Karel Havlíček is a Czech music composer and multi-instrumentalist. Based in Prague and Los Angeles.

 

In recent years, as a musician and author, Karel has mainly focused on writing music for television series and film. His work has appeared in HBO Europe (tv series Mamon and Therapy) as well as the Czech Television series (Vzteklina - Rabies).  He is also the composer of the original soundtrack for the award-winning feature documentary Lion Ark. Over the years, Karel has written music for many foreign and Czech commercials, as well as created sound designs for television news, theatre performances, and charity spots. As a keyboard player, he played in the leading indie band Southpaw, with which they released six albums (2001 - 2009).

 

The solo album Spoken is the result of the most profound thoughts, emotions, and stories, reflecting Karel's life and experiences from two completely different parts of the world. It further depicts a deep connection he has with his twin Maxim, who has been living in L.A. for the last 20 years and as a painter, has also inspired Karel's music in some ways. Thanks to the bond and artistic intertwine they share, Karel has learned the nuances of communication between music and visual art which helped him develop his musical journey. Although Karel has many years of experience as a composer in film and television series production, this is his debut solo album. After all, film music composition is very present on his first solo album. With its melody and character, it can resemble the compositional works of Max Richter, Ólafur Arnalds, or Federico Albanese. The piano is Karel's primary instrument of expression. Strings and sensitively embedded wind instruments accompany it. Spoken offers 17 songs that work together as one phase of his life.