First Aid 4 Souls was started as a project only last year, but the group really has quite a long past. It is the practical successor of the band Vacuum, which was started in 1992.
Vacuum became one of the most significant bands in the Hungarian industrial music scene, having appeared on stage with such bands as Clock Dva, Swamp Terrorists and X Marks The Pedwalk; as well as giving countless concerts throughout the country. The band made it their policy to always support other bands whenever the opportunity would present, both instrumentally and in the sharing of opportunities to play; committing fully, in order to strengthen the Hungarian music scene and also to force the band's discovery of their true musical essence.
Painter Norbert Szük provided Vacuum's visual background imagery. His paintings, so full of industrial and magical meaning, contribute well to the overall success of the band's all-art conception. He continues to be responsible for the group's high-level of vivid visual imagery.
Philosopher, István Drimál , a good friend of mine, was behind the drums for Vacuum. He is our intellectual support and is responsible for the group's philosophical background. This support has included the penning of several lyrics.
The intellectual integrity and the roots of the group rely profoundly upon great intellectual achievements in history with an emphasis on ideas from classical philosophy - Heraclites, Plato and Hegel playing a large inspirational role. This conscious identification with our intellectual frequency serves us well creatively and also represents the group's pride in its well rooted European culture.
Regarding transcendence, there are distinct religious, philosophical and magical traditions making appearances in our themes, but the band definitely refuses the negative energy of Satanism and New Age philosophy hasn't served to inspire the group musically in any way to date. Essentially, the maintenance of the spiritual, mental balance is of great importance to us. We are constantly moving toward the essence behind this existence believed to be reality.
As for me, István Gazdag, I was responsible for the musical background and the vocals with Vacuum, and I continue in this area with First Aid 4 Souls. I've worked in the medium of electronic music for 20 years now and have been collecting electric sound making and sound manipulating gadgets since 1985. Having built up a considerable studio - with a preference for Korg instruments - I'm able to provide practically everything for bands; everything from song composition to mastering.
Additionally, I continue to enjoy playing/working in and with other bands. I would particularly like to mention Terra Incognita and my cyber project, The Last European. I've been blessed to have had the opportunity to work with several great Hungarian artists and have found great reward in composing music for ballet and films, media signals and main titles.
It is our intention to preserve our roots and present a continuation into the future of music, relying on these nearly 20 years of intellectual and technical experience. The truly enjoyable opportunity for us to arrange our principles and thoughts consciously during the creation process is very rewarding on one hand, and on the other hand we deliberately wish to inspire the independent thoughts of our audience through our music, lyrics, and of course through vivid imagery in the band's performance. Indeed, it is our conscious intention to inspirationally motivate others through our music. We wish to inspire profound contemplation about ourselves as individuals and our collective role in the universe in a way that does not intend to control, but rather to give rise to independent thought in the listeners mind.
I strive for this kind of completeness while writing and constructing the music; every dark tone has a little light in it, and even the most relieved moments contain a pinch of pain. There is a conscious effort to counterpoint the relative monotony of electronic music with live musical instruments and drums. My effect-like sick vocals are counter pointed by the clear voice and skilled drum play of Katalin Helfenbein. It's well worth noting that several lyrics are written by Kati. Needless to say, her deep humanity and resounding talent contribute quite a lot to the band over all.
Attila Pálfalvy is our third stable member. Attila is a permanent soloist of the Hungarian musical theatre and also the drummer of the industrial band WFS. He is extremely multitalented, being gifted with the ability to play many musical instruments and also contributes much with his unique vocals. I could add that while the soul of the group is Kati and the will is me, the knowledge in the band is definitely Attila. His theatrical vocal style and precise skill in playing drums raise the role of the human factor in the band to a much higher extent. While I survey the causes and effects of alienation (sometimes with brutal solutions) the others put emphasis on the constant importance of humanity.
Musically, FA4S also relies on several kinds of tradition, deliberately mixing the fine brutality of noise music with the psychedelic pulsation of trance and blending the rich melodies of new wave with the strict grinding of industrial metal. Obviously, we don't care for being labeled to suit any one category of music and the current musical trends have no effect on us at all.
I've established the Sound & Chord record label to promote like minded individuals and groups (on not-for-profit basis) enabling these talented and deserving artists to record in a professional environment
Thank you for your interest in First Aid 4 Souls.
Regards, István Gazdag First Aid 4 Souls
