What happens when you get a bunch of people living in Hungary in a studio? Well sit down and LISTEN, there are further questions.
What may come from a country as representation of local art? Yes, you’ve got special local art, more specifically local then universal, and knowing certain patterns typical of a region instantly helps you recognise where it is from. And you’ve got local versions of international trends. Our RADIA network itself provides a great variety of answers to these questions, just browse through the types of shows, their origins and their themes, languages.
Minor languages, smaller language-communities – once taken out of their isolation – have always needed to interpret what is going around them in different languages, and naturally, the outside communication is almost for sure in a major language. And then you have foreigners who feel like crossing the – already disappearing – national boundaries, and settle down in a small country, bringing a fresh experience and a new outlook on a city.
What is a nation at the turn of the 21st century, and what is it that a small nation officially communicates about herself – as a newly joined EU country – these still don’t necessarily cover each other properly.
At the time of communism, black people – due to the great solidarity for people oppressed by the West ha ha – could come to study in Eastern Europe typically at universities such as Medical and Technical, some stayed here, and had families, some went back, but there is a growing number of young black people, and typical community groups and locales appearing – as everywhere minority groups are in the formation.
Gimmeshot hip hop crew was officially formed in 2000, gathering MC’s and bringing up DJ’s around DJ Mango – aka producer Modul – who’s been backing up local and international MC’s and poets with beats and records for more than a decade. Another portion of the crew’s momentum is gathered from Afro-Hungarian MC queen Sena (recent cooperations with DJ Vadim (UK), DJ Spider (F)), and MC Kemon, the Caribbean football bass-wordbouncer (recently featured on Cay Taylan’s EP), not to forget about big beatboxer Busa, a favourite of local jazz and folk musicians. Resonance listeners could already have a taste of them at last year’s Radio Art Riot as the band backing Canadian spoken word artist Dwayne Morgan, as members are active in different formations from several musical instruments to bigger eclectic setups. And if an international artist comes to visit Budapest – as you can see it from the cooperation list – they seem to be ready to take the challenge, so this is the time to listen to the local source.
This special show is introduced and closed by a live project of Busa with folk musicians, called Zuboly, featuring Hungarian “unplugged folk bootlegs”. The studio jam is produced by Mango and Polski, and the heart of the studio, Elm, together with the three above mentioned vocal beat gals and bwoys.
They are no kings and queens really, just a happy street family.
Take a trip with them.