Lost And Found CD review - Muzikus magazine, CZ  03.2010

Prague singer and musician Jan Vytasek is one of the somewhat latent promising talents of the local pop-rock scene. Jan commands a fairly charismatic voice and his songs, founded on the most traditional sources of the seventies and eighties at times with an added touch of an american country music, overflow with a seldom heard melodic potential.

Highlights: Shine Through The Night, The Day When I Met You

Sounds like: Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Bryan Adams

Jan Vytásek: I'm not a prostitute (exclusive interview for Musicscaper.sk)  01/2010

"The physical CD market, or anything "rotating" is already over. Big bands are touring over and over, some for the reason that the incomes from CD sells are gone. I cannot imagine someone masses buying the CDs again. Only as a collector or as a souvenir - with cd box, booklet, etc. But anyway, everyone converts it then to mp3 format, because these days even a discman is considered as something mediaval."

"Music has the power to make things moving,kicking people to wake up from their Matrix."
 
In times of raging Czech-Slovakian poip idol contests there are some splendid Czech and Slovak enterpreters forgotten. One of them is the Prague singer and songwriter Jan Vytásek. This one managed to release his debut album Lost And Found even without a support of big label and notice quite fine success by public audience. The "Czech Bon Jovi" makes it well through the local pop-rock scene and is on the best way to overthrow the rivals from the TV commercial talent contests.
 
It's been a while since the release of the Lost And Found album. How satisfied are you with it after some time?
The album has been released by a very small label, with zero options for promotion. And frankly, I wasn't excited to humilitate myself infront of so-called sponsors, which let me down several times in past. I've been earning money for two years as a desk hotel receptionist and made some money as a musician as well. But there was nothing left for promotion and bribes, quite necessary in CZ. Therefor, no matter how good the album would be, it couldn't reach a quarter amount of success as for example album by Sony BMG, which has the right contacts and puts his enterpreters automatically to radios and important top charts of popularity. It's just a businness like they sell a washing powder and the radio -audience's taste are the last thing to consider. So I would barely appear in some "Czech Nightingale" (popular TV popularity contest). But honestly, I don't mind so much. My aim is ordinary audience, not the businnessmen. I'm a musician doing music for people. And those who's dicsovered my cd liked my songs. I even received a very good review from abroad - the Music Nashville, USA.
 
Automatically, there appears a question, when comes the next album?
I have the next two in my head (laugh). There is plenty of material, but I want the next album to be very different, so I've been thinking out so much to make it better. I already recorded a part of it, some is to come on the Christmas single "Make A Wish", which would be probably available to free downbload as a present.
 
One of Godfathers for your album was also Petr Janda. So the planned common tour with Olympic was in vain?
Unfortunatelly yes. It was very promising right after the release. He was very friendly, I had a great feeling about it. But soon after, the manager woman took it on her desk, and she started counting, that necessary thing for Vytasek to start making her money is to support him at the beginning. At that was an extra work, besides sure incomes from Olympic. Therefor, from several planned common events she scratched it down to few concerts. It looked like she was waiting till the "friendly colleague bug" falls down from Peter, and I am too humilitated to remind myself over and over again. So there was only one concert to remain, which was - as I believe - dictated by Janda himself. But there also, the sound engineer "put a knife on my back" to give him 5.000 CZK or he won't get a sound service for my band - all was already set for Olympic-only thing he did was to move microphones from Peter's amplifier to mine and back. And because I wanted to play the concert with Olympic, I borrowed money and gave it to him, even I knew it was going right to his pocket. On the other hand, in CZ is sometimes common fact that support acts usually pay the star to let them open for their show. There is no colleague-hood or friendship these days. We've been in contact with peter ever since, but I think it was only a colleague bug, that he might remind himself his beginnings and wanted to be friendly. I wrote him recently about the common Christmas gigs, but the answer was, the have a plenty of guests...
 
How is your statement to fact people compare you as the Czech Bon Jovi?
Really? Well, to be honest, I've heard it as well. But considering the fact, Bon Jovi is one of my truly biggest idols, so it is for me - with all respect and self-reflection and humbleness - the big honour.
 
Would you be ever singing about politics?
Even there is a reccomend for singers to be apoliticals, my opinion is different. The music is also a reaction and reflection of life surrounding us and has the power to make things move, provocating people to wake them up from their Matrix, which is a daily reality. It is necessary to point to something sometimes and prick the wasp nest, otherwise people would be soon the ordinary wallets for politicans and that wouldn't be good at all. It's been successfuly provided also Bon Jovi, Bono with U2 and others. So, if there is a chance for music to support good things and good changes, so definitely yes. Considering this theme you may anticipate something from my new single.
 
How the songwriting process of Jan Vytasek looks like? After those years, do you have some usual rituals or is it always a work of coinsidence by moment feeling, a track of something life experience? For example, do you record your ideas to the mobile phone?
All combined. Something inspires me, something is the life experience, something is needed to be expressed out. For me the music is outlet and therapy. Many ideas and themes appear every day. Main themes are important - it's what do you want to say, what troubles you or makes you happy, but always you can say "it's just a song". It's only you, or your closest people who know the truth. And mobile phone? Yes, besides so many pieces of small papers it's very useful thing. I wrote many things last years in hotel rooms. You just switch the camera on and record the idea immediately.
 
Do you accept the private firm parties gigs opportunities?
Basically I don't avoid that if they behave seriously. But I select, as I am not a prostitute. And by these money I sponsore the gigs which are not so profitable.
 
What is actually your opinion on the these days phenomenon - downloading from the internet. How do you see the gesture of the band Radiohead, offering their cd for internet, leting fans to decide the sum for download, so how they prize their music?
If the distribution sucks, or is overpraised due to publisher to feed his belly, then the downloading is the right smash. But the necessary thing is some balance. Radiohead made revolution step. But, as far as I see, the usual consumer - if he's not the true fan - always grabs for something which is for free.
 
Where do you think is the music businness developing into? The cd sells are still lower, more and more is downloaded. Do you think, there is some un-revealed technological bang to come to put the businness back on the normal track?
It is a sad truth, but the physical CD market, or anything "rotating" is already over. Big bands are touring over and over, some for the reason that the incomes from CD sells are gone. I cannot imagine someone masses buying the CDs again. Only as a collector or as a souvenir - with cd box, booklet, etc. But anyway, everyone converts it then to mp3 format, because these days even a discman is considered as something mediaval. Of course, it's reflected on the quality of records. I see some future in DVD - as the music with picture, but the "Golden record" sells and millions of copies are probably forever gone.
 
You never felt the temptation to record something for children audience? I mean something like Peter Nagy did... In some period of life, the man has a taste to return back to childhood years...
My early childhood is connected to The Beatles. There it started by the movie A Hard Day's Night. But my childhood was a bit different. There could be something suitable for me like something Meky Žbirka did by his Songs For Children. But I'm not so well matured to this. Maybe to write a music for some fairy taile... Yes, that could be fine.
 
For how long time you make your schedule? What are your concrete plans to realize in the near future?
This time it's till January 2010. I loaded my truck a bit more, so it is running wheel of organizing. Recording, manager stuff from renting the club and technical amplification, to rehearsals, arranging and schedules for the concert... I'm involved literarly in everything. First thing is to finish the video clip for the upcoming Bob Idol Song - in Czech and English. Besides that another single, adn the Christmas concert. And, there are festivals planning to come for the next season, so we split the work with my guitarist, because it is too much for one person and I don't want it to affect the preparations of the concerts for people, as this is the major first line focus. For future I consider of finding a small team to take a care of organization things and for me to focus more on music and performances. So will see...

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original source: http://www.musicscaper.sk/?clanok=1651s