A38 ship monthly progrAmmemarch 2016free

with calendar

inside

After breaking up sneaker pimps, Chris Corner remained on the industrial synthwave scene and formed iAmX. the englishman who spent several years in Berlin moved to los Angeles last year, and released the project’s latest album metanoia in october. now it’s

time for a hungarian concert: iAmX are returning to the A38 ship for yet another spectacular seance with such dark anthems as Kiss And swallow, nightlife, spit it out, Volatile times and of course the latest gloomy hits from the new album. interview on page 4.

iamXmetanoia

emancipator

monster magnet /// carl Palmer Band /// hacktivist /// the Best Bad trip Kistehén /// Fresh Out of the Bus /// dan terminus /// cloud 9+Gost /// Parno Graszt /// skywalker /// the Oscillation /// the devil’s trade

2 32taxiwars selah sue3 3Perturbator tricot

hiGhliGhts2

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formed in the northeastern hungarian village paszab in 1987, parno graszt count as one of the most important hungarian gypsy folk bands who have also become quite well-known on an international level as well. the group is attending the qualifying program titled A Dal for the eurovision Contest on hungarian tV, which means that they’re becoming more and more a kind of a household brand.

Parno Graszt

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tom Barman is best known as the frontman of legendary Belgian rock band deUs, but he also has another project, taxiWars, the name of which touches upon an up-to-date topic. Unlike deUs, taxiWars are a jazz quartet, and the line-up includes young saxophone star tom Verheyen as well. the songs often provide a dark soundtrack atmosphere, and you also find elements of hip hop in them, not to mention the swing influences full of dancey grooves. interview on page 9.

pesti estek

taxiwars (Be),

the Best Bad trip

carl Palmer Band (UK)

hacktivist (UK),

Orient Fall

seattle singer-songwriter thomas Jefferson Cowgill aka King Dude has been building his own dark and special world of blues, rock and roll and Americana since the early 2010s. he’s sometimes referred to as the occult version of nick Cave. “i wanted to make the scariest music that i was capable of”, he says about his 2014 album fear, which includes a duet with Chelsea Wolfe. King Dude is coming to hungary with his latest output songs of flesh & Blood. interview on page 5.

King dude (Us), the devil’s trade

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legendary drummer Carl palmer is arguably the most active member of the now defunct classic prog-trio emerson, lake & palmer. elp were one of the first bands to mix rock and classical music, and palmer’s contribution to their legacy is beyond question. he’s been touring with an elp program for a few years now, and on this night, he’s returning to the A38 ship with a trio formation: the line-up is augmented by paul Bielatowicz on guitar and simon fitzpatrick on bass.

they’ve visited Budapest recently and now they’re returning: five-piece hacktivist supported enter shikari here in october, and now they’re coming back for their headline show to present their first proper album outside the Box, the release date of which is march 4. the songs blend hC, metal, hip hop and electronica. opening act is local hC/metal outfit orient fall. interview on page 8.

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Born in America in 1987, Doug Appling aka emancipator is one of the most emblematic figures of today’s downtempo scene. his heroes are DJ shadow and Bonobo, and his music is a fine melancholy mixture of hip hop, trip hop and ambient, sometimes using classical string and wood instruments. emancipator, who hasn’t performed in hungary before, released three longplayers last year: a concert album, a remix album of his earlier work Dusk to Dawn, and a studio album titled seven seas.

noises from the neighborhood

emancipator(1320 records/Us),

ages (At)08 20.00

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please note that visitors of A38 ship consent to their filming and sound recording as members of the audience.By entering the ship you agree to being filmed or photographed which may be used for public broadcast or promotional purposes.

hacktivist (UK),

Orient Fall

on this night, new Jersey stoner rock band monster magnet present a comprehensive guide to the period they spent under the wings of the major record label A&m. they made four albums there from 1993 to 2001, which means that at this concert, we will be able to headbang to such legendary anthems as twin earth, Dopes to infinity, space lord or melt. And many more, of course.

We’re always happy to welcome a returning guest to the ship, because if someone comes back after playing here not so long ago, it means that both the artist and the audience had a good time. Belgian soul singer selah sue played a memorable concert on the A38 last year, after which she also performed at the sziget festival. now she’s back, and we can be sure that the atmosphere will be just as good as last year. or perhaps even better.

three mysterious electronic artists, a kind of holy trinity from the terrains of synthwave-darkwave. perturbator is already a cult act, and he’s often referred to be half human / half synthesizer. his followers are Dan terminus, whose hit-laden performances include lots of irony and spectacular visuals, and gost from michigan, operating with brutally distorted basses and death/black/goth me-tal elements in his appearance.

A38 night/lifefrankofón fesztivál

Perturbator (fr), dan terminus (fr), Gost (Us)

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An uncontrolled feeling of liberty, with simple, but great, catchy and authentic rock & roll: mystery gang present what rock and roll must have been like in the 50s in its most credible, elemental and rudimentary form - they certainly count as niche on the local scene. fronting the band, péter egri is without a doubt the most authentic rockabilly dude this country has ever produced.

mystery Gang, the stinky rodders

tricot (Jp), Fresh Out of theBus (sK), rosa Parks

An amazingly special band that is very popular in its home country and performs math rock songs with effortless playfulness: tricot are already working on taking on europe. the music blogs love them, and noted British magazine nme has written an introductory article about them. on this night, they receive support from slovakian trio fresh out of the Bus, who play indie pop-rock with a touch of electronica.

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After ozric tentacles and Wooden shjips, here’s another band that blends psychedelia, shoegaze, krautrock, space rock and experimental electronica. oscillation are a four-piece, they were formed ten years ago and this will be their first ever hungarian concert. support comes from local outfit puma Danger and Austrian shoegaze band molly.

noises from the neighborhood

the Oscillation (UK),

Puma danger, molly (At)

selah sue (Be),

ethnofil

monster magnet (Us)

celebrating the a&mYears live

interview4

iamX is a full-on aural and visual attack with the dynamic and inimitable musician and songwriter chris corner (of sneaker Pimps) leading the charge. last year, he returned with his sixth album, metanoia, full of synth-based, darkness-infused electro-pop – and the tour promoting it reaches Budapest too. Before the concert, we talked with chris about influences, crowdfunding, depression and other things.

You’ve already performed on the a38 ship five years ago. what kind of memories do you have about that concert?i remember it being very hot, very intense, very cool, sexy and sweaty. i liked the boat very much, it was a very unique show at a very unique location. i loved it.

You’ve been making music for a very long time – how do you think you have grown as an artist?hm, the main issue with art is that you get to a point when you realise that it’s endless. there’s always something to learn, there’s always something to improve and once you come to terms with that, when you let go of your perfectionism, you can really enjoy it more. recently, with this new record, i think it’s the first time that i actually learned to like what i do. in the past, it’s been like an impour, like a curse, you know – art as something like i just have to do. But recently, i’ve started to enjoy it more, and i think that it comes with a lot of experience, and knowing what my strengths and weaknesses are.

Jamie stewart of Xiu Xiu once said to me that the hardest part of his career as a musician was admitting that music was hurting him. did you also have to admit that to yourself?that’s a very good question! About two years ago, i fell into a quite dark period and i started to think that music was my enemy. it was too overwhelming, too emotionally intense and it was making me very unstable. it brings such deep feelings, and it can also bring a lot of negativity; if you are reflecting on the world or humanity, it doesn’t help in being positive or loving other people. it can be quite a destructive force, in that sense, if you are making this kind of music. But it’s a thing you can get out of and i feel that i’ve managed to take myself out of that. Because music is incredibly nourishing as well – i mean, you have to see it as a form of therapy, and i think it’s healthy in the end, even though it feels like destructive sometimes. And i’ve come to terms with that now.this record, metanoia, is specifically about living with mental illness and depression and all of the issues and struggles coming with that.

the fact that on metanoia you sing about your battle with chronic insomnia and depression – did it make the work on the album more cathartic or more difficult?it wasn’t difficult. in fact, it was easier than most of my other albums, because everything was quite clear, the message was very clear to me. i felt like most of the difficult psychological work has been done in the therapy that i had during the recovery, when i was getting out of that illness. so, i dealt with the issues by the time i was writing the record, so it was like telling a story…it wasn’t hard. it was easier than any other record that i’ve done.

You’ve said in an interview that you listened to a lot of music you loved as a child when you were working on metanoia. could you name a few of them?When i was a child, i listened to a lot of mainstream of course, as we all do, but specifically, i always got back to the records of David sylvian. What i liked about him is the fact, that he always stayed very unique, very independent, he was never interested in the commercial world. he also talked about very personal psychological issues and i could so connect with that! it just also reminded me of the positive feeling as a child, when you listen to music or become interested in music. it’s all very light and exciting and positive – and i wanted to remember, how that felt. so, i did play those records and it helped me to feel good about music again. i think when you make a lot of music and you work in music for a long time, you become kind of numb. numb to music, and it becomes some kind of a functional thing, that you just do. so, going back to the beginning and listening to that stuff really helped me to get back to being positive about making music again.

was it david sylvian’s effect that you wanted to go back to the very basics of iamX? Only you and a computer in a room, making music.it was very important to get back to the basics of why i started this project. to simplify the sounds, to take out the stress of trying to do complicated recordings and that kind of stuff. i wanted to avoid that. i wanted to go to the core and simplify the message. that’s why metanoia sounds more electronic than the previous records.

For the last two iamX albums, you’ve worked with Pledgemusic. do you see crowdfunding as the future for artists or just as a way to connect with your fans more directly?it’s just one part and i’m sure that it will change, it will develop. there seems to be no rules anymore – like the Wild West, you know. you can actually create your own music industry! it only depends on how you package it and put it together. We do a combination of ways; we take the pledge campaign and also work with an indie label and so on. pledge helps if you have a solid fanbase. it’s difficult if you don’t have a fanbase, i think, because that can be very discouraging. But if you have a healthy fanbase, it’s also very rewarding. so pledgemusic was a great thing to show us that people are still interested in us and want to support the project financially.

with metanoia, your live setup has changed. it became a bit more electronic – we based the live sound much more on the new album. there’s no guitars, it’s all synthesizer sequences, lots of visuals. i wanted it to be something you can totally lose yourself in. i think it’s a bit different to what it was before. We used to play a lot of slow songs, ballads and we don’t do that with this album. it’s more energetic and upbeat, more intense i think.

are there any songs on the album that you don’t consider playing live, because they are too personal or not appropriate for a live show?often with the live shows, you end up going for the energy, so the upbeat songs get played more instead of the emotional, downbeat ballads. so, what i’d like to do at some point is to do a tour that is only slow stuff. And just express. All of the songs people never get to hear in one tour.

a form of therapy // Chris Corner, iAmXinterVieW At

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iamX (UK)metanoia tour

interview 5

Pulling together the biblical sound and isolation of the bygone days of revelation with an atmosphere filled with hope and salvation, King dude has woven his own brand of american music. he brandishes many varied influences in his songwriting. everything from British folk, americana, country and blues can be heard in his songs. even the heavier sounds of heavy metal tend to sneak and slither their way into the King dude canon. the resulting songs are a lot more like modern day hymns than your average pop songs. we sat down with him to talk about drinking, religious records, and also hitler.

do you see King dude as an alter-ego or merely a stage name? if the first one, how does King dude differ from tJ cowgill?lately i’ve been obsessed with the crows that live in the tree outside the window of my apartment. As far as i can tell there’s a mated pair that have a nest in the tree and about four others that hang out with them that i think are all from the same family. i couldn’t sleep one night and as i was laying in bed i decided i should start feeding them so the next morning i went down to the roasted nut seller in the market and bought some shelled and unroasted peanuts. i put a few out there and waited. sure enough they started to eat from my window sill. i’ve fed them all kinds of things since then: eggs, pine nuts, cheese, blueberries, crackers, bread and more i can’t think of right now. Did you know that crows are as intelligent as some monkeys and the ones in the pacific northwest where i live can remember human faces? i’m hoping that they learn what i look like and remember me. they are still very skeptical of my intentions so they don’t stay at my window sill very long. i’m hoping that will change soon.

in what ways is King dude different from your other band, Book Of Black earth? what does this project give to you that BOBe doesn’t?the thing about music to me is that so often it is so very different from birds. Birds are for the most part silent and delicate, fragile and mysterious. they lack the noticeable rhythms and patterns we are accustomed to in music, well heavy metal music and birds couldn’t be more different in my opinion.

apart from playing in BOBe, you also did King dude shows where there was only you on the stage, or accompanied by a drummer – and for a short time, a King dude show featured a whole band. which would you say is your favorite stage setting?i like it all. i’m very blessed that i’ve been able to perform anyway whatsoever. When i’m not trying to transcend the concept of time, i spend my time transcending my fears and desires.

You’ve said in an interview that you use alcohol, whisky in particular as a method to perform. could you open up a bit more about that?Well, i drink a lot, i like to get drunk. i’ll probably die from drinking or an illness that comes along with that sort of lifestyle but until then i plan on being really good at drinking and using it to make music and enjoy life. i have the proper constitution for it. i’m built like a viking but in my mind i see myself as a very small person which helps when it comes to using a substance like alcohol. i have a hedonistic appetite for all vices in general: food, sex, wine - i love it all. Dionysus is my guide and glut is my specialty. lately though i really haven’t enjoyed beer as much so i’ve been laying it off.

Your music is usually described as dark and depressing, but you always say that you think of it as uplifting and light. is it because it has a spiritual, religious quality to you or simply you are cheered up by the darker side of things?i am a spiritual man, a man of god, but not yahweh or Allah or anything that resembles a demiurge. i am a man who owes his path to the god of light what i call lucifer who has no need for me, but i have a soul that needs to return home someday and i want to take as many of you with me as possible. music illuminates the path to salvation.

what made you chose the rune n (aka nauthiz) as a symbol for your band?i don’t know, i was simply drawn to it. i knew i wanted to use a rune and that runes themselves are powerful with connection of the mind and spirit. Carve a rune in your flesh to complete that trinity.

tell us about your fascination with cathars!i think sometimes i do an interview and say stuff about something like the

Cathars and people think i want to always talk about the Cathars but i really don’t. i go months, maybe even years without thinking of them so i would say i am far from fascinated with the Cathars. i would say i am fascinated with animals at the moment and specifically crows right now and more specifically with the crows that live in the tree outside my window.

Your fourth album, Fear, was a turning point because you wrote about yourself for the first time. what inspired this change?i probably ran out of other things to say.

also, you wanted Fear to be more accessible, more polished than your previous records. which sounds a bit strange if we add that you also wanted to make „the most horrifying music” you could. how would you define horror in terms of music?When i made fear i was taking a lot of prescription amphetamines. that stuff is huge here in the states. i was taking way more than i should’ve because i had a lot of things to get done and i knew Johnny Cash and the Beatles both had productive speed phases. i have no known mental disorders but i wanted my own prescriptions to these kind of drugs so i found a shrink with the worst reviews on yelp and i asked her to prescribe me three different kinds of drugs. it was really very easy. over there in eastern europe i hear you have purvatin. the guys in gallon Drunk were telling me all about it. i hear that’s what hitler was on, some real crazy nazi speed.

Fear’s two main lyrical topics are mirrors and telephones, which you find sinister objects. why?have you ever taken speed?

it was also your first solo album that was released through your record label, not Just religious music. tell us a bit more about it! where did its name come from? what can we expect from it in 2016?Well, i don’t just release religious records, although some are. it’s named that so i don’t displace a secular audience with my religious music.

You also run your own clothing label, actual Pain. would you say that – just like your duet partner, chelsea wolfe – dressing up in special clothes before the shows helps you get in the mood? Or it’s just another platform for your creativity?i started by making t-shirt designs and selling them to fancy shops in Japan. that has grown into the company it is today, with employees and shipping much more than shirts all over the world. i like making things that are nice that make people happy and i am pretty good at it so i will probably do things like this until i am dead.

music illuminates the path to salvationKing Dude interview

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King dude (Us) songs of flash & light: in the Key of

light album release-gigthe Devil’s trade

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restaurant manager attila nagy knows the big secrets of the a38 res-taurant: we asked him about trade secrets, professional lunches and his personal favorites.

what’s the most important thing for you in the a38 restaurant? if you were a guest, why would you come here?As someone who works here, but also as a guest, i can say that in this day and age, the intimate and relaxed atmosphere, in which you can feel at ease, you can loosen your tie and take off your jacket. When i see this at a business lunch, then i’m satisfied, because it goes to show that our guests make themselves at home here and feel comfortable with us. our clientele, most of whom work or live nearby, like to visit us around noon, because our lunch meals are popular - they consist of two courses and cost 1150 forints. our guests who visit the restaurant aren’t only served meals, but also an experience, because they come to a place where we expect them with concerts and exhibitions.

let us in on trade secrets: how do you freshen and renew the selection and menu of the restaurant from time to time? how does the brainstorming happen? what viewpoints do you take into consideration?the first and most important viewpoint when selecting our new menu or our monthly offer is the guest. We’re in a lucky position, because we have many returning guests who, with their perceptions, wishes and opinions, always help me with my work. seasonality is also very important, as we aim to purchase the freshest ingredients because they are tasty and flavorous. When we prepare to change the menu, we’re also influenced by changing trends, as we would like to remain among the top restaurants in Budapest.Compiling a menu requires a great deal of creativity and curiosity. the best part of the work is when we start to rehearse the cooking and serving of our new selection - that’s when the meals are pieced together in their final form. then we hide in our office and the least exciting part of our work begins: we finalize the recipes, make calculations and find a price for the new dishes.

do you have a favorite meal from the current menu?of course i do: the gambas pil-pil is a big favorite of mine. We put garlic and peeled tomatoes in cube-shapes into hot olive oil, we fry them

together and flavor them with fresh chili, salt and pepper. meanwhile we grill the prawn and place it in the tomato sauce, make it rest a little, and then it can be served with a little ruccola or fresh baguette.

what new meals and trends can we expect from the renewed spring and summer menu?our summer menu contains lighter meals which we prefer to eat when the weather is milder. We will have delicious salads, grilled fish and several other lighter dishes.

what specialties, programs, special offers do you recommend the regular and future guests of the a38 restaurants?it’s worth visiting our website, where you can always find out about our weekly meals, monthly offers and programs.

diningcity the a38 restaurant has received yet another invitation which we accept gladly: we are taking part in the nation-wide restaurant week by diningcity.

What you need to know about the event:

// the top restaurants of Budapest take part in the restaurant week; the curiosity of the event is that the participating locations offer a set of three meals for 3300 forints

// the gastroweek will be held from march 21 to 27

// you can book tables online only, through the website www.etteremhet.hu

// our special meal offer compiled exclusively for this week can be viewed on the website of our restaurant

a38 // Étterem

nyitva tartás:h-szo 11.00-23.00

Jegypénztár nyitva:h-p 8-18

Asztalfoglalás:telefon: (06 1) 464 39 46

etterem@a38.hu

akadémia38 has startedthe new semester of Akadémia38 started on february 20 with three courses. on the new course of the A38’s concert technique and motion picture school, students can learn concert sound engineering, lighting technique and motion picture production.

the students are facing a difficult period: the sound technician tuition is three semesters, the lighting technique and motion picture production is two semesters long, with hundreds of classes of theory and practice. As the A38 ship is one of the country’s best-equipped and most complex concert halls, television and motion picture production studios, the students of Akadémia38 are thrown into deep water. they receive a highly intensive practical training, after which they will be able to do well in almost any kind of concert or television situation.

collaboration with artlocator - extended reality on the A38 shipfrom march we are offering new and unique content at the entrance of the A38 ship. Collaborating with Artlocator, a magazine well-known in the world of contemporary fine art and fashion in Budapest, we are placing special posters at the entrance. reading the poster with a smartphone app, you can get hold of extra and exclusive content.

look for the posters with the headpieces at the entrance of the A38! With the help of the Ar function, videos, gifs and background information will be available for you. you will be able to find the Artlocator Ar not only on the ship, but also at trafó and other locations in Budapest.

the devil’s tradesoon on vinyl, released by the A38Although the A38 ship has been releasing records almost from the beginning (albums of lőrinc Barabás, Wattican punk Ballet, the random trip DVDs, among others), the label department is starting a special undertaking this year. the new album of the excellent singer-songwriter Dávid makó, who performs under the name the Devil’s trade, will be released on vinyl.

the album, titled those miles We Walked Alone, will include older and newer recordings, and the concert and interview film that was made on the A38 on march 2 can be downloaded as a special extra with a code attached to the al-bum. the release received financial support from the Cseh tamás program.

news

creativity and curiosity // Attila nagy, A38 restaurant

PictUre OF the mOnth

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after his legacy exhibition that filled the whole műcsarnok in 2013, one of hungary’s most original, noted and internationally beloved artists presented his most compact and colorful works on the a38 ship. Using his own layering method, he created fantastic pictures that are very rich in detail. in his series titled second hand countryside, he builds his poesy from the seemingly gray everyday life where new life stems from every pore, and it all becomes fine art of the highest level. due to the increased interest, we extended the length of the exhibition until March 20.

At the opening of his exhibition second hand Countryside, Bukta developed further a performance he presented four years ago.

While the Barefoot musicians (Zsolt Bartek - clarinet, Éva Bodrogi - vocals, Katalin Koltai - guitar) performed the contemporary cover version of a spiritual lament song involving the audience as well, imre Bukta and his wife réka Kónya, a common performer of the Bukta performances, sat down at one side of a wooden table facing a roma couple from me-zőszemere, ferenc and ildikó Váradi, and started armwrestling. the fight was not decided, neither with the men nor with the women, because at a given moment, nándor Bukta, wearing only an undervest on his robust upper body, pulled out the table from under the fighters, then through the rather large crowd, he took it out of the room, carrying it over his head.

in the works and performances of Bukta, the inelegant and the delicate, the real and the surreal, the humorous and the dead serious always blend in a unique way, and the qualities that are antithetical according to cliches often mix with each other. it is as if we were watching a hologram developed by Bukta, where the phase changes sometimes supervene with incomprehensible speed for the human eye.

the art of Bukta, just like the pictures at the exhibition and the per-formance presented at the opening, is about acceptance and the

termination of contraries. on his latest works, the theme of fire and flames appears dominantly, where the promise of a hopeful spring hides in them reliably.

imre Bukta: second hand countrysidein march, too!

02.11.movits (se) photo: mark somay

interview8

heavy, thunderous riffs. Grime vocals. dubstep pace. a gritty, urban sound. hacktivist combines all these elements into a sound that catapulted them to the stage of the biggest festivals. appealing for both hip-hop heads and metal fanatics, their shows are somewhere between a hip-hop gig and a blustery metal show. they are releasing their debut album just a few days before their hungarian gig, so we sat down for a chat with vocalist Ben marvin.

You’ve already played in hungary, last year, when you were opening for enter shikari. what kind of memories do you have about that concert?it was amazing. the crowd was crazy, they really got us, so it was good to win over some enter shikari fans. most of the european tour was amazing, but that gig went down especially well. so we are really looking forward to coming back.

hacktivist have come a long way in a relatively short time; what would you say was the „secret” behind the quick success?i think it’s fantastic to succeed with something different, something fresh. We also started to tour very early, when we only had a couple of songs. We reached out to as many people as we could and they like what they’ve heard and wanted to get involved and it’s accelerated very fast. A lot faster than what we were expecting. so it was a big shock for us to see how fast everything happened.

You’ve been playing together since 2011, but your debut album is coming out this march.things just happened this way. releasing an album was always important for us, but because of the excessive touring we did from the early age, there wasn’t a lot of time for writing songs, ‘cause we always saw it as a B-plan. Also, there’s been a few sort of blocks on the way in the writing process and we wanted to be one hundred percent happy with our music, so i think if the album had come out earlier, it wouldn’t be as good, it wouldn’t be the result as it is now. i think it’ll be worth the wait.

what can you already tell about Outside the Box?most of the album is still of the hacktivist sound, you can still tell that it’s hacktivist. But we’ve also evolved in a lot of aspects of the music, there’s a lot of heavier stuff on the album. there’s softer stuff as well, we’ve expanded more with electronics. there’s more traditional metal stuff on there, there’s also more grime stuff as well. i think outside the Box demonstrates our lyrical and musical style. it’s still the hacktivist sound, but for me, we also expanded our limits.

Outside the Box was produced by your guitarist, timfy J. You already knew that you want him to produce it, or things just happened this way?i think we always wanted him to produce the album. We try to keep things in house as much as possible, our videos for example. A lot of bands do that externally - we try to do it ourselves. tim usually writes the music, so he knows how he wants it to sound and for us, it’s just the best way it works. Also, it means that we have unlimited studio time to perfect things.

Your style is basically a mix of many different genres like grime, me-tal, dubstep, djent and rock. what are your experiences: it unites people or alienates them, because, for example, rock ‚n’ rolls fans can’t stand the electronic parts?We’ve had a lot of people from the metal scene who wouldn’t normally listen to grime or hip-hop, but they actually liked us and the other way round as well. so i think we are bringing a lot of people together in terms of opening their minds’ up and showing them that everything doesn’t have to sound the same. But i guess at the same time there are people who are dedicated to their genre and they don’t like hacktivist for whatever reason. there’s a lot of these kind of people too. But i think that’s good, it means that we’ve made an impact – and i’d be that way. i like that we make waves.

hacktivist’s lyrics are usually politically charged. what life experiences sparked your political interest?i think when we originally started, we never intended to be a lyrical band as such. We used the name hacktivist, because – at that time, timfy started his own project, it was just him, there were none of us and he’d already written some music. And at the same time, occupy london was going on, so timfy felt it relevant that time to name it hacktivist and i think he liked that it was picking people’s brain. And then we started writing and there were all these things going on at that time and we actually wanted to talk about them.

how would you summarize the message of hacktivist?open your eyes and start to experience the world. And also, maintain a positive attitude towards things. have a good time as well. i mean, even if we do have important messages in our songs, we also have party tunes, so i think we keep the balance. live a happy life but at the same time, be aware of what’s going on in the world!

i like that we make waves hacktivist interview interVieW At

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hacktivist (UK)Orient Fall

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taxiwars in Budapest! the band of deUs frontman tom Barman and young saxophone star robin verheyen are making their hungarian debut on the a38 ship on march 10. as the concert is approaching, we sat down for a chat with Barman about his new band, jazz music and the taxi wars.

You formed taxiwars with Belgian saxophonist robin verheyen who lives in new York. how did you meet and how did the band start?i started jamming with jazz musicians 5 years ago, just out of curiosity. the length of the songs didn’t exceed 3-4 minutes, and i sometimes sang, sometimes rapped, and sometimes only declaimed stuff. i showed the end result to a Belgian journalist friend of mine, who introduced me to up-and-coming young talent robin Verheyen. Basically that’s how the band got started.

You’ve always been close to jazz. You’ve made Blue note and impulse! compilations, you smuggled jazz elements into the music of deUs, and you’ve also worked with Peter vermeersch, who performed on the a38 ship with his formation Flat earth society. after taxiwars, can we expect jazz influences on the next deUs album?the influences and the interferences always come spontaneously. With every single deUs album, we want to reflect upon our current mood and feelings, so nothing’s excluded, but this is never a conscious process for us. i’ve always loved jazz music, i’m attracted to jazz compositions, and the whole work process. While making the taxiWars album, we jammed and experimented with the sound a lot, then went into the studio and recorded the whole material in a couple of days. With deUs, we sometimes spend gratuitously too much time, that’s why we’re trying to make our new album in a “jazzy” tempo in order to make the sound rawer, fresher.

do you have favorite jazz albums that you still like to listen to?of course, i’m a big record collector, so i have lots of jazz albums too. i especially like to listen to jazz to my morning coffee. if i had to mention only a few, then i’d say We insist! by max roach, he’s a major favorite of mine, or Don Cherry’s eternal now, anything by Charles mingus, but if i had to pick one, it would be mingus moves. oh yeah, and of course Archie shepp.

apart from the classic jazz music of the 60s and 70s, do you also follow the contemporary jazz scene? For example the works of John Zorn, aacm or the stronger and stronger european scene: the artists under the labels clean Feed, not two or rune Gramofon?of course! if you mentioned Zorn, he’s slowly becoming one of the classic artists too. recently i listened to the album masada that Zorn and thurston moore made together in 2013, and i have a lot of masada records at home as well. Besides, i like to study the catalogue of eCm, you can find lots of hidden treasures there. if i had to recommend someone from my own country, then it would be a great Belgian band, stuff.

taxiwars is not a completely traditional jazz band, yet you appear at quite a lot of jazz festivals. what’s the attitude of the hardcore jazz audience to you? have you received any negative comments, reviews?sure, but this could apply to other kinds of audiences too. During the career of deUs, we’ve had to face lots of negative reviews as well. the most important thing is not to meet their requirements - you have to do what you like and then you will find your audience.

why did you choose the name taxiwars, why did the taxis become the subjects of your stories?i first heard the name taxiWars ten years ago in flemish, while we were touring the netherlands. At the time i noted this name, and when we got stuck while trying to choose a name for ourselves, i remembered this idea. We certainly didn’t want to set out with a name that’s typical for jazz formations. We didn’t want to be called the robin Verheyen or tom Barman Quartet. We definitely wanted to find a proper band name for ourselves. And taxis have always inspired me, because as a means of transport, new discoveries, meetings, unknown places and areas are connected to them for me. When i’m abroad, the first representative of a new culture i see is the taxi.

did you know that the announcement of your hungarian concert coincided with the protests of hungarian taxi drivers against Uber?

yes, i read about it, but it’s not only a problem in your country. the taxi companies are facing huge challenges all over the world now. you see, that’s what the real taxiWars are. this is just a mere coincidence - when we named ourselves, the scandal around Uber wasn’t that huge yet.

By the way, how’s the political situation in Belgium now? i’m mainly referring to the Flemish-walloon antagonism and the parliamentary elections a few years ago.three years ago the situation was rather tense, and it had to be taken quite seriously. since then the tantrum has died down, luckily, and now spirits are calm. everybody lives their own life.

what effects did the events in Paris and the security measures in Bel-gium have on you?it was so shocking. With deUs, we’ve performed at the Bataclan as well, and not just once. i learned about the events before they hit the news, from tim Vanhamel, who played guitar for deUs on the ideal Crash tour. he even played on eagles of Death metal’s first album. there are intensified security measures in Belgium now. i live in the Jewish district of Antwerp, so i totally know what this is like. europe is facing new challenges now, which can be scary too, but if you think it over, there are countries that have had civil war conditions for 60-70 years. the world is changing, and we europeans have to prepare for that.

when you performed at sziget, i remember one of your most important requests was to have the Guardian backstage. do you still read newspapers, or you follow now the news on the internet? which kind of media do you follow regularly?you remember well, we read the guardian at the time, and it’s still my favorite. since then i read the news on my tablet, but i like to take a printed newspaper in my hand as well. nowadays i follow 2-3 Belgian media, a Dutch one, and i read the guardian as well. But my favorite is the observer on sunday (the weekly summarizing publication of the guardian’s editorial), it has a fantastic cultural section.

when you’re this busy, do you still have time to listen to music, watch movies and read books?now i’m writing the screenplay of my new feature film, so i’m reading carefully - it shouldn’t disturb me with my work. But of course i read a lot. i last read the first book in Karl ove Knausgard’s six-volume series called my struggle. As far as music is concerned, i’m listening to a lot of jazz, and i also liked the leftfield album last year. i’m not that lucky with movies - a lot of new films i had anticipated didn’t quite work out for me, for example Quentin tarantino’s or paolo sorrentino’s new movie.

what can we expect from you in 2016? will there be a new deUs or magnus album? when will you start shooting your film?there’s so much work now. We’re starting recording the new deUs album this summer, and the new magnus ep is set to be released in september. i think the movie shoot will only start next year. till then, i’m concentrating on taxiWars, we’ll release another album still this year.

interview 9

the world is changing, and we must prepare for itinterview with tom Barman, frontman of deUs, magnus and taxiWars

1020.00

taxiwars (Be),the Best Bad trip

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A38 is the reincarnation of ‘tripolie’, a Ukrainian stone-carrier ship, built in 1968. the name comes from Artemovsk, which is the ship prototype, and this one was the 38th unit of the ‘Artemovsk’ class. the re-building project lasted for one and a half years. Architects, ship engineers, acoustic designers, electricians, musi-cians and promoters contributed their skills and experience to make it a both artist and audience friendly place.

After years of constant development, A38 has become a cultural entertainment centre with international programme, a restaurant, five bars, one main concert hall, open-air terraces and lounges - all in one aboard as one of the most fascinating venues in Budapest. since its opening it became the flagship of Budapest nightlife, a must-see spectacle on the Danube with scenic view and one of europe’s coolest clubs, which has been voted ‘the World’s greatest Bar’ – according to the poll of lonely planet in 2012.

A38 ship is located in Budapest, at the Buda side of petőfi bridge, easily accessible by a few minutes walk from tram 4 and 6 “petőfi híd budai hídfő” stop or by BKV public transport ships.

the concert hall is a place for live shows and parties, and several bars ship-wide are open for the audience to chat and have a drink.the restaurant offers a daily menu every weekday from 12h to 15h for 1150 hUf.

our roof terrace is closed in the au-tumn/winter season and reopens in April 2016.for our smoking visitors, we have a heated smoking terrace area with its own bar.

A38 – a place for parties, concerts, dinners and drinks on the river Danube.

you can find us on

Opening hoursticket desk, info:mon-sUn 6:30 to 23:00 or untilthe end of the events.restaurant:mon-sAt 11:00 to 00:00

18, 19, 41, 48, 497, 86, 107

4, 6

15 2

d11, d12, d13

15 2

5 min.

walk

10 min. w

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Petőfi híd/bridge

borárostér / square

szent gellért

tér / square

szabadság

híd / bridge

hotel & sPa

gellért

Vásárcsarnok

Central market hall

buda

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