Lushlife Project - Budapest Eskimos

Zoltán Palásti Kovács and Konrád Pilisi a.k.a. "The Lushlife Project" present an excellent fireworks of music on their CD "Budapest Eskimos", which excites with wonderful, catchy, and easy-going melodies. Joie de vivre, fun, enjoyment, and dreaming - Lushlife! Whoever finds their bodies moving to the rythm, just a bit at first, then more and more: Don´t panic. This is what every listener experiences. Just go on dancing or melting away. In Hungary, and especially in Budapest, Zoltán Palásti Kovács and Konrád Pilisi are an integral part of the music and underground scene. They are the pillars and pioneers of an electronic music that is fascinating people far beyond the borders of its home country. They have brought their decades of experience in music into their "Lushlife Project", which has started about two years ago. To their experience, they added hungarian heart, temperament and their history. Zoltán Palásti Kovács is musicologist and historian. He has studied singing and plays all sorts of instruments. Under his pseudonym "zoohacker", he has already published on internationally known compilation tracks. Konrád Pilisi is a radio presenter with his own radio show, and a well-known DJ with excellent references. Trip-Hop, Soul, Jazz, Ethno - a seemingly neverending row of elements makes up the wonderful Lushlife project sound. It creates emotions, pictures, and atmosphere. What is special: The sources from which the two artists draw their inspiration are inexhaustible - Hungarian traditional music (see for example the title "Essence Of Our Origins") and the complete history of music, which Zoltán Palásti Kovács knows from his heart due to his studies. Tibetian folk songs cannot be blended into Trip-Hop? They do not harmonize? Wide of the mark! Zoltán Palásti Kovács and Konrád Pilisi prove the contrary. Their creative and innovative music has vision and future. Special highlights are their live performances which both artists appreciate and love. On stage together with other professional artist, soon everyone knows: If you are hot and cold at the same time, it must be the "Budapest Eskimos"!

Tosca - J.A.C.

Fatherhood turns the life of a man upside down. Especially during his primal years. Suddenly there is someone in the house who needs to be taken care of 24-7. And, there are new sciences to be mastered: Swaddling, the cooking of baby food and dealing with the troubles of teething. In short: A new man is born. That is also why three male names (albeit abbreviated) grace the title of the fourth album by Tosca, ''J.A.C.'' which stands for "Joshua, Arthur, Conrad". These are the names of the sons of the two Viennese producers Rupert Huber and Richard Dorfmeister, a.k.a. Tosca. Between the release of their last album "Dehli 9" and their new masterpiece, the two became fathers, Rupert Huber even twice. As all Tosca albums relate to biographic events in the life of Huber and Dorfmeister, the birth of their sons was naturally the most appropriate for an album dedication. Thus, "J.A.C." is not music for babies. Rather, music for ladies. Moreover, the album is perhaps the most consistent formulation of the both carefree and melancholic sound of Tosca. The melodies quicken, the grooves are funky and laidback and the variety of musical styles are marked by a wide choice. The album breathes the characteristic sound of Tosca, yet it is shaped by a fresh understatement and a breathtaking musical authenticity. Moreover, there are new voices on "J.A.C.". The Egyptian-French singer Samia Farah from Paris sings with her Billie Holiday-esque voice on the wonderful "Heidi Brühl". Chris Eckman, lead singer with Seattle based band The Walkabouts sings on "John Lee Huber", a track for which Eckman paraphrised a John Lee Hooker-Song on Rupert Huber. Additionally - as heard on Dehli 9 - the former Rockers Hi-Fi MC Farda P, London´s Earl Zinger and the Austrian rock legend Graf Hadik appear on the microphones. To put it short: "J.A.C." is a great piece of music and an excellent new Tosca album.