OK Box

Ursula interviewed for The Wire Magazine: www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/interviews/thinking-outside-the-box-milos-hroch-interviews-ursula-sereghy With a background in playing jazz and formative years of playing saxophone in a live band, Prague-based Ursula Sereghy stepped out of the hustle to focus, all while becoming a regular at the local Synth Library. A space where she found the support of the musically and politically like-minded and could nourish her newfound passion for experimenting with machines and exploring the limitless possibilities of sound design. An extensive period of voluntary detachment from everyday life during the pandemic gave rise to the stunningly confident debut album 'OK Box' fabricated by this dark horse of a producer. Opening 'OK Box' reveals a truly multifarious microcosm. On her very first musical output, besides manipulated field recordings and widely used granular synthesis, Ursula draws wisely from her past musical practice as acoustic or synthesized samples of jazz instruments become the furtive common denominator of the record's sonic narrative. Circulation of the breath among the instruments chambers substitutes the streams of city dwellers flowing through the cramped city environment. With Ursula's entangled compositions, she creates the representation of revealing and embracing the intuitive connections of the experiences and thoughts with their mental and physical surroundings, at times leading the listener to melancholic placements, followed by moments of mischievous clarity and rational sentiment. But essentially, the longplay is a friendly ride following unusual mental maps and broadening the borders of the very cartographical ones, all with inconspicuous sideroad peeks of cheeky little creatures, still surveillance by destiny-bending spirits, and oversaturation of out-there emotional associations. Hang in there, you little civilians and slimy slugs alike. To cut a long story short - 'OK Box' houses a lively collection of warm-hearted and witty jams honoring the nature of reasonable escapism.