The Transsylvanians |
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The Transsylvanians speelden de afgelopen jaren op vele grote Nederlandse popfestivals waaronder Crossing Border en Lowlands. Een ‘Oosteuropese’ band die op een alternatieve manier de kracht van oude Oosteuropese folk over weet te brengen. Live is het een heerlijke brok goudeerlijke energie die drijft op een bijzonder mengeling van traditie en originaliteit.
THE TRANSSYLVANIANS
are a phenomena of today's roots-music scene.Based in Berlin, the four musicians create with their Hungarian Speed-Folk a mixture of rap, rock, Bartok, ska, punk and gypsy-techno. Their live appearances invariably turn into ecstatic dance orgies but The Trannsylvanians can also seduce the audience with the ballads and love songs in their repertoire. The songs tell of their homeland : the earth and the stars ; war and peace ; love and jealousy ; and, above all, the lust for life that characterizes their live shows. Through their constant touring they have become one of Germany's favourite live acts on the world-music scene. With her powerful, fascinating voice the double-bass playing lady singer succeeds time and again in transmitting her passion to the audience. Violinist András Tiborcz sweeps the audience away with his energy-loaded, ferocious playing. Add ambidextrous guitarist Hendrik Maass and powerhouse drummer Thornas Leisner and you've got one hot goulash heavy on the paprika. This line-up, often augmented by guests on accordion / piano and saxophone, evokes the stories of generations of Hungarian life as told in the traditional songs. The combination of their different musical backgrounds provides the creative tension of the band and produces exciting and vivid new music.
THE TRANSSYLVANIANS
are a phenomena of today's roots-music scene.Based in Berlin, the four musicians create with their Hungarian Speed-Folk a mixture of rap, rock, Bartok, ska, punk and gypsy-techno. Their live appearances invariably turn into ecstatic dance orgies but The Trannsylvanians can also seduce the audience with the ballads and love songs in their repertoire. The songs tell of their homeland : the earth and the stars ; war and peace ; love and jealousy ; and, above all, the lust for life that characterizes their live shows. Through their constant touring they have become one of Germany's favourite live acts on the world-music scene. With her powerful, fascinating voice the double-bass playing lady singer succeeds time and again in transmitting her passion to the audience. Violinist András Tiborcz sweeps the audience away with his energy-loaded, ferocious playing. Add ambidextrous guitarist Hendrik Maass and powerhouse drummer Thornas Leisner and you've got one hot goulash heavy on the paprika. This line-up, often augmented by guests on accordion / piano and saxophone, evokes the stories of generations of Hungarian life as told in the traditional songs. The combination of their different musical backgrounds provides the creative tension of the band and produces exciting and vivid new music.
Transsylvania, the musical source of the band, is a strip of land that belonged to Hungary until the First World War and is now part of Romania. Many people from different cultures live there : Hungarians, Romanians, Siebenbürgersachsens and Gypsies. With many concerts in England, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, these musicians - from Hungary, Greece and Germany - show how music can connect people of different countries and generations
What we are about:
All of the band have grown up and come from different parts of the world, but we met up in Berlin. Our music is based on traditional songs from Transsylvania combined with " modern and classical inluences from Bartók to techno and punk rock. The songs are about some of the crazy, mad, sad, and passionate things that happen to you in life. Things like the mega confusion you feel when you fall in love like the song Magic mushroom. Or about making mistakes with your life and trying to get back on the right road like in Kerek utca (me crooked road). Or they are just about having a great party time like in Opadi. They're a mixture of wild enthusiasm for life like Eljen! or melancholic reflection like Kis kece lanyom (The young bride in white). Or they're about funny things like how a wife tries to hide the signs of her lover from her drunken, confused old husband in Mi baj angyatom?
We chose the name ,The Transsylvanians' not only because that is the source of where our songs come from, but also because it reflects the wandering homelessness that is part of modern life. Transsylvania doesn't really exist as a fixed state, it's made up of people from a lot of different countries. That seemed to fit really well with the lives of the members of the band, and the different musical influences they bring to it. Maybe if we all came from Budapest we wouldn't be able to play this type of music in the way we do. The creative tension in the band comes out of combining different musical influences and bringing them together to make a new wild and temperamental sound.
A lot of people when they hear the name ,The Transsylvanians' associate it with Count Dracula, and we think that's funny. It conjures up this dark, sexy, underground world, where things change at night, where bats come flying out to hunt and uncontrollable passions get released and drive people into a frenzy. That's the kind of things we like to do with our music.
You were by far the best band at Lowlands! I never saw someone perform as passionate as you did. I thought Isabel and Barbara were really good, and I was surprised to hear that they are not actually part of the band. I would like to see them again sometimes, maybe as guest singers? Finally I would like to thank you for authographing the cd booklet.
Marijn, Eindhoven, NL
Hey Transsylvanians,
I really liked you at the Lowlands festival , too bad you were the only folkband but at least a very good one!, I didn't see the whole show :-( :-( :-( so I didn't knew I could buy your cd's otherwise I sure bought one!! I hope we can see you somewhere in the Netherlands soon!!
Lucas from Enschede NL
Hey Transsylvians,
You guys were really my greatest discovery at the Lowlands Festival! Unfortunately I missed the first part but the rest was great, I danced almost the whole time! I tried to get your playlist with authographs but you just took it away unfortunately, oh well, that didn't spoil it for me! I am really going to try to get your cd, didn't have enough money on Lowlands.
Thank you guys very much, I'm already addicted to your music:-)
Ineke, Enschede
Hallo Transsylvanians!
Ich habe Euer Konzert auf dem Lowlands-Festival in Holland gesehen. Es war super. Ich kannte Eure Musik vorher nicht, werde mir jetzt aber bald eine CD besorgen. Ich hoffe, Ihr kommt öfter nach Holland.
Karen, Papendrecht, NL
Lowlands 2002
Eines der besten shows am gansen Festival. Totaler scheisse dass MoJo (die organ. des Festivals) eine zugabe verboten hat. Wann kommt ihr wieder nach Holland?
Frank, NL