Empty Music | Retouch | New EP available now
Scott Dann by Mat Denney | Cyan Blue Photography
Kristof D Hajos by Lee Roberts | CleverPrime Retouching & Photography
(Source: theubiquitousbeard)
Empty Music | The Mastery of Love | Ollo mix
The Kristof Q&A
The Ubiquitous Beard caught up with Empty Music’s Kristof for a quick chat!
The Ubiquitous Beard: How did you and Scott [Scott Dann Kristof’s Empty Musical partner] meet and start working together?
Kristof: We first worked on a remix for The Unbending Trees [Kristof’s other band] track ‘You Are A Lover’, which worked out too well not to continue.
UB: Why the name Empty Music?
K: It’s Scott’s idea. For me it’s a kind of tongue in the cheek oxymoron as well as describing the minimal aesthetics of our music.
UB: What makes Empty Music tick?
K: Definitely the tension between Scott and myself in every respect. Mainly that we come from two really different musical backgrounds and meet halfway, which sometimes is indeed meeting and sometimes reacting like the opposite poles of a magnet.
UB: How do you feel about being a tumblr beard sensation?
K: Ha. It’s great :) Obviously Lee Roberts, the photographer had a lot to add to the picture, which was taken on the 20th floor of a Bermondsey building. It took a lot of booze for me to get rid of my clothes. But it’s very good for my ego.
UB: To beard or not to beard (that is the question)?
K: To beard! No doubt! I’ve had facial hair of some sort since 1994 (when I turned 18)
UB: Who is your ultimate beard?
K: Is it cheesy if I say Scott’s? It’s multi-coloured, spikey and shamelessly bushy.
UB: What was the inspiration for the Detach video?
K: The idea was coming from the director, who also did the Unbending Trees’ You Are A Lover in 2007. Since the song is about insomnia, the empty (note the pun) bathtub represents the bed that does not give you sleep.
UB: If you could choose anyone, who would your dream video director be?
K: I think Almodovar. But having seen A Single Man, I’d love to work with their crew as well. Amazing imagery.
UB: What does the future hold for Empty Music and Unbending Trees?
K: Well, for Empty Music more now than the Trees, we are working diligently towards a full-length and trying to get the band built up step by step. I mean we are not in a hurry, but to see our fanbase and our youtube views grow is definitely one of the aims. As well as get as much fun out of writing and recording songs as humanly possible.
Retouch is out now on Magneoton, and is available on digital release worldwide.
Kristof pics courtesy of Lee Roberts | CleverPrime Retouching & Photography
Scott Dann pic courtesy of Mat Denney | Cyan Blue Photography
(Source: theubiquitousbeard)
Empty Music | Detach | Video Premiere
Empty Music | Retouch
You might not have heard of Empty Music yet but you will recognise bearded front man Kristof Hajos-Devenyi. His beard has become somewhat Ubiquitous across certain elements of tumblr, in fact if you are a regular #beard follower you are sure to have bumped into his wonderful ginger facial hair recently!
So who is Kristof and what is Empty Music?
Kristof is a Budapest based singer songwriter, best known for his work with the critically acclaimed ‘The Unbending Trees’. Their beautiful debut album ‘Chemically Happy (Is The New Sad), was released on cult UK label Strange Feeling and contained a breathtaking collaboration with Tracey Thorn in the form of stand out track ‘Overture’.
Following a remix of one of their singles ‘You Are A Lover‘, by London based Australian musician/DJ Scott Dann, Kristof realised that his musical future might lie in a different direction. Kristof and Scott started writing songs together via email, Budapest to London, and Empty Music was born.
Following their January debut EP, ‘Werewolf’, Empty Music have now announced their second release, ‘Retouch’.
‘Retouch’ contains new and retouched versions of Werewolf’s mysterious b-sides ‘Detach’ & ‘The Mastery of Love’, and is accompanied by a sexy, but frankly a little bit creepy, new video from director Merse Pal Szeredi.
Detach appears in a brand new Hungarian version, which only adds to the mystery of the piece reinforcing the global nature of Empty Music’s manifesto, along side an epic ‘revisited’ version by the London based producer and musician, T-toe.
The Mastery of Love comes courtesy of remixes by two further British artists, Lee Chesham and the Sydney based underground electronic experimenters, Ollo.
Tracklist:
- T-toe’s Intro 2’ 24”
- Talán a rádió (Detach - Hungarian version) 3’ 55”
- The Mastery of Love (Ollo mix) 7’ 48”
- The Mastery of Love (Lee Chesham mix) 5’ 15”
- Detach (T-toe’s Indulgence) 8’ 07”
Retouch is out now on Magneoton, and is available on digital release worldwide.
Scott Dann picture courtesy of Mat Denney
(Source: theubiquitousbeard)
Empty Music | Detach | T-toe’s Reservations
