Isten Nyila

 

The „band” (or, it is rather correct to say: the project), in the course of the years, has drifted to the brink of being formed at several times… however, it always seemed necessary to be put off. Maybe it is for ever this way. Moreover, it may be better in this way; half-way on the verge of existence and non-existence, but always loitering in the imagination; but never really realized. And this all may also be not true. (Though the half of it may be so, too!) What is sure: we never aimed to play in this name (in a concert etc.); but, then, for what…?

It is rather like a collective noun as a matter of fact, I think. The Hungarian word Isten Nyila can have more symbolic meanings. In the first place, it is a popular and literary expression for lightning and thunderbolt (in a literal translation it means „The Arrow of the God”); so is an oath; a curse. It also means the vulgar electricity. Originally, the name was invented to be the name of our shaman drum circle, which was founded by Tamas Paulinyi, together with (and also as a part of) his Synthesis Free University in Budapest in 1997. But, unfortunately, the majority of the members didn’t like this name. So thus we threw it off, together with a lot of other names… (For example: Compared With Us; Our Best; Living Animal or Live-Stock; Eryngo; Sky Horses; etc. – nevertheless, all these funny expressions would probably come back as some titles of tracks or songs later…) Since we couldn’t really agree on any other highly effective and correct name, the very fantastic „Synthesis Shaman Drum Circle” stuck as the final version up to the present day. However, there were always some experimental attempts and endeavours, that were out of the original conception more or less, or trying to combine with other elements, which couldn’t really be put into our other boxes running under other names; so this name is used for the collection of all of these exceptions. For example, a bunch of Ritual Theatre movements built around my Season Drums since 2001, from which we presented a small performance in the Pataky and PeCsa in 2003 and 2004 (called the Dancing Shaman Drums). Or, I range my own, personal song-writing attempts to here, too. All our other bands (the Shaman Circle, Kiyo-Kito, Stonehenge) are commonly characterized by the live and acoustic sound built on collective drumming – the sound of some electric, and, moreover, electronic instruments cannot really be fit into this: the Isten Nyila name (recalling electricity as a symbolic and mythologic thunder) is meant to refer to this difference by intention mostly. (The same expression – in another interpretation – could be applied to the thundering taiko drumming, too; as done in the „Rolling Thunder” name for example – in the taiko.com international website.) For the time being, there is not too many results of this, ready and finished; this all rather is a heap of virtual plans. But – step by step – something may still be born of that…

I usually don’t like to publish semi-manufactured initiatives and germs. I still uploaded only one little demo, not as a whole track of full value (as it is not that, of course), but only as a matter of curiosity. Because the only thing that sounds in it, is the thirty years old sound-chip of the C64 (the SID, and moreover, four of that), and also set to one certain tone (yes, this is the demo of that tone). When I acquired my HardSID 4U synth, I tested its voice with this funny little project. (However, it is not a raw and direct SID tone, but is strongly effected with my favourite effects from the UAD-1 DSP-card, for example Plate 140, RE-201, 88RS and Moog Filter on nearly all tracks of that… And those tracks were also re-recorded many times, then layered together; so thus you won’t be sure to recognize what you hear exactly; but it is interesting as an experiment at least.)

Unfortunately, in the meantime, the idea of the name spreaded on the internet, and nowadays a lot of dudes have begun to use it (the google search had hardly got a few results of this some years ago). But I don’t mind; even this thing will never change me anyway.

 

Robert Olessak (2010)


  Season Drums
07/11/2011
  
Drums of Damocles
  

 

Retro Photos

07/24/2011
  
My own, personal retro photo album (40 pictures)
  

  Aachen
07/03/2011
  
The performance in Aachen (18 pictures)
  

  Our Bands brochure (2010)
07/07/2011
  
Our Bands brochure (Kiyo-Kito, Synthesis and Stonehenge) (0.3 MB)
  

Musics