DVA (band)

Czech musical duo

DVA

DVA performing in 2011

Background information
Origin| Hradec Králové, Czechia
Genres| Alternative rock, freak folk
Years active| 2006–present
Labels| Label Home Table, Indies
Members|

* Bára Ungerová
* Jan Kratochvíl

Website| 2dva.cz

DVA is a Czech alternative rock music duo consisting of Bára Ungerová and Jan Kratochvíl.[1] DVA have described their style as "folk music of nonexistent nations", which consists of a mix of tango, cabaret, circus, pop, beatboxing, freak folk, and acoustic electro, among a variety of other eclectic styles.[2] The lyrics of their songs are made up of nonsensical words that mix German, Hungarian, and Swedish, among others.[3][4]

## History

[edit]

DVA (which means "two" in Czech) was formed in 2006 by Bára Ungerová (then Bára Kratochvílová) and Jan Kratochvíl, who were both previously associated with Divadlo DNO in Hradec Králové. They simultaneously launched their own home-based record label, Label Home Table.[5] Their debut album, titled Fonók, was released in 2008. They followed it a year later with Kollektt8, a collection of unreleased tracks, which they gave away for free.[6][7] The duo has since released three further studio albums: HU (2010), Nipomo (2014), and Piri Piri (2024). Dva's stage performances are often accompanied by projections created by Markéta Lisá and Magdalena Hrubá (under the name 2M) from the electro group Midi lidi.[8]

### Video game soundtracks

[edit]

In 2012, DVA composed the soundtrack for the Amanita Design video game Botanicula. The record received an Independent Game Festival Award for Excellence in Audio.[2] In 2018, the duo wrote the soundtrack for another video game by Jaromír Plachý, this one titled Chuchel. They named the album Cherries on Air.[9][10] The soundtrack was released as their sixth album.[11] In 2021, Dva published the soundtrack for the latest Amanita Design project, also designed by Jaromír Plachý, titled Happy Game.[12]

## Band members

[edit]

* Bára Ungerová – vocals, wind instruments
* Jan Kratochvíl – guitar, banjo, looping, beatboxing, vocals

Touring members

* 2M (Magdalena Hrubá and Markéta Lisá) – projections

## Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

* Fonók (2008)
* Kollektt8 (2009)
* HU (2010)
* Nipomo (2014)
* Piri Piri (2024)

Soundtracks

* Lappop (Soundtrack to the play Ledové techno, tedy lapohádky – 2007)
* Mélies (Soundtrack to Georges Méliès films – 2008)
* Caligari (Original music for reinterpretation of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – 2008)
* Vše pro dobro světa a Nošovic (Documentary soundtrack – 2010)
* Medvědí ostrovy (Documentary soundtrack – 2010)
* Botanicula – (Video game soundtrack – 2012)
* Cherries on Air – (Chuchel soundtrack – 2018)
* Happy Game – (Video game soundtrack – 2021)

Other albums

* Bezděčné vítězství (Radio play broadcast – 2006)
* Nunovó Tango (Mini-album – 2006)
* Elektro a kusto (Mini-album – 2006)
* Kapitán Demo (Compilation of Nunovó Tango, Elektro a kusto, Lappop, Caligari, Zvonění do mobilních telefonů, et al. – 2007)
* Zvonění do mobilních telefonů (2008)

## Selected awards

[edit]

* Nominated at the 2008 Anděl Awards for Best Alternative Music Album, Fonók[6]
* 2010 Anděl Award, Best Alternative Music Album for HU[13]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ DVA official Website - Bio/Booking. www.2dva.cz. Retrieved 23 February 2025/
2. ^ a b Matas, Jakub. "Formace DVA v M-klubu představí hudbu neexistujících národů | Kulturní zařízení". www.kzvalmez.cz. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
3. ^ "Každá řeč je naší vlastní" [Each Language Is Our Own]. goethe.de (in Czech). Retrieved 19 December 2021.
4. ^ Tesař, Milan. "DVA z neexistujících rádií – Radio Proglas". hudba.proglas.cz. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
5. ^ "Novinky • Fléda". fleda.cz. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
6. ^ a b "'Tamti' Dva z Hradce Králové nabízejí desku Kollektt8 zadarmo | Kultura" [Dva, from Hradec Králové, Offer their album Kollektt8 for Free]. Lidovky.cz (in Czech). 8 September 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
7. ^ "Hudba české skupiny DVA zní z německé reklamy". TÝDEN.cz. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
8. ^ "Dva". indies.eu. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
9. ^ "The 17th Annual Independent Games Festival". igf.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
10. ^ Dobrovský, Pavel. "Chuchel – představení nové hry od autora Botaniculy – Games.cz". Games.cz. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
11. ^ "DVA (3) – Cherries On Air (Chuchel Soundtrack)". discogs. 31 May 2018.
12. ^ "Happy Game Soundtrack and Art Book". gog.com. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
13. ^ "Ceny Anděl" [Anděl Awards]. andelceny.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 19 December 2021.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dva.

* Official website

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Czech Republic

Artists|

* MusicBrainz