Dj Budai Live - Funky Techno Road Movie Re-Listening party feat. Dj Budai, Vic, Leandro Gámez (ES)
DJ Budai is a techno pioneer, a pioneer of funky techno and the founder of FreeE magazine. For more than two decades he has been one of the most prominent figures in the Hungarian electronic dance music scene. His work is so diverse that it is impossible to sum up in a few sentences. Here are the main stages of DJ Budai's career from his heyday to the present day. DJ Budai learned the DJ trade in the late 80s and from there he began to consciously build his career. He came second at the national DMC in 1990, and then went on to do residencies at Hysteria, the legendary E-Play and Dark Side. From the mid-1990s he became a regular at the two super-clubs Flört and Palace, and by '95 he was a dominant figure in the Hungarian electronic dance music scene. Mayday and Hyperspace were also launched at the same time, and he is still a regular performer there. In 1995, he and his friends from Budai founded FreeE, the only Hungarian electronic music magazine, which at that time only had a few pages. The magazine grew and grew, embracing a myriad of electronic dance music trends, and became the monthly staple of a generation. It later grew to over 100 pages, with a monthly CD supplement and a determination to support and nurture young talent in Hungary. Several DJs and producers owe their careers to the magazine.
Schedule
However, DJ Budai became more widely known when he released Techno-House Classics of '93-96 - Mixed by Budai in 1997. A real trend-setting mix album that started a whole avalanche on the Hungarian market. After this huge success, Universal signed Budai for two more mix albums, and Budai - The DJ Mix 2 (1999) was released, followed by Technologic vol. 1 - Mixed By Budai (2001). A year later, Underground released 2002, where Budai not only represented his trademark techno sound, but also ventured into the deeper world of house. Released in 2004, Live - Funky-Techno Roadmovie is a unique DVD mix of a road movie and DJ mix, following the life of the DJ and the crew that travels with him from party to party in 70 minutes. The first film of its kind in Hungary, it was accompanied by a DJ mix on a separate audio disc. In 2005, he produced a mix for Egotraxx - Budai & Vic Present: This Is Ego - from the label's releases. His most recent officially released mix is I Love Deep 001, which promotes the deeper, more housey soundscapes mentioned above.
Besides performing and producing official mixes, Budai has been a successful producer since the beginning of his career. It's impossible to list his releases one by one, so only his landmark compositions are mentioned here. His first success was Forthright, the music video of which was played on music TV in 1999. Blue Nights Are Beautiful, a collaboration with DJ Newl, was inspired by a super club on Lake Balaton and became a huge club hit in 2001. Another collaboration (Budai & Vic) led to a number of outstanding tracks (Macoosa, That's What We Call Phunky, I Love Deep, Once Again, Luv U, U Just Don't Know, Viami Mice). The collaboration with Vic resulted in the creation of their own label, Egotraxx Records, which, in addition to their own techno tracks, has also released work by Markantonio, Marko Nastic, Alexander Koning, DJ Preach and Allan Banford. The softer soundscapes were represented by I Love Deep Records, founded in 2005. The label's songs have also appeared on mix albums by Nic Fanciulli, The Timewriter and Terry Lee Brown Junior.
Budai is busy every weekend and is a popular DJ at home and abroad. He has long been a regular at the biggest Hungarian electronic music festivals (Sziget, Balaton Sound, Bonus, Hyperspace), is well-attended at regional festivals (Köröstorki Napok, Baja Fish Cooking Festival) and has been invited to the brand new B My Lake, which features only the best electronic dance music. He was a permanent resident of the new Budapest club Kasino, opened in 2013, where he held his own club nights, including the Birthday "All Night Long" parties for more than 10 years and the traditional Christmas parties. Budai's fame and talent has seen him play at the legendary Fabric in London and Ministry of Sound, both of which were a great experience for him both sonically and on a club level. He was invited to the English capital several times a year, not only to the aforementioned Fabric and Ministry, but also to Grind and Kolis. In Zurich he spun with Nick Warren, and he has also toured Dublin, Serbia and Slovakia, Romania.
A38 Ship
Converted from a coal-mining ship, the A38 is easily Budapest's most unique concert venue. The belly of the ship has been home to a wide range of live and electronic music for almost 20 years, and when it's full you can feel the rhythmic movement of the partygoers making waves in the Danube. Foreign acts often refer to it afterwards as their favourite club.
