One of the leader artist of the Budapest underground scene, Andras Toth, will perform at Club Tunnel on February 11. His music is described as somewhere between well-tuned soulful techno and contemporary classical music. Alphahouse Records famous artist, has also producing for Note Records, New Canada, Little Helpers, and on his own label, Akkult.
We had an opportunity to talk with him and he gave us interesting answers about his brilliant career, future plans and more!
Hey Andras! First of all, thanks for your time!
For the begin, how and when did you start to be interested for profession you do?
First when I was 6 years old, when my parents decided to put me down into the Bartók Béla Music School of Békéscsaba, where I officialy started to learn piano.
Second, was in 2003 when I lived in London for a year, doing waiter jobs, etc.,’life-skool’ – and during that time i became a huge fan of the Fabric Club and addicted to go there every weekend to listen to the finests, what really inspirated me to buy the first decks and lots of vinyls mostly in the Soho’s Recordstores. Then I moved back to Budapest and in half year decided to quit the technical university in exchange for start being a dj and techno producer.
Third point was the releasing of my first vinyl in Berlin, 2007, under the name of Polymorphin, with the Goliard EP, made together with my dj partner, Nora.
I think these were the three most important milestones in the early musical carrier, and on my way of to be interested in becoming a real musician and dj.
What or who inspired you to build your unique music style?
First my mum, who’s still a music teacher in my born city and she played on piano. Then my engineer dad, who played on violin in his early life.
And the artisty way and taste of both my half-musician sisters through all my musical life they are really inspiring me.
We listened lots of folk music, rhymed tales, classical concerts, movie soundtracks and early electronica, all on vinyls like Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett, Dire Straits, Kraftwerk and so on. Then I falled in love with new electronic music from 1999, and listened lots of techno, breaks, experiment or progressive house musics like Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, James Holden, James Lavelle, Derrick May, John Digweed, the Global Underground series or Distinctive Breaks and Marine Parade labels. Also Autechre, Aphex Twin and Plastikman effected me a lot in those times.
I was 22, when started to give solo concerts mostly in Budapest, and playing, composing improvisational piano music by the effects of the twenties century’s minimalists like Steve Reich, La Monte Young, Terry Riley or John Cage, but still some of my favs are from the movie soundtrack composers, like Jon Brion or Thomas Newman.
Special books from Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and some fairy tales with native American Indian stories deepened me a bit into the psychedelic culture as well during my grammar school years what finally flared my mind out for the following times how to know myself and how to find my musical colours for djing, and composing, in real in the moment. All those experiences were true and unique inspirations for my musical taste and for my way of thinking about the life.
Also learned how to keep the way, wherein I always can flow onto the way how to know myself and then translate my life experiences into my favourite sounds and ryhtms.
Trying to be always in the present and being in unconditional love, and with every friends, all persons and every little things around your body and mind, keeping the balance between your wit and heart, and practicizing how to switch more and more easily between these in your moments. It builds my life and that is continuously creating my musical taste again and again on every days.
Tell us a story behind collaboration with Alphahouse Records? How did that affect your further career?
I started to get in connect with Andrew Rasse in 2006 as sending my demo tracks to his email address what actually read on the cover of my first favourite Alpha vinyls. After three years keep sending of demos and being in musician friendship he finally released my first solo EP, called ‘US’ (Alphahouse17). And i was really on high and happiness in my soul about being a part of a north-american underground vinyl techno label in 2010. A label, what is still can keep to be true and underground on this all techno scene still after 10 years and after the 43th release.
Think I got invited to play more times only because of this fact, got gigs in Paris, Moscow, Berlin, Barcelona and on some different big festivals on those summer seasons. Andrew always helped me to choose between my unreleased tracks and styles, and he always inspirates me with his professional works with his labels, (also the LittleHelpers esteblished with Sean Someone Else), songs and his words, mixes and his way of musical thinking, about like how to continue it all the time.
We still keep in touch in email nowadays as well, slowly plan the next collaboration and we also plan to meet again in real after years, maybe during his EU tour this summer, but i plan to travel since years and it also can happen that I’ll go the States this year.
Also, you own your label, Akkult. Can you tell us more about this project? Are you planning some new realeses, collaborations?
Since my first Alphahouse vinyl I had got the label idea about discovering the works of young djs, producers, who with i met during the years. Also, I got lots of cool demos, promos, what I always think it needed to be released on vinyl format if possible. These were early plans, but i haven’t found the good options and atmosphere for that yet. Only until 2015, when i met with a really good friend and partner, David Toth-Almasi, who is the Contra Mundum actually and became the boss of Corvin Club nowadays. After some months of our friendship we established the Akkult label in 2015 together. The label’s name is from the crossings of the „acculturate“ and ‘occult’ words.
Basically it’s a limited soulful techno vinyl imprint yet, what actually concentrates to collect the finest forward-thinking young, upcoming producers and djs, by the musical taste of David and me.
Our third Akkult release is just came out some weeks ago, it called ‘5000 Moments’ by Julia Govor, with a rethinking of me for the song ‘Mathew I Got your shakers’.
The next release probably will be a Various Artists Vol.2 serie, and presents the latest selection from different artists in 4-5 tracks.
Our third Akkult release is just came out some weeks ago, it is called ‘5000 Moments’ by Julia Govor, with a rethinking of me for the song ‘Mathew I Got your shakers’.
5 tracks you can always come back to?
Steve Reich – Music for 18 Musicians
Terry Riley – The Harp of New Albion
John Cage – 4’33
Pink Floyd – Ummagumma
Kraftwerk – Computer World
You performed in Serbia earlier. How do you remember it? And what can the audience expect this time?
Yes, once, it was one of the best outdoor techno party of the last year for me with full of true souls around! Thanks a lot to Vuk & Runy and the CMOK group who organized it, basically somewhere in the dark forests of north- Serbia with 300 people. It was a kind of real true musical séance with free and happy faces all around. We went there with some good friends, Delay (Deepfields), and we all were amazed about that night and the fairlytale-styled place!
I really would like to show those ‘holy’ moments again under the roof of Club Tunnel, Novi Sad!
