Óperentzia need not be introduced as they have been returning performers on the Ozorian Dragon Nest stage for years, and even if you missed them, there’s a fat chance you’ve nevertheless experienced their diversity and qualities as they have also been in charge of the music for the Ozorian Circus. We had a talk with the formation minimalized to the two founding members about their new album Trance ober Enz, amongst others, which you can hear for the very first time this afternoon on radiOzora’s Chill channel.

– The latest band news are mainly about the two founding members of Óperentzia, it’s also just the two of you on the stage. Did you two compose the whole new album together?

– Yes, this is our first album made by just the two of us, back to the roots, ‘cause it was the same when we founded the band. After hesitating a lot whether to play with others or this way, we made the decision. We can do our best this way: getting on the same frequency.

– The release of the new album and of course the invitation to the Dragon Nest is actually why we are talking with you, the Óperentzia. Tell me about the new album!

– The Trance Ober Enz is inspired by a Siberian folk song compilation. We built up an imaginary new musical world around the authentic songs, trying to express our feelings. On stage it’s been minimalized to drums and analog synths, the bass was recorded previously. We’ve been clicking the hell out of the computer in our studio, which is right next to the Danube Bend, this is where we composed most of the songs. This beautiful landscape gave us lots of good energy, but the sunrise in our capital city, Budapest is also hiding in some of the songs. As well as the influences of the last couple of years, the things we experience, they clearly form our music.

– What is your relationship with Ozora? When did you play there for first time and how did you get there?

– We had our first gig at the Dragon Nest stage in 2012, playing together with the Freak Fusion Cabaret acrobatic circus in a real fusion. The Freak Fusion Cabaret has been a returning act of Ozora, so when we started to collaborate with them a year before that, presenting the fusion show we composed together seemed the next natural step to take. And then… Ozora every year… Besides the circus, we usually have a concert with the Óperentzia. We love O.Z.O.R.A.!

– Did the festival influence the band´s music?

– Obviously YES! Thanks to Ozora we got to know artists like Shpongle, Ott, Kalya Scintilla or the Kaya Project, and so on…. But we are also inspired by the atmosphere, and the open-minded and creative community. We always say: There’s the one week of Ozora, and the rest is just another 51 weeks…

– There´s always been a group of bands in Hungary and abroad who stood closer to party culture than other musical worlds. The 90´s Korai Öröm, Colorstar, Anima Sound System… do you represent the same musical tradition?

– These bands created a subculture in the 90´s, an independent one from the mainstream media, which was very unique at the time. But it was followed by a new generation after 2000. We are going through a smaller ‘stylistic’ change again. We are organically and continuously changing, forming. We don’t mind if the new album is party culture or just a temporary flash of something. You decide.

– Do you feel more like a studio or a live band?

– Both of us have home studios, this is where and how we compose, but at the same time everything is composed for performing on stage, so I would say more like a live band.

– Gábor, you work a lot in your professional recording studio as well, who are you working with, any future plans?

– In the studio I work as a recording and mixing engineer at the „Nagymarosi Muvesztelep” (House of Arts – Nagymaros, Hungary). Authentic folk music to metal, fusion music, I recorded and mixed soundtracks and scores for movies, but sometimes I also go out to mix live concerts as well.

– What´s going on at Nagymaros?

– We moved here a year ago, to create the House of Arts in Nagymaros. It is in a traditional house near the Danube River thanks to lots of local and „gyüttment” artists (Translation and explanation: „gyüttment” is „outsider” in the language of the locals in the village – the editor). We try to keep the cool guys together, a real community, one part of the house is a professional music recording studio, the other parts are for workshops, exhibitions, concerts, open library… anything creative. This is where we also work with Tibi to create the Óperentzia tracks. In the future we see a farm with an independent music recording and composing studio, community of artists, a creative environment.

– Any inspiring producers you would recommend?

– Shpongle, Ott as composers, they mix typical sounds of different styles in a good fusion. Besides them, Amon Tobin, Solar Fields and Kalya Scintilla, we always listen to them!

– It seems to be a trend to invite more and more live bands to psy festivals. Not just in Hungary, but all over the world, do you agree? What about Ozora?

– „Psy” is more and more open-minded, today if you think of a quality psy festival, it is not just a home for the mainstage djs, but live bands as well. A beautiful village is created by the people for the people, where everybody can find their musical favourites. Also there´s more and more musically well-educated party people, and for them a live band can be like a nice cup of cold water in the sweaty but beautiful summer heatwave… especially when it goes with flow of Ozora.

– Óperentzia has been returning to the Dragon Nest for four years now. What do you think about the Dragon?

– First of all, the place itself is a beautifully constructed building, every time, when someone new arrives to Ozora, we show them the Dragon first. The sound system is better each year, and every year it is more and more accommodating for the bands. If someone gets lost, they know what to do: just go back to the nest, the Dragon Nest.