It's been said often enough that Prague lost many of its most intriguing musical talents to the tight grip of Communism. Those days are long over now and Prague has fast become a hot bed for new music and bands, who are free to expreriment with their vision and styles. Two groups that are slowly establishing a name for themselves in Prague are Aftermath DB and Urania All Stars. These bands used Prague as a cultural "melting pot" and have started to produce sounds that mix cultures from all over the world.

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"We handpicked people from the musician circle who wanted to be a part of something new," said Vanderkuech. To complete Aftermath DB, they added Tonya Graves, a part time singer from New York and the lead singer for the popular Prague band Liquid Harmony. They also recruited Kuba Schwarz on turntable and Little Colin on prepared guitar from England.

"We have crazy percussions, a Jewish guy and a black guy," said Vanderkuech. "We have played together for a year and it is good. It is like a new invention." After a year of playing together, Aftermath DB has developed a sound that is fairly new to Prague. The music almost has no words, but is instead populated and littered with heavy beats and a lot of bass. "This music is break-beat dub," said Vanderkuech. "... it's like reggae with only a few words but a cosmic feeling."

The band has just finished recording a 12-track, double-vinyl album, but they are quickly becoming rare, which might make one hard to find. According to Vanderkuech, they are still playing mainly for their own entertainment and a small group of people that are more than loyal fans. And while you may be able to catch their sound when they jam at Punto Azul, you might just get lucky wherever you are as they still like pop-in to play unannounced at area clubs. Just don't expect to see the same performers or even the same set twice, just enjoy them and revel in the experience.

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In the same vein, Urania All-Stars is a band very similar to Aftermath DB. This band is led by Jirka Volavy who plays drums, and former Czech rock group Slut string-man Tomas Otradovel on guitar, the frontmen have known each other from living in Prague. 10 months ago, they found Ernesto Davilla and English Overstreet, two singers from Los Angeles, and Vlada Weigert, a bass guitar player from Germany. Together they make music with a capital "Mmmm".

"We have a lot of nationalities mixed together to make 'Brownie Pop,'" said Otradovel. "We use a lot of languages and our music definitely comes from our roots. " The band also has a horn and percussion sections, sometimes adding a flute for flavor. According to Otradovel, their music was very mellow at first, but the band is now trying to change that direction. Urania wants to show their alter egos on stage and through their playing.

"We are not going to have any crucial changes," said Volavy. "Our new sound will have more power to the guitars, drums and bass. Plus, we are going to add an electric guitar." And with these plans, Urania All-Stars are hoping to release an album by the end of the summer, but for now they are planning a concert at Obcanska Plovarna in the next two months. This is a site that the members have always wanted to play, and it will showcase their old music.

"We have rehearsed for a long time," said Otradovel. "The concert will be acoustic with low electrical jazz, almost unplugged." In their minimalist whispers the plot their course, jamming for pleasure and the quest for perfection. For now, Urania All-Stars are not playing a lot of concerts, but defining their sound. With such a large entourage, it's hard for them to find a club or bar that is able to meet their needs, much less their crowds. But if all goes well for them, who knows, maybe Prague won't be big enough for them all...