Illusion of a Separate World is the meeting between innovative Slovakian guitarist, film music composer and sound designer David Kollar (Steven Wilson, Pat Mastelotto, Fennesz, Marco Minnemann, Eivind Aarset) and Norwegian trumpet maestro Arve Henriksen. Shimmering soundscapes and haunting melodies mixed with soundtrack music, ethnic influences, electronic explorations, jazz hybrids, and post-rock riffs are at the core of this meeting. David Kollar and Arve Henriksen started their collaboration after they met in 2017 and played just twice before the recording. “I played last year at the Spectaculare festival in Prague,” said David “I had a solo performance and after me there was Arve playing with Christian Fennesz. At the end of the festival, we shared our contact details. In few months, we met again on the stage at Hevhetia festival in Slovakia.” The performance was such a bonding experience that the two chose to record an album together. In December 2017, David spent a week in the city of Faenza, Italy as the guest of his fellow trumpeter and friend Paolo Ranieri. This was the perfect setting to start sketching out improvisations that would become part of Illusion of a Separate World. David drew inspiration from life’s trials and tribulations or from the environment around him. “I played them as musical diaries,” said David. Soundscapes, moody riffs and rhythmic works emerged. He recorded 17 tracks and then gave them to Arve, who layered trumpet, voice and electronics over them. Through this joining of two unique worlds, in both geographical and cultural senses, the duo has created an anthemic album which reveals an intimate connection. It spans from the moments of quietness that slowly turn into walls of orchestral sounds like in Night Navigator, to the tribal drumming rhythms that Henriksen enriches with his voice-like trumpet in Chimera. When the guitarist transforms a simple clacking on string into a weird rhythm like in Silk spinning, Henriksen then turns it into a pastoral melody. When the trumpeter switches to his trademark soft-speaking voice, like in Mirror Transformations, Kollar places himself in a more subtle context, camouflaging his guitar in synth-like drapings. The Slovakian guitarist then takes the stage and hints at his Americana influences with a delicate guitar and trumpet solo in Solarization, that eventually morphs in an ethnic-flavored electronic experience. Suspended over Kollar’s cloudy drone, Castles in the Air is Arve Henriksen at his best, playing one of his most iconic solos. But he can also turn in some of the most intricate and haunting melodies like in the unsettling Roving Observer, which Kollar initially took inspiration from movie director Tarkovsky. Intimate, intense, passionate and subtle, Illusion of a Separate World is two artists showing how easy is for them to create music that is immediate and tremendously complex, haunting and gorgeous at same time. MUSICIANS’ SHORT BIOS Born in 1983, David Kollar gained a worldwide reputation for experimenting and innovating with his gear and homemade guitars over the past decade. This caught the ear of prog star Steven Wilson, who invited him to play on two tracks in the top-selling 2017 To the Bone and then as opening act in the European leg of his shows. King Crimson’s Pat Mastelotto also took a serious interest in Kollar’s work, and joined forces with him and trumpeter Paolo Ranieri to create the acclaimed KoMaRa project in 2015. David’s other collaborators include Fennesz, Marco Minnemann, and Gergo Borlai. David has released multiple solo recordings and is a recognized soundtrack designer. 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.” Arve Henriksen is considered one of the most innovative trumpeters among last three decades. Born in 1968, Arve Henriksen studied at the Trondheim Conservatory from 1987-1991, and has worked as a freelance musician since 1989. He has worked with many musicians, including Jon Balke Magnetic North Orchestra/Batagraf, Jon Christensen, Marilyn Mazur, Nils Petter Molvær, Misha Alperin, Arild Andersen, Dhafer Youssef, Sidsel Endresen, Christian Wallumrød, Thomas Strønen, David Sylvian, Jon Hassell, Laurie Anderson, John Paul Jones, Erik Honoré, Gavin Bryars, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bill Frisell, Terje Rypdal, Maria Schneider, and many more. Henriksen has composed and commissioned music for festivals, films and documentary programs. He has a long discography counting over 140 records in total, releasing for such labels as ECM and Rune Grammofon. TRACKLIST • Night Navigator • Mirror Transformations • Silk Spinning • Chimera • The Spiral Turn • Solarization • Vision of Light • Castles in the Air • Bird of Passage • Augmented Reality • Roving Observer • Beyond the iCloud Total duration: 48 minutes Recorded in Prešov, Faenza and Mölnlycke april-mai 2018 Mixed by David Kollar and Roman Šoltýs Mastering by Roman Šoltýs Produced by David Kollar and Arve Henriksen Cover art by Martin Kudla CATALOG NUMBER: HV 0178-2-331 EAN CODE: 858800525845k