A pivotal document of the early 90s Czech alternative music scene, Zahrada, the deeply immersive 1992 album by Prague-based composer and sound artist Jaroslav Kořán – finally makes its vinyl debut via Infinite Expanse. Originally issued on cassette by Logo Records and then reissued on the same format to mark the label’s inaugural release in 2022, this rare and immersive work now finds its most definitive release yet.
A patient and deeply intuitive album, Zahrada turns everyday sound into something fluid and hypnotic. Kořán, recording at home in Šumava with his brother Michal, let the environment shape the music. The distant chatter of children, birdsong spilling through an open window, the metallic resonance of self-built instruments—each element dissolves into the next, creating a landscape that feels both familiar and otherworldly.
At the heart of it all is Orloj snivců (“The Horologe of Dreamers”), an instrument Kořán assembled from found metal and repurposed objects, shifting between delicate chimes, deep drones, and raw percussive textures.An album both elusive and enduring, Zahrada has drifted just beneath the surface of the avant-garde for years, sitting somewhere between electroacoustic composition, sound sculpture, and field recording. It moves without force, drawing the listener into its detailed world rather than demanding attention. In hindsight, its approach feels strikingly contemporary, aligning with today’s experimental and environmental sound practices while remaining untethered to any single era or movement. Kořán’s history in experimental music runs deep, including his time in Richter Band alongside Pavel Richter, with whom he played on Smetana. Zahrada echoes that same spirit of exploration, but here the focus shifts away from structure, embracing sound in its raw and unfiltered form. Remastered by Mikey Young and presented with newly found archival images, this edition offers expanded depth to this artifact of the early 90s Czech avant-garde scene, unveiling its intricate sonic textures whilst preserving its immersive, dreamlike flow.
