Never Sol

about

Never Sol is the alias of Sara Vondraskova- musician, composer and producer based in Prague, Czech Republic. In her musical practise she is now mainly interested in combining vocal with synthesizers. Searching for deconstruction in forms, driven and inspired by rough noisy sharp sounds with dark harsh drone elements, she is exploring the relationship between fragility and massiveness of sound and finds time and work with time as the crucial element and lynchpin when creating an emotional context and environment for the listener.

NEVER SOL

As Never Sol, she creates melancholic compositions that are based on layered synth soundscapes, dark melodies shrouded in tons of reverb with thick yet delicate vocals. Melting in drone surfaces but cutting deep with distorted and noisy elements . A strong connection to songwriting, intricate chord progressions, synths and voice are the cornerstones of her musical output. In the past year she started performing and improvising live with modular synthesizer which helps her disintegrate and refresh her classical songwriting approach.

With solo project Never Sol she released two studio albums: Under Quiet 2013 (Denovali Records) and Chamaleo 2018 (Supraphon) with which she toured in Europe and performed in venues and festivals like Lunchmeat Festival, Eurosonic Noorderslag, Pohoda Festival, Colours of Ostrava, Electronic Music Festival EMAF Tokyo, Knockdown Centre New York, Open The Portal Los Angeles, Essen Denovali Festival, Haldern Pop Festival and more.

DANCE/THEATRE

Since 2015 she also composes music for contemporary dance performances and theatre. Sara created music for dance ensembles like Spitfire Company, Marketa Vacovska, TYhle, BurkiCom, Pomezi, DOT 504 and composed music for projects in City Theatre of Žilina or Prague City Gallery . In 2021 she has been awarded with Czech Dance Platform Music Award for the performances Seperated (Marketa Vacovska) and Constellations III (Spitfire Company).

OTHER

Sara hosts a radio show at ČRo Vltava focused on alternative music scene and performs with electroacoustic project FLOEX.

She is an RBMA 2014 and CTM Hacklab 2018 alumna and took a summer course of Recorded Sound at Computer Music Centre of Columbia University NY. Sara holds a bachelor in Cultural Studies at Faculty of Arts, Charles University and has studied Jazz & Vocal at Prague Conservatory and Jazz Academy in Prague.

LEON

watch here

LEON LP Exclusive limited edition of 100 copies available here : https://neversol.bandcamp.com/

,, Czech synth sorceress Never Sol’s anthem for freedom,....If her previous works rely on the delicacy of her voice and more simple musical arrangements, ‘Leon’ is Never Sol’s masterpiece, spotlighting her deep, intoxicating voice, enhanced by complex, orchestra-like synthesisers.’’(The Calvert Journal)

CHAMALEO /album/

Recorded in XYZ vila using analog synths and voice, in Prague 2016-2018

LISTEN HERE
“Sara Vondraskova makes experimental pop music as Never Sol- lush , intricately layered soundscapes that confront the darkness and perils of our everyday lives. Her music is dynamic in form- sometimes volatile with abrasive beats, more often tender and trepidatious- but its mood is consistently melancholy, haunted even.” (Indie Current)

“By using traditional synth sounds the tracks are building their atmosphere very consistently. They are playing with fresh sounding samples, layered dreamy soundscapes and electronic coldness is brightened by mysterious vocals. Never Sol invests much fantasy and the recording requires imagination from the listener as well.” (Headliner)

“The human condition is earthly and ethereal. It’s a balance that is delicate, intricate and rich. Memories echo in chambers building our identities with epic sweeps of emotion. We change skins and remain the same. Never Sol gently breathes these truths into layers of voice and synthetic instrumentation with thin fingers pulling at the whispy tendrils branching from our pulsing muscular motors. The songs, like the wonderfully surreal collages by Michaela Karásková that accompany the physical album, offer recognizable pieces in a novel construction. With Chameleo, Sára Vondrášková, the Prague-based writer/producer/composer/singer behind this exquisite music, creates a fully conceptualized experience of mortal fervor. A billowing, diaphonos (sic) fabric, backlit by the brightest moon.” (Tom Tom Magazine)

“’CHAMALEO’ gives you plenty of room for interpretations, depending as much on what your ears focus on as on your current state of mind. So each listen might take you into a completely different dream.”
(Beehy.pe)