There is a guy from Hungary. When they asked his artist name for his very first release, he chose the name 'Kalumet'. It was 12 years ago and he didn't stop since. His unique sound is now worldwide known, the breakthrough was his debut album called 'Burlesque, released in 2009 October. The man behind the project is a 32 years old mate of mine, officially called Zoltan Vajda, I asked him about his carrier when he got back from a label party in Tokyo:

How did this trance thing start in your life?

I was 5 when I realized at the playground that if I spin around my vertical axis I get into a special state... dervish stuff. Later on, I was a bassist in a school band, playing punk-rock, and around '94 when we attended our first acid party we decided to switch to psychedelic rock. These years I got deeper into trance music and when the band split up I started to work on computer alone. I still spin around my vertical axis although it's not visible anymore.

What is the meaning of the names 'Kalumet' and 'Burlesque'?

'Kalumet' is the name of peacepipe, native American indians used it, very good people. They used to share a pipe of kinnikinnik when they were making a convenant or a treaty. Kinnikinnik is a mixture of tobacco and herbs. 'Burlesque' is a humorous theatrical entertainment involving parody and sometimes grotesque exaggeration. This is also a title of a book, they gave this name to Kurt Vonnegut's novel 'Slapstick' in Hungary. Because 'Burlesque' means 'Slapstick' in Hungarian.

What is the message (if there is one) you want to tell with your new album?

The music is the message itself. I tried to make music with no boundaries so I believe the result is really free. The message is to create freedom, in music, in arts, in life, everywhere. I think it's very important to make your own stuff, don't try to fit any expectations. There is a sample of Kurt Vonnegut's voice in one track:

"(...) just do it, for God's sake. It will make your soul grow.(...)"

I think it says all. People should stop copying each others and start to concentrate on creating their own things. I don't say you have to be punk or do something revolutionary, just be more brave and more free.

How would you define its music style?

Psychedelic Trance. Surely there is a progressive touch but also a tech-trance touch and goa-trance touch and techno, breaks, and so on... I'ts a melting pot of styles. Everybody says it's uncategorizable and I'm happy to hear it.

What software and hardware did you use to compound the music from your new album?

I started to make the album in 2005, that time I used an old tracker software called Buzz and a Roland SH32 synth. Then i switched to Ableton and still using a Microkorg synth. I used guitar and bass guitar, some percussions and billions of sound samples.

I know that you play real live act on stage. Why is it real, what makes the difference?

Well, being a musician in my entire life it is obvious for me to play live. Not that I am a good musician, with today's technics you don't really need any skills to play a proper live act. A good live set is easily performable with Ableton Live and some controllers. This is a very simple setup and the fact that people ignore using it although they have it, makes me a bit sad sometimes. People use Ableton on stage in a wrong way. They just play the complete wav songs previously mixed. It's like playing a guitar without grabbing a chord, just picking the strings. Don't take it wrong, I don't mind people having fun on stage doing nothing, but playing live is much more fun. I have a simple way to do it, not my idea of course, lot's of people do it this way. I cut my songs into short loops and insert all in one Ableton project, session view. Like this I have all my songs in one board, in hundreds of loops. Variations of playing the loops are uncountable. It gives you the chance of creating a new track on stage. You can also add effects and playing a synth. This is complete artistic freedom. I encourage all producers to try it, internet is flooded with tutorials.

What is your most memorable gig?

I have quite a lot. Boom Festival 2004 chill stage, morning, forcing people to get out from their sleeping bags for a morning dance. This summer I had amazing time in Crimea, small underground parties with excellent dancers and wonderful landscapes. And of course Tokyo, last October I could experience that Japanese people are indeed crazy freaks. I love them all.

Being in the scene for 15 years, what do you think about psychedelic culture now, what has changed, where is it heading to?

Everything has speeded up and became big. More people are involved and lots of them making music or doing parties. It can be good and bad, there are more possibilites but sometimes it's hard to find good parties. The scene got deluted.

I think the situation was better in the old times, when we had only one party in 1-2 months and those were all unique and unforgettable. People were concentrating on each other much more than now. Well, the whole world has changed, it's more impersonalized, time has speeded up, we got less time because now we have more virtual friends then real ones. Global network is a nice thing but sometimes

I feel that the main things are lost somewhere. People should find inner peace but instead they are running for... i don't know for what. Too many empty things are flowing in the network. I prefer less friends and more meanings. Of course I enjoy traveling, exploring places and interesting people but I find lot's of bad parties.

I found very nice things in the Ukrainian and the Russian scene. Their passion of dance and nature is amazing.

I don't think that the progression of psy-trance music is slowing down, just there are too much garbage out there. You can still find the pearls just have to dig deeper.

What I enjoy mostly is the finnish or suomi or spugedelik Trance, because it has no borders.

Where can people buy or get "Burlesque"?

I'ts available worldwide, distributed by Saiko Sounds and Arabesque, two major companies so it's really everywhere. Digital version is also easily reachable in all the biggest online shops.

Where and when will be your next gigs?

There is one which I am really excited about, on the 28th of January in Paris. More bookings are in progress, hopefully two other gigs in Berlin and Athens for January.

What other side projects do you have besides music related to psy culture?

Beside nothing, they are all related to psychedelic culture. "Trevor McGregor" is maybe the farthest because it's more techno but always with a psy touch... This project is doing well, lots of tracks got released recently and I just started to work on a full length album, hopefully coming summer. "Ork Monk" is my hardest, deepest psytrance project, not many tracks are released so far, but working on a digital EP these days... "K.I.D." or "Kalumet In Dub" is my chill out side, not always chill but easy tunes for sure. This project was sleeping for a while but now waking up again with new tracks, my latest set performed at Ozora Festival is freely downloadable.

www.kalumet.hu

www.myspace.com/kalumetmusic

www.myspace.com/kalumetindub

www.myspace.com/orkmonk

www.myspace.com/trevmcgregor

http://www.halubeats.com/