube and his songs have been part of over 3,000 international projects. His music has been used for soundtracks and advertisements for various brands such as Montblanc, Xiaomi, Ikea, etc.
In December Borrtex presents the release of “Harmony”, his new solo album with 12 compositions all different from each other in terms of speed, intensity, performance and style. The playlist consists of: intro, “Crossing”, “Monde”, “Fluid”, “Calme”, “Spiral”, “Encanto”, “Living”, “Aqua”, “Propos”, “Forte” and “Vera “. The melodies of his songs are often melancholic but at the same time they are linked to a deep energy that encompasses different atmospheres and evokes contrasting sensations such as nostalgia, romanticism, hope and optimism.
We decided to interview him to get to know him better:
Hello Daniel and thank you in advance for your time! I would like to know you better and for this reason I have some questions for you. Your artist name is Borrtex, I would like to ask you; why? What does it mean?
«Hello everyone and thank you for inviting me to do this interview! To quickly introduce myself, I’m a modern classical music composer and pianist from Prague, Czech Republic. The artist name Borrtex has a long tradition in my childhood, but basically it’s a mixture of words including my last name, which is Bordovský. My friends used to call me Borrtex when we were kids because it was shorter and sounded kind of cool!!» – He laughs.
You are 21, you’re very young! At what age did you start playing the piano? How was this passion born? Tells us a little bit more about yourself.
«It’s been a long journey! I’ve been playing the piano since the age of six, but as a child, I never wanted to attend the piano classes, I was not enjoying it at all. It was mainly the idea of my parents, mostly the idea of my mom. She plays the piano and wanted me to play as well. I had a great teacher though, she was always very kind and supportive, but I just found it not really interesting to play other people’s music according to their notes and instructions. After seven years I finished the school and thought that I will never come back to piano ever in my life. But four years passed by, and when I heard a good song in a radio, it was my natural urge to know how to play it on the piano, which we had at home. And I started enjoying it much more, as I was not limited by any studying plan. In my perspective, essentially it’s the freedom that brings the joy out of music.»
Your musical style is very charismatic but also romantic, nostalgic. Are there any composers you were inspired by?
«This album was very special to me, and the creative process felt very different. My work is known mostly for its relaxing, ambient and meditative aspects. In “Harmony”, I decided to go more energetic, I wanted to express my inner self, I wanted to show that I can do more than that. I try to find inspiration in nature and in my faith of God, I usually don’t want to get inspired by other people’s music, so it doesn’t affect my own perspective. But I can say that I’m a fan of work by great musicians like Nils Frahm, Philip Glass or Hania Rani.»
What are your favorite contemporary composers?
«Beside the ones I already mentioned, I personally identify with film music compositions by my dear friend Rob Simonsen, who composed original soundtracks for movies like “(500) Days of Summer”, “The Spectacular Now”, “Gifted”, “The Way Back” and more. When I was younger, I was also a big fan of Hans Zimmer, who I managed to meet a few years back, when he was having a concert in Prague.»
In “Harmony” each song is inspired by a different musical intention. Sometimes there seems to be some dialogues between the right hand and the left hand, is it true? Is there a common thread that unites all the songs?
«That’s a great question. Yes, the main theme of the album is a slow transformation of the melodies from quick and energetic songs like Fluid, to slower piano ballads like “Living” or “Vera”. The album is very melancholic, it features wide range of emotions and styles. I think the title “Harmony” represents the balance of these different expressions. Each song is specific, but as a complex set of compositions, they seem to be well united.»
How was “Harmony” born?
«Improvisation. Most of the ideas came unexpectedly while I was improvising on my new custom built acoustic upright piano. The creative process felt very enriching and liberating as there was no goal for me, no purpose, no intention. I was just enjoying the music and it all happened very naturally to me, which I find really inspiring.»
I have a difficult question for you: which one is your favorite song in “Harmony” and why? The one you feel more emotionally attached to.
«Hmmm, I usually don’t have any favorite songs out of the works that I produced. But it’s true that in this album, I do have one song in particular that is important to me beyond others. It’s song titled “Vera”. I composed it a few months ago, at the beginning of 2020, but it took me a long time to find out how to arrange it and eventually play it on the piano. It’s a ballad with familiar sounding, that I decided to dedicate to my grandma whose name was “Viera”. The name has more variations and interpretations, but I also liked the fact that the word víra in Czech means “faith” which I like a lot.»
You are involved in many international projects and your songs are also used for film soundtracks and advertising of global brands. That’s amazing! Did you expect it?
«Not at all! I didn’t even take music seriously, I was still a teenager on High School! But when people started messaging me and commenting on my first songs and even started sending me emails and proposals, I knew something is going on. Later, I published more music and more people came and listened. This is how it goes. But I see a little problem in today’s world, because a lot of people want to be successful and famous sooner then they deserve. I don’t see fame, money or success. I never did. I see music, I see culture, I see joy and fun, I see my way of service to God. It’s a passion for me, and I’m very blessed that it can also be my work. Having the right priorities is very important.»
What would you recommend to the young pianists of today that are approaching for the first time into the world of musical writing?
«I would suggest them to work hard on their skills and have faith in it. Music will always be a competitive industry, but good musicians will always find a way to get the attention they deserve. Be real, be honest, be authentic and have a true, loving passion for music.»
In your opinion what is the path to success?
«We need to think, what does this even mean? What is success? To me personally, success means happiness, it means that I do what I love and I have a loving family around me. Success is spending the time with the right people, having fun and enjoying the life we have. But also, success to me means finding a deeper purpose, why am I here, what is the reason of all this? And I find the best answers in the book of Bible. So, ultimatelly, success is knowing who you are, knowing what you are supposed to do, and generally being happy with yourself and your work, your friends and your life.»
Sabrina Mautone