Anima Sound System

Anima Sound System is a Hungarian electronic band that started in 1993 in Szombathely. They are known for mixing traditional Eastern-European folk music with modern electronic styles, making them one of the first and most important electronic bands from Hungary. The band is signed to the Mole Listening Pearls record label and has strong connections with the underground Tilos Rádió station in Budapest.

In 1996, Anima Sound System gave their first international performance at the "Soundsfair Festival" in Vienna, sharing the stage with famous bands like Red Snapper, Goldie, and Nightmares on Wax. One of their notable works was a remix of the Hungarian national anthem, Himnusz, which caused some discussion in the media when it was played on Tilos Radio’s New Year party in 2000.

Over the years, the band’s sound has changed from early acid jazz-influenced albums to a more organic world music style. Although the band’s members have changed over time, Szabolcs Prieger and Zsolt Prieger have stayed from the original group. After the main singer left in 2004, Fanni Prieger, Zsolt’s daughter, joined as the new vocalist. Anima Sound System has performed in many cities across Eastern Europe, including eight shows in Prague, and has started to attract attention from promoters in Western European cities like Berlin and Paris.

Discography

Anima Sound System has released many albums over the years. Some of their notable albums include Shalom from 1995, Hungarian Astronaut from 1996, and Gipsy Sound Clash from 2000, which was released by Hungaroton. Later albums such as Aquanistan in 2003 by EMI and We Strike in 2006 by CLS Records continued to showcase their unique style.

The band kept creating music through the years, with releases like Gravity and Grace in 2014 and Anima & Animus in 2018 on their own Anima Records label.

Members

The Anima Sound System band includes Gergely Németh, Szabolcs Prieger, Zsolt Prieger, and Fanni Prieger as the singer.

Former members

The Anima Sound System had some singers who are no longer part of the band. Szilvia Bognár and Judit Németh were singers, but Judit left the band in 2004. Another member was Pál Séfer.