Budapest indie music scene

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Budapest indie music scene was the indie music scene of Budapest, Hungary in the 2000s. It was often associated with bands like Amber Smith, [1] The Moog, [2] EZ Basic [3] and We Are Rockstars.

Contents

History

Beginnings

The Puzzle, one of the early birds of the Hungarian indie generation The Puzzle.jpg
The Puzzle, one of the early birds of the Hungarian indie generation

The early 2000s was the revival of the indie music scene all over the world, which affected Hungary as well. One of the earliest Hungarian band playing indie rock were The Puzzle from Kaposvár. They were the first band whose record, entitled Dream Your Life, was released by an international label, PolyGram in 2000.

Successes

EZ Basic Ez basic new.jpg
EZ Basic

On 10 March 2006, Amber Smith's third studio album, RePRINT , was released by the German Kalinkaland Records. [4] [5] The album included the song Hello Sun which brought the band international recognition.

On 10 April 2007, The Moog's first full-length studio album Sold for Tomorrow was released by the American label MuSick. [6] [7] The song I Like You brought international success for the band.

On 18 February 2008, Amber Smith's fourth studio album was released entitled Introspective. The album included songs like Introspective, Select All/Delete All, and Coded. [8]

On 21 July 2009, The Moog's second studio album was released entitled Razzmatazz Orfeum . [9] [10] The first single, You Raised A Vampire, was released in colored vinyl 7" with stunning artwork by Gris Grimly. The 7" also includes a B-side cover of the Bauhaus classic The Passion Of Lovers featuring Bauhaus/Love and Rockets bassist/vocalist David J, who became a fan of the band after seeing them perform in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California in 2008. The video for You Raised A Vampire was shot in the same gothic building where the first Underworld movie was made in Budapest, Hungary where.

The 2010s saw the emergence of new indie bands such as Carbovaris [11] and Bastiaan, [12] which is the side-project of The Moog singer Tamás Szabó.

Decline

The decline of the Hungarian indie started in the 2010s, although the most notable bands such as Amber Smith, The Moog and EZ Basic did not disband. From the 2010s two new bands, Carbovaris and Fran Palermo, started to take over the Hungarian indie scene, however, with moderate success. These bands did not attract such a big audience as Amber Smith or The Moog could in the mid 2000s. The decline can also be attributed to the fact that Imre Poniklo started several projects in the 2010s, such as The Poster Boy, SALT III., and Krapulax & Bellepomme. Therefore, one of the most important bands did not play at concerts which lower their popularity. In addition, the Indie rock genre also experienced a decline all over the world which obviously affected the Hungarian indie scene.

On 10 April 2012 The Moog released their third studio album entitled Seasons in the Underground produced by Ken Scott [13] [14] [15] followed by US tour with bands like B-52s and David Lane. [16] The Moog concentrated on their US carrier with moderate success.

On 21 April 2012 Amber Smith released their fifth studio album entitled Amber Smith . [17] Although Poniklo claimed that this record is one of the best ones among the previous releases, the band did not achieve those sorts of successes as with the previous records.

Notable bands and artists

Trivia

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Moog were a Hungarian indie rock band based in Budapest, Hungary formed in 2004. The group is noted for being the first in the region to be signed to an American record label. The band consists of members Tamás Szabó, Gergő Dorozsmai, Ádám Bajor (guitar), Gergő György (guitar) and Csaba Szabó. The Moog have been compared to bands The Strokes and The Hives and dubbed "Hungary's hottest new export".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EZ Basic</span>

EZ Basic is a guitar-pop, indie-rock project based in Budapest, Hungary formed in 2004. It started out as an experimental bedroom project in the early 00s and is noted for being one of the most eclectic bands of the Budapest indie music scene.

Amber Smith are a Hungarian pop trio based in Budapest, Hungary formed in 2000 by Imre Poniklo. The band's current line-up is Imre Poniklo, Oleg Zubkov a.k.a. Tooff (bass) and Bence Bátor (drums). Amber Smith were one of the most prominent groups of the Budapest indie music scene in the 2000s.

<i>Razzmatazz Orfeum</i> 2009 studio album by The Moog

Razzmatazz Orfeum is the second studio album recorded by The Moog. The album was produced by Geoff Ott and recorded in Seattle, Washington, The United States. The first single, You Raised A Vampire, was released in colored vinyl 7" with stunning artwork by Gris Grimly. The 7" also includes a B-side cover of the Bauhaus classic The Passion Of Lovers featuring Bauhaus/Love and Rockets bassist/vocalist David J, who became a fan of the band after seeing them perform in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California in 2008. The video for You Raised A Vampire was shot in the same gothic building where the first Underworld movie was made in Budapest, Hungary where.

<i>Seasons in the Underground</i> 2012 studio album by The Moog

Seasons in the Underground is the third studio album recorded by The Moog. The album was recorded at the London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington, and was mixed at the Total Access Recording in Redondo Beach, California, except tracks 1, 3, 7, 10 at the Bay 7 Studios in Los Angeles, California. The album was produced by Ken Scott, except tracks 1, 3, 7, 10 by Jun Murakawa.

"Hello Sun" is a song by the Hungarian indie rock band Amber Smith. It is the second track and lead single from the band's third album, RePRINT (2005), released on CD single by Kalinkaland Records and on vinyl by Phoebe Records. Written by Imre Poniklo, the song uses a verse-chorus form.

Imre Poniklo is a musician, best known as the lead singer, songwriter, lyricist and guitarist of Amber Smith. He is also a solo artist under the name Poniklo. As a singer, Poniklo's voice lies in the baritone range.

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The Poster Boy is a Hungarian indie rock band from Budapest, Hungary. The band's line-up consists of Imre Poniklo from the Budapest-based indie-rock band Amber Smith, Noel R. Mayer from the alternative rock band, The Walrus, and Michael Zwecker from the Pécs-based alternative rock band Kispál és a borz plus Zoltán Fehér "Szegecs". The band members decided to form a band while chatting about the Hungarian indie scene in a bar in Budapest. In a couple of months they wrote several songs which were recorded in late 2011.

The Trousers are a Hungarian indie-garage rock band based in Budapest, Hungary. Their second LP Soul Machine was nominated as "The best hard rock/HM album of the year" in Hungary. They are most noted internationally for their songs used in Hawaii Five-O in the United States.

György Ligeti is a Hungarian indie musician, record producer, best known as the lead singer, songwriter, lyricist and guitarist of the indie rock band We Are Rockstars, and the disbanded The Puzzle. He is also the singer and guitarist of the Hungarian electro band, Žagar. He is not related to the avant-garde classical composer of the same name, György Ligeti (1923–2006).

<i>Modern</i> (Amber Smith album) 2015 studio album by Amber Smith

Modern is the sixth studio album recorded by Amber Smith. The album was released on 6 April 2015 by the German Kalinkaland Records. This was the first record with guitarist Tamás Faragó and bassist Oleg Zubkov. This was the first record without former Amber Smith bass guitarist Oszkár Ács.

Tamás Szabó is a musician best-known as the lead singer, songwriter, lyricist, and keyboardist of The Moog.

Oszkár Ács is a musician, best known as the bass guitarist of Amber Smith.

Carbovaris were a short-lived Hungarian indie rock band based in Budapest, Hungary, formed in 2009. The band consisted of members Ármin Jamak (vocals), Dániel Nyitray (bass), Soma Balázs (guitars), Zsombor Lehoczky (drums).

Ármin Jamak is a Hungarian indie musician, best known as the lead singer of the Hungarian indie band Carbovaris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bence Bátor</span> Musical artist

Bence Bátor is a Hungarian musician, best known as session drummer and the drummer of the Hungarian indie band Amber Smith and "Frenk" and "ABBA Tribute Show" and also of "Bowies Keep Swinging", a David Bowie tribute band and in other projects. Bátor has been pursuing a modeling and commercial acting career in Hungary and worldwide.

Tamás Mórocz is a Hungarian indie musician, best known as the lead singer of the Hungarian indie band Jacked and Bermuda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamás Faragó (musician)</span> Musical artist

Tamás Faragó is a musician, best known as the lead guitarist of Amber Smith and We Are Rockstars.

References

  1. ↑ "Amber Smith Official Website". ambersmith.hu. 1 February 2012. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "The Moog Official Website". moog.hu. 1 February 2012.
  3. ↑ "EZ Basic Official Website". ezbasic.hu. 1 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-08-14. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
  4. ↑ "Kalinkaland Records". Kalinkaland records. 25 March 2006. Archived from the original on 23 June 2005. Retrieved 26 March 2006.
  5. ↑ "Amber smith - rePRINT". DISCOGS. 25 March 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2006.
  6. ↑ Allmusic review
  7. ↑ PopMatters review
  8. ↑ "EST review". Archived from the original on 2015-01-02. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
  9. ↑ "The Moog - Razzmatazz Orfeum". The Red Alert. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  10. ↑ "The Moog - Razzmatazz Orfeum". Indieball. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  11. ↑ "Carbovaris Official Website". carbovaris.com. 2 April 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  12. ↑ "Baastian at Bandcamp". bandcamp.com. 2 April 2012.
  13. ↑ "The Moog - Seasons In The Underground". Allmusic. 10 April 2012.
  14. ↑ "The Moog - Seasons In The Underground". L.A. Record. 10 April 2012. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  15. ↑ "The Moog - Seasons In The Underground". PopMatters. 10 April 2012.
  16. ↑ "The Moog In The USA". Recorder. 9 October 2012.
  17. ↑ "Amber Smith: Amber smith". Recorder. 21 February 2012.
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