Consciously unconscious

Heart takes flight; The Water Poem; To Become Born. These are songs that may evoke already some sparks in our souls by only hearing their titles. If you let it happen, their sounds will make you dance from inside. AWARE is the music duo behind these poetic, spiritual music themes – going to one of their live shows may even make you dance from outside.

The duo is formed by Matias de Via and Bogdan Djukic, who has a background in classical music and a deep affinity for folkloric music. I visit their concert in Prague, in the Cultural Centre Domovina. The venue is perfect for this occasion, as its high ceilings bring along amazing acoustic conditions.  

Their band name is an Akronym, the letters stand for Ancient – Wisdom – Aquiliant – Resonnant – Equilibrium. And there are probably no words that describe them better.

What’s happening Backstage?

AWARE organized the concert in collaboration with Sacred Chants by Luna. I met her for lunch on the day of the concert to talk about her work as a concert organizer.

Exploring Souls (S): In general you focus on spiritual music, right? 

Luna (L): Conscious music. 

S: Conscious music you call it, okay. And why did you choose this? What do you like about that type of music? 

L: I listen to that music so much. I mean, I have a big range of music that I listen to before. I don’t listen to music anymore. It’s not about listening for me anymore. I enjoy the concert, then I don’t need to listen to them again.

S: Then on the concerts, how do you find the artists? Will you contact them? Do you think Aware would be a nice artist?

L: I do it already for 13 years here. So they usually contact me. But also if I really want somebody, like I really feel that this artist is going to do something, then I contact them.

S: And is there a competition in this? 

L: No. It’s not profitable, so people don’t want to do it. 

S: How many concerts do you think have you organized in total? 

L: Facebook is showing me sometimes. How many events, I don’t know, 300 maybe, like a march.

S: Are there some that you really remember? 

L: I mean, I remember all of them somehow. I have this access to all of them because everything is different. And mostly there are friends of mine already, we’re like in a more closer relationship because we do it many times or I meet them in different places.

S: Can you name things that make a concert a good concert? When can you say like at the end of the evening this was a good concert?

L: All concerts are good, I think. The sound is important for me very much. And also it’s important who it is. What kind of relationship I have with this music. Because sometimes happens that if somebody like writing me, oh let’s do concert.

S: And do you have sometimes contact with the people, the audience that are coming?

L: Yeah, I know many. Yeah, I know many friends of mine.

S: And I was also wondering when a concert is organized, then sometimes there are mostly there are support acts before. Do you also organize them or could they come in touch with the audience?

L: Well, it’s usually friends also. Friends that I want to support from here most of them

I remember the one at Alex’s concert Eniesa – She was so good.

L: She is from Slovakia. She is very professional musician but not so known. She is more known in Slovakia I like her very much.

S: Will there be someone playing tonight before AWARE?

L: No, no, no, not today. Because they play for like two and a half hours at least. It’s a long concert. It’s a journey.

S: It’s more like a sitting concert, right? Yeah. Like they’re in the middle and…

L: They’re in the middle, yeah.

S: And the setlist, they are making themselves…

L: They don’t have a setlist- they are making this is more like improvisation the whole time. Because what they say is what you hear on the 45 is one thing but when they play you never know where it will take them so they don’t have like okay now and it’s just the whole journey

S: i saw it a bit in the youtube videos there is no like song, song, song, it’s all kind of, you know, with energy.

L: We had dinner with them yesterday, we spent some time. And yeah, we talk and talk and talk, and hear how it’s actually created. It’s amazing how they create. They are both really good musicians.

S: Are there any artists that you would like to organize a concert for here? 

L: I am already planning things for next autumn. At least one year for most of them. Especially when it is bigger concerts.

S: So when you organize a concert, is it so very easy to say that you have a deal with this band and then you are the one responsible for location and marketing? Isn’t it a lot of work? Let’s say there is only one concert, how much do you put in? 

L: Yes, it’s a lot of work. Sometimes I get nothing from this or even I lose. 

S: Really?

L: You don’t know how many people will come. So, yeah. And especially that I’m doing it so long so everybody knows. It’s not like I’m new and I don’t know how to promote. It’s just because the Czech Republic is like this now. It was better before COVID. And until last day I don’t know how it will turn. Like yesterday, two days ago it was half of the tickets sold. So now it’s half more. But still we are not reaching the numbers that we need. Sometimes it happens, it’s the thing, you know. But I think they brought the food now for the band so I have to go.

S: Alright, thank you for the conversation. See you later at the concert!

Entering AWARE’s sound spheres

I arrive early at the concert venue, and I see the hall slowly filling up with people. A lot of them are couples, as I can tell. Some are also just enjoying a show on their own. When I see the stage in the middle of the hall, it makes me think of how much love to the detail Luna has put in it: candles, plants and warm lights frame the two stools and instruments prepared for AWARE.

Conscious music echoes through the speakers and prepares the concert visitors for a night of magical sounds. I take a seat on one of the chairs arranged close to the wall from where I can observe and feel the people’s energies around me. Most of them get comfortable on the floor – with blankets, pillows or yoga mats they brought. It’s like everyone’s creating their own little living room, and within the hall, they all melt together to one. I see Luna walking around the venue, completing the details of the event with love.

The musicians come from the front to the middle of the hall. As they take seat, the image of the stage seems complete. Bogdan holds a violine in his arms, he holds it like a guitar. When he plays the first strings, I can see the energy of the sounds flow through his body. He circles the head with him, moves his legs and stretches the neck. He can barely keep himself seated.

Some claps appear among the still seated audience. Some people get up and slowly start dancing. The more people get up, the more seated people get animated to unite themselves with the dancers. As Bogdan rises his hands with the rise of the sounds, almost everyone in the room is standing. Everyone is moving. A man in front of me lies on the ground and moves his shoulders in the beats of the magic music created by AWARE.

Bogdan shouts ecstatically – “HEJ!!” – loud claps.

Matias takes on the word and thanks everyone for being there on their very first concert show in Prague. “Are you good at singing?”, he asks into the room. Everyone’s going crazy – it seems to be the common way of proofing how good they can sing. Then, they slowly find back to silence. Matias teaches them to sing Lalala – “do it again” – Lalala. 

Meanwhile, a couple dances on the front stage. While I watch them, I get slowly carried into their world. Up there, they are celebrating their love for each other. Their moves are energetic and fit perfectly to the rhythms created by AWARE.

The beat gets louder and faster.

Some sounds later, Matias announces the next song they would play. Normally, he says, they don’t play their recorded songs on live shows. They prefer to fully improvise and thereby dive into the beats. When they play the first chords of the song, which is one of the first they recorded together, they have all my attention and amazement. “Heart takes flight” lets my heart fly away.