On Hungary’s ever-expanding music palette, more and more folk music celebrating artists or productions pop up. As in all art forms, tradition keeping plays an important role here. This is triply true in this case: today saw the release of the reimagined versions of Dorina Takács’, “Дeva” March debut song “Witchcraft,” including a Kristóf Kelemen cover. The all at once elegiac and energizing melodies come from velvety, pulsing bass and hypnotic vocals, in which both characters’ voices appear.
We spoke to Dorina and Kristóf about the Székely-Land-inspired song, which sings about the magic of love. Interview.
Hi, how are you? What’s been happening with you in the last couple of months?
Dorina: Things are very hectic right now; I have many concerts and working on several songs simultaneously, as my first album is coming out soon. With so much going on, I have to work hard to keep my balance physically, mentally and spiritually, but so far, everything is going well.
Kristóf: I’m doing very well, going through a significant change, which is also reflected in my music. It has been a very active and productive period for me in the last six months. Fortunately, with the summer, gigs came back to everyday life.
Both your work points towards a niche genre in electronic music: spirituality, mystical worldview, tribal beats, folk traditions… Can you tell us a bit about these directions?
D: It’s hard to talk about it because the bits and pieces of the songs—be it an instrument, a snatch of the song, or a music motif—I mostly invent and play randomly, so it’s always a mystery to me why I did what I did exactly. I definitely use folk or tribal elements because I feel the most power and soft clarity in them at the same time. I think they convey my message the most.
K: I find it very exciting to see folk music woven into everyday life. Our emotions, as they turn into idioms, often feed on folk music motifs. For example, as Dorina sings at the end of the song, “nincs az a szerelem, ami el nem múlik” (“there ain’t no love that won’t pass away”—free translation). I do my best to translate the ebb and flow and the pulsation of folk music into my own music, even though, in terms of melody, I don’t use so many folk motifs.
You can listen to the end result here:
Who came up with the idea of working together and how?
D: A Spanish DJ-producer approached me with the idea of doing a remix version of “Witchcraft.” This gave us the push to invite more native artists to the project. Among these, I felt what I wanted to feel, when I listened to the covers made by Kristóf and IAMYANK. Unfortunately, I had to turn down some of the producers’ remixes, but that’s how the story felt complete.
The original version of “Witchcraft” was a big hit in March this year, and the joint mix is also releasing a lot of energy. What feelings and thoughts went through you guys while making the music?
D: I wrote this song in early 2020, then revisited it in early 2021. Most of it was written during an exciting phase in my life, full of solid energy. My aim was to capture the kind of magical feeling I was experiencing at the time.
K: When I first heard the original version, it gave me chills, and I wondered how great would be a remix for it. And then, two weeks later, Dorina’s manager Balázs Zságer approached me to do a cover for it. Even though I finished it in a week, it was probably the first song I’d ever done with such intense concentration. In general, I tend to be a bit sloppy, but that wasn’t really present here, so it was absolutely a good experience.
You can listen to all the remixes of the song here:
Can we expect to see your names next to the same track again?
D: It’s possible. I’ve had the pleasure of working with several people on the album, and the experience of writing music together has been very fulfilling! In the future, I would like to be involved in more collaborations like this.
K: That might not be a bad idea; we have many similarities in musical philosophy and also more generally. Something else sweet may come out of our hands.
What’s next in terms of music? Where can we meet you next?
D: Next time, we will perform at the Liszt Fest International Cultural Festival at the Akvárium Club with Saya Noé and I am Soyuz! We look forward to seeing you all.
K: I have two very promising events coming up in October with Pure Lust: I will be playing at TOLDI under a Bohemian Ritual after the French Sahalé and at the A38 after Parra For Cuva’s album launch concert. Also, on 30 September, Fourmï Rouz, organizer and promoter of the Goulash Disko festival in Croatia, with whom I had the pleasure of playing here this year, will be performing at TOLDI. Come and see us!
The photos were taken by Szemerey Bence.
Dorina Takács | Spotify | Youtube | Instagram
Kristóf Kelemen | Soundcloud | Youtube | Instagram
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