Based in Berlin, the four musicians create with their Hungarian Speed-Folk a mixture of rap, rock, Bartok, ska, punk and gypsy-techno. Their live performances invariably turn into ecstatic dance orgies but the Transsylvanians can also seduce the audience with the ballads and love songs in their repertoire.
The songs tell of their homeland: the earth and the stars; war and peace; love and jealousy - and, above all, the lust for life that characterizes their live shows. Through their constant touring they have become one of Germany’s favourite live acts on the world-music scene.
The new front-woman is Nagy Isabel. Her double-bass playing and voice meltdown into a deceptively gentle mood only to suddenly erupt with breath-taking energy. Violinist András Tiborcz sweeps the audience away with his energy-loaded, ferocious playing. Add ambidextrous guitarist Hendrik Maass and powerhouse drummer Thornas Leisner and you’ve got one hot goulash heavy on the paprika.
This line-up, often augmented by guests on accordion, piano and saxophone, evokes the stories of generations of Hungarian life as told in the traditional songs. The combination of their different musical backgrounds provides the creative tension of the band and produces exciting and vivid new music. The name „Transsylvanians“ is often associated with the Dracula myth and when that conjures up visions of a mysterious underworld - where, in the night, bats go hunting and dark forces awake uncontrollable passions which drive people to madness - then this is not in the least inappropriate.
Transsylvania, the musical source of the band, is a strip of land that belonged to Hungary until the First World War and is now part of Romania. Many people from different cultures live there: Hungarians, Romanians, Siebenbürgersachsens and Gypsies. With many concerts in England, Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, these musicians – from Hungary, Greece and Germany – show how music can connect people of different countries and generations.