A new EP by Slovak producer Teapot is due out in July on the Czech label Eclectica with remixes by Slovakia’s prime wonky/post-dubstep producers Stratasoul and Stroon and the Czech producer Blue. Here is a small preview of what to expect:

Unrest II [teaser] by _teapot_

ps. Teapot writes: “It is number II, the first Unrest was released some time ago on Gergaz rec. netlabel. It is built around the same piano sample, however i work with it in a completely different way.”

When we first heard Piresian Beach in the autumn of 2010, we were amazed by her fuzzed-out lo-fi sound incorporating elements of surf-rock, punk and rock’n’roll into her trademark seductive compositions. What began as a surprising discovery has also stricken a chord with the sensitivities of Hungarian youngsters using the microblogging platform tumblr. Less than a year has passed and the community of Hungary’s tumblrcore producers has grown considerably - not only in number, but also in quality, as manifested by the remarkable Cheap Music compilation released by the Hungarian Bedroom Noise blog.

Genre-wise the compilation spans from surf/fuzz/noise/rock through punk/thrash to intimate psych/pop or dragy electronica. The unifying elements: the ethos of a lo-fi bedroom producer generating music almost on-the-fly (“Record your music tonight and send it to us next morning!”) and the blog Hungarian Bedroom Noise with which the lo-fi scene could have found something like an umbrella that links together various emerging projects, provides for the scene/identity-defining discourse and serves as a platform for exposing new music and a catalyst between the producers and public.

13 - Zombie Girlfriend - Jesus Stole My Zombie Girlfriend by parentsout

As with all things social/2.0: the hypewave comes fast, but is also quickly forgotten as the crowds surf away on yet another wave of fun or novelty. The case with cheap music (kudos to the self-ironical title!) is, that it is abundant, and doesn’t last for long. However, several projects and the many wonderful tracks on the compilation indicate that the “Hungarian lo-fi” has tapped into an exciting creative energy that, if developed, could cause a long-term movement on the Hungarian scene. We spoke about it with Ádám Lang from the Hungarian Bedroom Noise blog:

What were the beginnings of Hungarian Bedroom Noise ?

After the first lo-fi attempts of the project called Evil Men Have No Songs the story basically began in August 2010 when Piresian Beach started to record her first songs. Next year in January it became obvious that there had been interest in these projects and the issue spread all over the ‘Hungarian internet’. I hoped that there were more bedroom projects in Hungary, so I made this tumblelog to find and gather them together. If somebody says: ‘yes, I’m making music in this style’, I say okay, thanks and I post it and the followers will judge it. For me the bedroom is a metaphor that changed the idea of the underground after the spreading of the web 2.0.

15 - Piresian Beach - Fuck Your Mind! by parentsout

The are lots of new lo-fi/surf/fuzz bands in Hungary. Do the people also meet or collaborate together ?

Yeah this is a very strong side of this scene, I don’t know why, maybe because of the regular RNR666 concerts (a Hungarian booking label and zine for trashier rock and roll and experimental music). And also, yes, there are collaborations, for example Nohopekids and Route 8 put together the project Broken Cups. Morningdeer collaborated with Éjféli szobadiszkó and you can also find remixes and one cover on this compilation as well. Before this I had only known Piresian Beach, but now I know a lot of these people, because outside of the realm internet realm there are concerts, where we can meet and so on. But we can’t say that it is only us making the Hungarian lo-fi scene, there are some projects out there who we don’t yet know - like one of my favourite called Pristina.

26 - Fatime - Fatime by parentsout

Is there something specifically ‘Hungarian’ about the sound these bands are producing ?

I think that the scene is largely based on the internet generation. National borders don’t really matter anymore, so we’re listening to more or less the same music as the guys in Los Angeles or Prague. Unfortunately, Hungarian music in the ’00s was so fucking boring, almost the same as the ’90s.. hardly any influence. There were three or four very popular rock groups, and the others just wanted to copy them. Okay, there were some fucking good bands like Pozvakowski, Ninpulators, etc, but there weren’t any new or exciting trends in Hungarian music. As most music fans from Eastern Europe who experienced some of the Soviet years, many people here have inexplicably tender feelings towards the shitty sound quality of underground music as well… Still, our influences are not specifically Hungarian and we cannot really judge, whether our music has any Hungarian quality in it.

10 - morningdeer - Floor by parentsout

Why do you think there is so much of this sound right now in your country?

You know, if something is going well, everybody wants to be a part of it, and I think it’s okay. The DIY attitude gives freedom to everyone and this way it gives more pleasure. It’s not a race anymore to get that fucking record contract. It’s just pure, happy rock and roll.

VA: Cheap Music (Hungarian Lo-Fi Vol. 2) by parentsout

mesmerizing little ambiance from poland’s synnc

Da Nube - Jukeboxxxing by Da Nube

The brand new imprint alice mange son coeur is a truly modern label. It operates from Prague and is run by the young Sara Cross who A&R’d the label roster from her bedroom via Last.fm or Soundcloud where thousands of bands are hoping for their big break. alice mange son coeur has four artists from Canada, the US or Estonia. The sonic leitmotif is “lo-fi” with plethora of samples and diy recording. The labels launch party is set for 2 July 2011 in Prague’s Final Club, so we’re featuring it in its prenatal stages, which is kind of brave, but fuck it…we will definitely keep an eye on its existence and you should too.

What is alice mange son coeur?
_alice mange son cœur is an independent record label, working more as a crew of young and talented artists, not only musicians but also visual artists who want to somehow collaborate with bands.

MERCY BEAK by Doe Eyessss

Why did you decide to set up the label?
I’ve been interested in music for ever, and last year I spent many hours listening to bands on Last.fm and Soundcloud that had just few followers; and I felt sad about the fact that nobody really cares about their, sometimes breathtaking talents. With some of them I started to talk and we became friends, and the more I knew how much they love making art the more I wished they were appreciated. And one day it just came to my mind - when nobody else does it, then I can do as much as I can to show the music I love to the rest of the world.

vsions by FEEL FLESH

What kind of music/sound do you want to present through your label?
I mainly want bands to have some sort of punk attitude. It is hard for me to specifically say the “type” of music, but I mainly have asked and will ask to join performers connected to experimental noise scene, riot grrrls or witch house. 

surfing - KEEL HER by keelher

Could you tell us more about the artists that you already have on the label?
I have four bands on the label so far - doe eyes and Feel Flesh are the experimental noise part; KEEL HER does amazing lo-fi/beach grrrl punk, and Spice Mouse plays the cutest experimental melancholic music I’ve ever heard. I also have to mention our main visual artist, amazing Stephanie Piccirilli.

Kevadtants by Spice Mouse

What are your future plans with the label?Right now we are working on the compilation where all the bands from the label are gonna have few tracks; some of them are already working on their EPs too. And the biggest plan we have right now is a European tour, which I HOPE is gonna happen soon.

Follow the label via last.fm, soundcloud, fb, or tumblr