Do you remember your first musical endeavors?
My father was playing guitar, and I tried to study it. I even went to guitar courses, acoustic guitar. But there wasn’t any success with that, because I was too young. I guess I was too jumpy kind of guy to sit down and learn the guitar. That is not for me. I went to karate instead. And basketball.
What was after that?
When I was 12 years old, my family moved to another district, and I met a guy living there called Martin, also known as S Olbricht. We started to hang out together, and he got me into music. Martin was into Metalheadz drum and bass and breakcore, which I immediately got addicted to. Then we discovered Discogs.com, and our brain turned into a musical library after a few years of listening to all kinds of records.
Do you remember your first musical endeavors?
My father was playing guitar, and I tried to study it. I even went to guitar courses, acoustic guitar. But there wasn’t any success with that, because I was too young. I guess I was too jumpy kind of guy to sit down and learn the guitar. That is not for me. I went to karate instead. And basketball.
What was after that?
When I was 12 years old, my family moved to another district, and I met a guy living there called Martin, also known as S Olbricht. We started to hang out together, and he got me into music. Martin was into Metalheadz drum and bass and breakcore, which I immediately got addicted to. Then we discovered Discogs.com, and our brain turned into a musical library after a few years of listening to all kinds of records.
We were really into everything - from techno and breakcore to noise music and black metal, stoner doom, as well as field recording artists and early electronic music. We listened to so much music that we could close our eyes and tell the catalog number of almost any record we had, picked at random.
We were really into everything - from techno and breakcore to noise music and black metal, stoner doom, as well as field recording artists and early electronic music. We listened to so much music that we could close our eyes and tell the catalog number of almost any record we had, picked at random.
Unfortunately many of these are gone from my memory. Anyway, then Martin got music making software from someone, and somehow we started making tracks.
What did your first efforts look like?
We didn’t have much equipment. We both had a desktop PC, some midi controllers, and other toys. None of us really had money to buy any music equipment, we were kids. But we were fascinated by the editing capabilities of the computer and were really into NI Reaktor’s instruments, so we were happy with our setup. Those years were really nice, and our skills developed so quickly, as we had been making music almost every single day, constantly exchanging tracks.
Unfortunately many of these are gone from my memory. Anyway, then Martin got music making software from someone, and somehow we started making tracks.
What did your first efforts look like?
We didn’t have much equipment. We both had a desktop PC, some midi controllers, and other toys. None of us really had money to buy any music equipment, we were kids. But we were fascinated by the editing capabilities of the computer and were really into NI Reaktor’s instruments, so we were happy with our setup. Those years were really nice, and our skills developed so quickly, as we had been making music almost every single day, constantly exchanging tracks.
I know that in addition to producing, you and Martin have also thrown parties and were releasing zines. How did that start?
I have a friend painter Gergő Szinyova. We met in an underground station when Martin and I were on the way to Mr. Ozio concert. Martin knew him before, and he introduced me. So it was a long night, and then we started to hang out together. Gergő was studying painting at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. And it was pretty nice because they had a vast studio, like a really huge one and all white. Gergő organized these houseparty-like events and invited us to play, and the name of the party series was the room number of their studio - 214. And yeah, it was really great because everyone who was studying at the Univ came to the party. Not random people, but friends came.
We continued making parties and then figured out that we wanted to do something like a fanzine. Martin and I made music on CDs attached to the fanzine inside, and Gergő made drawings. Self-releasing and collaborating with someone from other discipline felt really fresh and inspirational.
It seems that the community is an important thing for you. How are things now? You tour a lot and perform outside the country. Do you feel involved in the local scene?
I think you cannot decide if you are a part of any scene or not; it happens naturally. I think if you don't promote some crew or group in your city, but you play abroad and shed light on the city or those guys, I think it is even bigger support, isn't it? I don't go out in Budapest every night to DJ because instead I like to focus on making music at home. I think I’m involved with the local scene somehow in a different way than being out in clubs and playing all the time.
Don't you think a local scene can provide many opportunities for you as an artist?
I know what you mean, but sometimes it is like you get a ‘package’. Because there is a scene that already figured out what it is about, there is a direction, background. And you have to use that background, reflect that background, which is nice, but if you want to do something different, you have to isolate yourself from these things, I think.
So, you isolated yourself?
When I want to work on music I like to isolate myself for a few weeks to be able to focus.
But generally speaking I don't like to go to the same places every second night, see the same people, talk about the same things when nothing happens actually.
I know that in addition to producing, you and Martin have also thrown parties and were releasing zines. How did that start?
I have a friend painter Gergő Szinyova. We met in an underground station when Martin and I were on the way to Mr. Ozio concert. Martin knew him before, and he introduced me. So it was a long night, and then we started to hang out together. Gergő was studying painting at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. And it was pretty nice because they had a vast studio, like a really huge one and all white. Gergő organized these houseparty-like events and invited us to play, and the name of the party series was the room number of their studio - 214. And yeah, it was really great because everyone who was studying at the Univ came to the party. Not random people, but friends came.
We continued making parties and then figured out that we wanted to do something like a fanzine. Martin and I made music on CDs attached to the fanzine inside, and Gergő made drawings. Self-releasing and collaborating with someone from other discipline felt really fresh and inspirational.
It seems that the community is an important thing for you. How are things now? You tour a lot and perform outside the country. Do you feel involved in the local scene?
I think you cannot decide if you are a part of any scene or not; it happens naturally. I think if you don't promote some crew or group in your city, but you play abroad and shed light on the city or those guys, I think it is even bigger support, isn't it? I don't go out in Budapest every night to DJ because instead I like to focus on making music at home. I think I’m involved with the local scene somehow in a different way than being out in clubs and playing all the time.
Don't you think a local scene can provide many opportunities for you as an artist?
I know what you mean, but sometimes it is like you get a ‘package’. Because there is a scene that already figured out what it is about, there is a direction, background. And you have to use that background, reflect that background, which is nice, but if you want to do something different, you have to isolate yourself from these things, I think.
So, you isolated yourself?
When I want to work on music I like to isolate myself for a few weeks to be able to focus.
But generally speaking I don't like to go to the same places every second night, see the same people, talk about the same things when nothing happens actually.
Tell me about Unfold. It seems to be fairly different from your previous works - more dancy and club-focused. Does this mean that you have chosen a new direction for yourself?
I think there is a strong connection between my early works and Unfold. The sound palette derives from my early works and even if those works weren’t really danceable, it was still some kind of techno thing for me. Unfold is a different result of a similar attitude and similar music making tools and instruments. It’s like trying to understand something from a different perspective.
So Unfold is the way you feel right now.
Yes, absolutely. Unfold is how I want to think about music in the next few years.
You've said that Unfold fully reflected your past experience and development. What was that experience?
Unfold is more of a danceable thing. It's just good to go back to my roots and apply my stuff to the music styles I grew up on. Unfold is a techno album, I think.
Tell me about Unfold. It seems to be fairly different from your previous works - more dancy and club-focused. Does this mean that you have chosen a new direction for yourself?
I think there is a strong connection between my early works and Unfold. The sound palette derives from my early works and even if those works weren’t really danceable, it was still some kind of techno thing for me. Unfold is a different result of a similar attitude and similar music making tools and instruments. It’s like trying to understand something from a different perspective.
So Unfold is the way you feel right now.
Yes, absolutely. Unfold is how I want to think about music in the next few years.
You've said that Unfold fully reflected your past experience and development. What was that experience?
Unfold is more of a danceable thing. It's just good to go back to my roots and apply my stuff to the music styles I grew up on. Unfold is a techno album, I think.
When I started to work on the tracks, my first rule was that I wasn't going to make straight kick drums with hi-hats in between them. I do like that very much, but there's already so much of it, so why would I make more?
When I started to work on the tracks, my first rule was that I wasn't going to make straight kick drums with hi-hats in between them. I do like that very much, but there's already so much of it, so why would I make more?
So I wanted to make club music without the conventional arrangements. And I wanted to use my trademark sound on the drums - those curly basses and metallic tones.
I think it works on multiple levels as it can be enjoyed in a club setting but also in solitary as the arrangement is so delightful. Speaking with friends who have seen you perform Unfold live with visuals as accompaniment, they've all remarked how exciting the show was. Does this interaction between sound and visuals affect your approach to production at all?
I think it's very important how you put on a show on stage; the quality of the whole production of the performance, and the underlying idea behind how you use the venue and space around you. And how the audience is moved out of their comfort zone. That is a crucial part. In 2015, I was an artist in residence at the House of Electronic Arts in Basel, and I was working with LED lights to make an installation. And then, when making the Unfold live set, I had this idea for the new show, and I developed my own thing in Max/MSP through which my sounds trigger the lights.
What are you up to at the moment?
Sure, I'm working on a new album, which will be the continuation of Unfold both musically and visually. I want to finish it by the end of this year and release it next year. I played some new tracks at the live shows recently, people went crazy.
So I wanted to make club music without the conventional arrangements. And I wanted to use my trademark sound on the drums - those curly basses and metallic tones.
I think it works on multiple levels as it can be enjoyed in a club setting but also in solitary as the arrangement is so delightful. Speaking with friends who have seen you perform Unfold live with visuals as accompaniment, they've all remarked how exciting the show was. Does this interaction between sound and visuals affect your approach to production at all?
I think it's very important how you put on a show on stage; the quality of the whole production of the performance, and the underlying idea behind how you use the venue and space around you. And how the audience is moved out of their comfort zone. That is a crucial part. In 2015, I was an artist in residence at the House of Electronic Arts in Basel, and I was working with LED lights to make an installation. And then, when making the Unfold live set, I had this idea for the new show, and I developed my own thing in Max/MSP through which my sounds trigger the lights.
What are you up to at the moment?
Sure, I'm working on a new album, which will be the continuation of Unfold both musically and visually. I want to finish it by the end of this year and release it next year. I played some new tracks at the live shows recently, people went crazy.