Choice, which debuted last year at Prague Sounds, is a special curated evening putting a spotlight on leading young (and sometimes overlooked) musicians on the contemporary Czech and Slovak scenes. Each year, the curator of Choice is an established local artist acting as part-collaborator, part-mentor to the artists (s)he presents in the programme. Following Katarzia's inaugural curatorship in 2024, this year rapper and producer Idea takes the reins of Choice.

Josef Změlík (aka Idea) is a rapper, producer, composer, and the man behind the label Ty Nikdy. He released his breakthrough album RAP in 2015, along with a brand of the same name, created with graphic designer Jan Kloss, aka Zerwox. The album Tempo, on which Idea collaborated with a range of producers including FVLCRVM, followed in 2019, and the self-produced O beatech a lidech in 2021. Two years later, he released Puls, on which he dismantles stereotypes of rap as a male domain and on which he worked with mostly women artists (Jana Kirschner, Annet X, Hellwana, Tea Sofia). In the same year, he also put out Space Lopata, a collaborative album with Strýc Nor. Most recently, he has produced an album for James Cole.

Champion Sound

The band Champion Sound brings togethe hip-hop, jazz, electronica, and live instrumentation. They were formed in 2010 around key player Radimo, the saxophonist and producer. They are known as a live band that has backed up many leading Czech rappers (JPrago Union, DJ Wich), and worked with the new face of the local  Rnb scene Annet X. Champion Sound have made a significant contribution to the live sound of Czech hip-hop, marked by their grooves and improvisations. They have also worked with a range of international artists. At Idea's Choice, they'll be performing their debut album Stash Box, which has never been played live before.

Laokoon

Laokoon, rapper Mikuláš Hamerla and producer Jiří Machy, are known for their characteristic electronic, bass-heavy production, which takes in a range of genres. Into this mosaic of sound comes a form of rap that draws from trap influences to produce a style that is both personal and sensitive. The duo took their name from an animated short film from 1970 – Laokoon is the name of the soothsayer from Troy who warned against the imminent Greek ambush.
Laokoon's eponymous debut album, a bedroom rap record featuring samples from the film,  came out in 2020.  They followed this up in 2022 with Šperk, which saw them move into a poppier sound with less oblique lyrics. Their most recent album, Zbytky dresu, was released in autumn last year.

Line-up

Champion Sound & Ensemble

Laokoon