Yonderboi

Yonderboi, also known as László Fogarasi, grew up in the small village of Mernye in South West Hungary, 200 km from the cosmopolitan attractions of Budapest. Influences of the slow pace of Hungarian country life can be recognized on mellow tones and chilled melodies of László's first album, Shallow and Profound. The album came out in 2000, when Yonderboi was only 19. It became an instant hit and cult classic not only in the Hungarian underground scene, but also reached wide audiences (indeed a rarity in Hungary).

As a child László was fascinated by creating things, and loved to paint and draw. Dubbed cloth eared by his primary school teachers, László took to music only at secondary school. After briefly taking classical guitar lessons, a computer with a mono keyboard replaced brush and canvas as instruments for creation. After graduating from high school László moved to Budapest.

Eager to have his music heard, he recorded his first album before he even had a flat. The whole record was made with free software on a cheap PC. Postproduction was not available. Shallow and Profound is an album which features an emotional and melodic but also saucy mixture of down tempo Trip-Hop, Lounge and 1960s bar-room jazz. The album was an immediate success. It sold 60,000 copies, won prizes and critical acclaim and launched Lászlós performing career. He formed the Yonderboi Quintet and toured clubs and festivals all over Europe. László's Hungarian background greatly affects his music.

Travelling Europe and the US has made this even more apparent. He finds western people more relaxed, less in need of asking big questions and more straightforward in their approach to life. His music is eclectic, rich and difficult to pigeonhole. László explores similar tensions in his new album, Splendid Isolation.

Having exchanged the forests of Somogy county for Budapest, his new record is more mature and more urban than Shallow and Profound and more professional. While his first album was made intuitively and just happened, a great deal of thought has gone into his second. It is especially influenced by an unexpected source: the art-house films he's been watching the last couple of years. His inspiration by film extends beyond simply using samples from soundtracks. Like a movie, Splendid Isolation tells a many-layered story that builds up to a trippy ending. Structure, build up and suspense have been considered consciously. And, as in a film, the secret is not revealed until the very end.

A crucial influence is Dutch musician Tom Holkenborg (Junkie XL). The two artists met in 2003 in Amsterdam where Tom offered to help László create the record Yonderboi wanted to make. In two summer sessions in LA Tom lent his experience and technical expertise to help give shape to Lászlós creative ideas. Splendid Isolation is the result.

http://www.yonderboi.com http://www.myspace.com/yonderboi