Lukáš Pilnaj grown up on streets of industiral town Ústí in north Bohemia as the break-dancer and hip-hoper. Since his 20ties was enchanted by flutes and various breath instruments, mainly didgeridoo. Taking classes of great teachers as Dubravko Lapaine (didgeridoo), Ondřej Smeykal (didgeridoo), Ida Kelarova (vocal), Vl. Matoušek (shakuahachi). Performing life in projects like Kus Kus Klan, Duo Deshi, Deshane trio. As natural dancer is he instinctively expresing his pulsing grooves through the breath instruments that he masters on unprecedented level. Crashing usual perspective of musical genres and roles.

For 15 years is he already crafting didgeridoos and having classes of playing it.

 

My journey to didgeridoo

written by Lukas Pilnaj 2010

In 2001, I came across the didgeridoo for the first time. At the time I was looking for “my” instrument. I was attracted by the secret of music and the possibility its creationt. Above all, it were flutes and wind instruments that tempted myself for their direct interconnection with body through breath – a bridge between the two. And it was at that time, when a friend of mine showed me once in a tea room the purpose of those bamboo sticks that apparently were of no reasonable use. He started to play one of them with a short breath. I was captivated by the sound instantly and I knew I found what I’d been looking for and that this was my path forward. The sound was so powerful, so mysterious and yet somehow so intimate. Back then, I found the great Joy within me. Joy that created everything on this website aswell.

 
I immediately obtained a PVC pipe and started to explore the All hiding inside. After three days of constant playing, I realized I did not have to stop every time I inhaled – and that opened to me the great potential of the Didgeridoo. To learn “circular breathing” was so easy for me maybe because there was nobody around to assure me it was not.

After almost two years, during which I self-studied to play, I was convinced I evidently reached full potential, both mine and the instrument‘s. This illusion was luckily smashed by Ondřej Smeykal’s incredible sound performance during a concert in Ústí nad Labem. I realized something for the first time then and had to laugh to myself. I understood something I constantly keep to discover both when playing and when producing a didgeridoo. That is: potential of the didgeridoo is only as limited as the player’s imagination.
Shortly after this, I attended Ondřej Smeykal’s workshop where he opened my eyes and taught me techniques I would probably learn myself much later. Moreover, he inspired me with his humility, his persistance in going his own way, and his artistry.

I began learning to play full-time and sometimes I also played for an audience. Gradually, I found out my playing is pleasant to people listening around who encouraged me to play more. As the time passed, I performed more often publicly, either solo or improvising together with other musicians.
Nevertheless, I never felt the urge to become a “didgeridoo player” and to show off on stage. The fact I became one and I do it today is a consequence of my feeling that this is for me the happiest way of existence in our material world. This way allows me to spend all the time I want with the instrument, to go constantly through the process of creation and discovery, and hopefully also to bring people a little joy and inspiration I get from it.
In 2009, I had the honour to personally meet Djala Guruwivi and his family and to attend his workshop where he taught the traditional playing technique during his stay in Italy.

Important dates

1982 – first breath
2001 – discovering the didgeridoo. Hitchhiking around Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.
2002 – leaving the Faculty of Environment in Ústí nad Labem and consequent two-month hitchhiking to Turkey and Syria. First journey to the Kingdom of Norway to find a living.
2003 – studying the Shakuhachi, the Japanese Zen flute, under Vlastislav Matoušek (shakuhachi.cz).
A half-year journey around India and Nepal, studing classical vocal and tabla percussions.. Production of first didgeridoos. Attennding didgeridoo clasess of Ondřej Smeykal..
2004 – joining the band My mixture. The beginning of solo performing.
2005 – a half-year stay in the UK – Birmingham. Studying the Tabla (an Indian percussion instrument) under Niranjan Singh.
2007 – a four-month journey to India and Nepal. Studying the Tabla under Jaideeb Mukhardží. A project of production and import of Himalayan eucalypt didgeridoos.
Releasing the first solo CD - demo: D.I.D.G. Orchestra
2009 – founding the band Kus Kus Klan. The beginning of the musical project Deši- Two Breaths with Eva Žižkovská.
2010 – cooperation with drummer and multi-instrumentalist Pavel Pavlíček.

2011- released debut album of Duo Deši - two breaths
2013 - released second album of Duo Deši - Opilon,taking clasess of singing led by Ida Kelarová.
2014 - start of new music project Deshane trio - together with norwegian singer Ane Bjerkan and clarinet player Eva Pilnaj Žižkovska
2015 - released debut album of Deshane trio
2018 - attending didgeridoo masterclasses of Dubravko Lapaine

2019 - estabilshed brass band Merbo Trubky where L. Pilnaj plays Tuba

2020 - set up project Jorba. Duo with Jakub Čapka a sitar-surbahar player, contemporary presentation of indian clasiccal raag where didgeridoo take a role of harmonic tampura and tabla percussions