London, 2019

​

Borrtex — aka Daniel Bordovsky — is a Czech composer based in Prague. Over the last few years, he has built himself a musical portfolio which extends from visual media to the release of his own projects. thōughts is his latest self-release and is a great compendium of the composer’s musical development and identity. Through a modest approach — that extends to the use of minuscule letters and simplistic visual identity — the composer has shaped a project that gets close to being a pastiche of post-minimalism. 

 

A lot of Borrtex compositional style is inspired by Einaudi; the echoing piano — “momentum” —, the constant textural background provided by tremolo strings— “one step closer” —, or the structural approach building up to a momentum  — “lost & found”. There is musical cohesion throughout the album; noticeable through the fact that pieces often reflect others; “tranquil” sends back to “momentum”, “thōughts” to “tranquil” or “mollis” to “lost & found”. All together this creates an understandable universe for the listener. While the piano is the main instrument in thōughts, there are some pieces that give more space to strings and put the former instrument to the background, such as in “varietas” and “daydream”. Generally speaking, the Czech composer makes extensive use of well-known progressions and patterns, and often borrows from his own pieces. “abnormis” and “uplifting” are two very good examples of his use of traditional compositional devices. 

 

thōughts is a very good release and all of the pieces are well-crafted, performed and produced — and a pleasure to listen to. The remaining question is how much of Borrtex’s personality truly reflects in the music. If it tends to approach the musical homage — especially towards Einaudi — it is sometimes a struggle for the listener to grasp the essence of the composer.