While the Bern-based composer, accordionist and multi-instrumentalist Mario Batkovic is well known for his scoring work, including the original score of Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s his radical exploration of the sonic, rhythmic and mechanical possibilities of his instrument, the accordion, that continues to turn heads. His new album “I I” will arrive a decade after his self-titled solo debut, again via Invada Records (December 11th), the UK label founded by Geoff Barrow of Portishead.
I I is described as a more immediate and more radical approach to his exploratory practice with the accordion, exemplified in the album opener and new track “MUNDUS”. It is worth reading what he says about the accompanying video before you watch it:
“The Latin word MUNDUS has several meanings. It can mean world, universe or cosmos, but also world order and humanity. As an adjective, mundus can also mean clean, pure, well-kept or elegant. It can also refer to decoration and ornament.
While playing, I became fascinated by a technique I knew from Baroque music, but also from electronic music, particularly sequencing. I tried to transfer this technique to my instrument and experimented with a small melody. Little by little, ‘MUNDUS’ took shape, a piece that, like almost all my compositions, deals with destruction and creation.
This is exactly the theme I explored together with director and cameraman Yves Marchon in the music video.
It was definitely not easy to destroy an accordion with an axe. It is a valuable instrument, made by hand with great care and love. The destruction was not just for the camera. There was something frightening about it, but also something creative. And it hurt.
The idea was to reveal something essential to the instrument: the tiny metal reed plate, the heart of every note. For me, this tiny piece is also something acoustically enormous, capable of producing incredible, monumental sounds.
So I had to destroy something in order to create something new. And that is exactly what I do with my music. I have great respect and enthusiasm for the past and its traditions, but I am not afraid to question or even destroy what already exists in order to create something new.”
Talking about the shift from his self-titled debut to I I, he shares:
“My understanding of notes, sound and music could easily have led me to other instruments. Of course, the accordion is a fantastic instrument, with so many sounds that still haven’t got the attention it deserves, but in the end, we are all in service of the music. It doesn’t really matter which instruments or media we use.” says Mario. “The problem of the accordion is the constant search for recognition, the fight against cliches and pigeonholing, and the desire to be treated as an equal instrument.”
It has been over a decade since his first solo album and the new album almost never came into existence at all. “For a long time, I didn’t want to make another album, because I felt the first one was a completed musical thesis. But after so many years, I wanted to discover more, to go deeper. At some point, I thought: the first album cannot be the end. From this idea, destruction and creation became a major theme. I know that this world of sound can sometimes be demanding for the listener, so I try to fill it with tension and with my own excitement for new sounds and new worlds.”
I I is out on December 11th, 2026, via Invada
Pre-Order (Digital/LP): https://lnk.to/3gpBdh
MARIO BATKOVIC LIVE DATES:
Friday 13th November: Batkovic Solo · Altes Zeughaus, Herisau (CH)
Saturday 28th November: Batkovic Solo · Ferme Asile, Sion (CH)
Tuesday 15th December: Mario Batkovic · Bierhübeli, Bern (CH)