How did the idea of the tour – in Australia – came about?

Tomáš: Bringing Harmony to Australia was our ultimate dream for the past few years. Even before the tour, we had many friends down there, and events like the Harmony x Animalia (TranceContinental) at Bike Jesus in 2021 only proved that Australians are a perfect match for our crew. In addition, statistics from platforms such as Bandcamp and Soundcloud showed that our music receives significant recognition in Melbourne and Sydney.

  The idea remained just a dream until last summer, when Zeynep introduced us to DJ Sarah and Georgia Bird from In2stellar, as well as Andy Garvey. With their help, we began discussing the possibility of bringing Harmony to Australia and hosting takeovers. We were able to secure some dates, which gave us a timeline for planning the tour. Special thanks are due to the girls, as without their assistance, making the tour happen would have been impossible.

  Around the same time, we had our US tour planned out, which gave us more confidence in planning the Australian one. It took us about 4–5 months to put the whole thing together. I focused on planning gigs and communication, while Zikmund assisted with government funding and finances. At one point we were dealing with the tour in the US, Australia, Alfred’s release, and still trying to find a venue for the anniversary party in Prague, all at the same time, so when we started to feel burned out, Zeynep stepped in and helped with budgeting and itinerary, for which I am extremely grateful. While I may not be mentioning everyone here, the tour was truly a team effort, and everyone involved, both within the crew and beyond, contributed in some way to make it happen.

Zikmund: The decision to make this tour happen was purely instinctive in the beginning. We felt like we deserve it after almost 10 years of working on our project, so we went for it without in-depth pragmatic analysis. I witnessed this approach in other art circles – music, theater, performance, fine arts… In these fields, people prefer to listen to the heart, rather than the budget or the cash flow.

  For me personally it was not the easiest, but it was a valuable lesson. The reality hit us very soon, when we were planning further releases and events in Prague and Berlin and suddenly, the whole trip started to spin around the grant application. I’m extremely proud that we didn’t retreat and went all-in, because in the end it was worth it. I wish someone was recording the moment when we were at Pjenné’s show on PBS Radio and got the message that the money was granted. Our plans for 2024 were saved.

Apart from your personal experiences which we’ll get to further on, how do you feel it affected the whole Harmony brand? Does the concept of a tour still work and in what ways?

Tomáš: Internally, organizing this trip was one of the biggest challenges we’ve been through together so far. Since Harmony is a passion project, we had to fit all the planning into our free time. Often, one of us would finish their regular work and then immediately dive into emails and itinerary tasks. While we did have some professionals assisting with taxes, visas, and funding, the bulk of the essential work had to be done by us.

   Externally, I can compare it to our tour in the US last October. The major difference was that in the US, we were primarily introducing our imprint and sound to new audiences. In Australia, people were already familiar with us and were excited to experience the atmosphere they had seen on our social media. When we started with the label takeovers two years ago, our goal was to provide both new and existing audiences with similar experiences to those found in Prague or Berlin. So apart from gaining recognition and establishing new connections, this aspect of bringing a bit of Harmony to different places holds great importance for us.

How was your music and output received in Australia? Which specific local scenes and events have you encountered? Give us a brief overview of the trip.

Rita: Before heading to Australia, we had bonded with some amazing Aussies, setting the stage for connections once we got there. This got everyone pumped to hear us play and hang out together. Take our friends Ménage: Dashiell, Jack Brickel, and Eugene – they’d been raving about our Prague adventures to their mates, so when we arrived, a bunch of folks were excited to chill with us. Those who hadn’t heard of Harmony before were impressed by what they saw and couldn’t wait to work with us in the future.

   In terms of music, Harmony’s sound fits perfectly within the scene there – especially in Melbourne. It was to be expected, as we have hosted many of the same DJs at our own parties in Prague and Berlin. From more commercial events to bush doofs (illegal parties held in bush) the music remained consistent and slay.

Yan: I enjoyed Melbourne a lot since most of our friends are from the city. I also felt that people are very interested in our music and what we are doing in Europe. Interesting fact is that there are – in Melbourne and Sydney – so many young artists who are involved in making and playing music. I am definitely looking forward to digging more and more into the scene. For me, it’s an unlimited source of music.

Tomáš: We did 4 weeks in total with stops in Melbourne, Sydney and Byron Bay. Those are also the cities where the Harmony takeovers took place. Starting with the Neurotiq Eurotiq x Harmony we spent the first week in sunny Melbourne, after which we departed to more tropical Sydney for our next label takeover with Andy’s collective Pure Space. After that each artist had multiple gigs on their own flying between Melbourne and Sydney quite a few times. The final weekend Alfred, Glen S and I headed to Byron Bay, a coastal town in South East Australia, where we finished the tour with an open air party with Zanda Rec.

Alfred: I was lucky enough to play in three different cities throughout the tour. Melbourne, where I got more of a housy and trancy vibe, Sydney seemed bigger on psy-tech, and Byron Bay gave me uplifting-house aka beachy vibes. In all three places, the sound being hyped was different, so I got to showcase my versatility.

Give us some highlights.

Alfred: The whole trip was so much fun, so picking up a few highlights is hard. But I was totally blown away by the vibe in Byron Bay, which boasted a relaxed atmosphere and mega friendly people. Also, meeting locals who have been following Harmony releases and our sound for quite some time was great, and of course, the legendary after-party that followed our Byron Bay gig, taking place on the farm in the middle of the jungle.

Tomáš: I believe it would be unjust to single out one event, as each label takeover had its own unique qualities. One aspect of the tour that particularly impressed me was the radio part of the tour. We were honored to be featured guests on Melbourne’s PBS Radio and Sydney’s FBI Radio. Both shows were hosted by incredibly talented individuals – Pjené (Passing Notes on PBS) and Tangela (Citrus on FBI) – who delved into the details of Prague’s music scene, our releases, and our history.

   Both of these radio stations have been broadcasting on FM for decades. At FBI Radio, we even had the opportunity to visit the archive filled entirely with music on CDs. Being there was a truly magical experience, especially when considering the thought of people driving and listening to us talking about our little scene in Prague.

Yan: In general we can say that our connections and friendships with locals definitely deepened, and people that we have known for some time already became our friends. My highlights differ because I wasn’t able to join the whole tour.

   A very interesting place in Melbourne is a club called Miscellania, where Kia invited me to her Animalia night. I did the opening of that party, playing before Sybil, Naone and Kasper Marott. From the music side of the things, the closing set by Kasper was my highlight. Perfect mixing of highly positive and euphoric trance while people were dancing their shoes off and having so much fun! Besides that, I did enjoy hanging out with local friends a lot. They took us to their favorite beaches or restaurants and showed us the Melbourne Pride, which was a cool experience.

Rita: One of the highlights of my trip was staying at our friend Toby’s (aka Glen Stefani) beach house outside of Sydney. We spent a few days there between gigs with our new friends Sara and Noah of the epic Baraka. It was cool to hang with these guys outside of the parties, really getting to know everyone on a deeper level. Smashing beers, getting sunburnt, Yan playing mermaids with me in the water, fishing, kayaking, family dinners, and skinny dipping — I couldn’t ask for more to be honest <3

Zikmund: The perfect afterparty for me was the so-called bush doof (we got obsessed by this term) we joined after our first showcase in the Gasometer Hotel, where the party finished by 3am which felt too early. We were standing in front of the club, excited about a successful performance, when someone told us we should really experience this thing. Equipped with two bottles of Gatorade, since it’s impossible to buy alcohol in the late hours, we headed to the bush outside Naarm. It was basically a free party with a tiny sound system and 2-3 lights around the DJ, pitch black everywhere else. Friendly people, all-nighter by Ketia and beautiful nature. The sunrise was totally epic. Later, when the temperature reached almost 30°C, we decided it was time to wrap it up.

How do you feel about the music scene down under in general? Can you compare it to the European one?

Tomáš: The scene in Melbourne comes closest to the Central European club experience in my opinion. Although most venues there tend to close around 3am. My impression was that many of these venues lacked the proper club character we’re accustomed to in Europe, instead feeling more like bars or pubs with their own unique twist. Unlike Prague, I didn’t notice a particular emphasis on creating an atmosphere with lights and installations. Miscellania club provided an experience closest to what we’re familiar with from home. I suggest visiting this venue to everyone coming to Melbourne. Also, Music Room where we were invited by Simon from Skylab Radio was such a nice place to sit, have a drink and listen to great tunes.

   In contrast, the scene in Sydney revolves more around warehouse events, largely due to government regulations that severely impact the club scene, resulting in the closure of many clubs in the past. Thanks to Andy and Sam we were able to host our takeover in an old warehouse with a DIY sound setup. This experience was incredibly powerful and closely aligned with what we do in Prague at our warehouse parties.

Rita: Something I found so interesting is that many of these events were based on some form of political activism, whether for Palestine, aboriginal rights in Australia, or something else in the community. It was evident that advocacy was an essential pillar to the creative scene there, and it was so refreshing, as I don’t see it as commonly and consistently here.

Alfred: I also felt that Australians are genuinely excited about having international guests from overseas, as not every DJ and crew end up visiting the continent. This was evident when we were arranging the tour, and everyone was very encouraging and really helpful in order to make this tour happen.

Zikmund: At every party I was thinking how efficient is the red tape policy in Australia. Most of the parties have to end very early, and to obtain a license to run a bar is very difficult. The result is that parties are organized illegally and people bring their own drinks, often much more than what they can handle. After the Australian and the American experience, I am very thankful that the places where we organise events are not so restrictive. I understand why people from these lands are so keen on tasting the freedom fully once they come to visit us here.

Harmony Rec. takes over Ankali & Planeta Za with a label night on Thursday, March 28.