As I reported it previously, not so long tome ago I hosted a Nooka designer exhibition in Budapest, followed by a kick-as party by Larry Tee. Now I discovered that the super cool Nooka creator, Matthew Waldman was kind enough to include me in his blog. Let’s se what an ultimate new yorker has to say about Hungary, Budapest… and me. Thanx Matthew!

“budapest is a city i have always wanted to visit – rich history, their language is an isolate on the european continent [it's an altaic language more closely related to finnish, mongolian, japanese and korean than to any other groups], they have a culture of spending long afternoons in thermal baths, and the danube is a famous river. i was not disappointed!

my reason for coming was the hungarian custom nookanooka show organized by csap viktor, our man on the ground in budapest. the show featured 35 local artists, and i was blown-away by the enthusiasm and craft the artists applied to the competition. i will update the nookanooka pages on our website as soon i get the official photographs and artists bios from csap. larry tee was dj at the after party, and it was great catching up with him [i haven't seen larry since he moved to london]. i got to become friends with the madonna of hungary, kristóf steiner who splits his time between budapest and tel aviv and was our emcee for the evening. really great guy!

the only unfortunate thing was some planning issues, mainly the may day holiday weekend. like NYC on labor day, more than half of the city was out-of-town! hopefully the show will travel within buda or pest to continue the buzz when the city is back to full-tilt! i’ll keep you posted.

so, let me end by saying, if you haven’t thought of it, visit budapest! it’s affordable, extremely bicycle friendly [i rented a bike for 2 days and it was AMAZING] and full of things to do. as for best thermal, i recommend széchenyi. gallért is more famous [matthew barney's cremaster cycle was partly filmed there] but not as nice overall [poorly signed, only some of the staff are helpful]. széchenyi is in a beautiful park with an amusement part and museums, so you can kill a whole day there!”

Cleveland International Filmfestival’s major hit, Leo’s Room hits the cinemas in Hungary! The so-called-gay-movie is much more than a simple tongue-in peek into a single man’s private universe. It’s more like a key for ourselves…

My confessions on Leo…

Leo is a student whose wide eyes and curly hair project sensitive boyishness. He is vaguely aware that there’s something wrong with his relationship with beautiful Andrea. What’s worse, Leo’s mom is pressuring them to get married. Uncomfortable with Andrea’s requests for sex, Leo pretends he has to study. He goes to hide in the apartment he shares with a pothead who spends his days watching “Star Wars.” Away from everyone’s prying eyes, Leo searches online for friends. Timid and awkward at first, he invites one or two men to his room, only to have them leave when he says he just wants to talk. Then Leo stumbles into old girlfriend Caro, who has become listless and chronically depressed. As they grow closer, he finds that she, too, has a repressed secret. Leo’s visits to an understanding therapist, plus his new love for a candid man named Seba, help him begin to answer his questions about himself.

As the festival’s official site describes, the film explores the moments of unexpected connection that can lead to confession and acceptance. Love, loss, grief, guilt, desires, and fear are all more easily managed if we have the courage to face them.

You can catch the movie in Budapest…

…on the 21-22nd of May, in Művész cinema, at 20:30
23-24th of May, Puskin cinema, at 20:30
25-26th of May, Művész cinema, at 17:00
28th of May, Toldi cinema – ask for the details about the all day workshops and talkshows.

Electroclash is back! Or, at least the “godfather” of the sound which spawned acts such as Peaches, 2ManyDJs, Felix Da Housecat, and more… the legendary Larry Tee will appear at a special edition of Kollektiva and Kunk. The night, hosted by the golden boy of Hungary’s celeb world, Kristof Steiner, will also feature a special display of customised toyfigures of the forward-styled and New York-based Nooka designer watch brand.

Jump for his love!

The so-called “Andy Warhol of dance music”, Larry Tee has served as one of the foremost influencers of the independent party scene worldwide, beginning with his production of the B-52′s smash hit, the eponymous “Rock Lobster”. Following that auspicious start, Tee’s tastemaking powers only increased, asout of his late 1990s Brooklyn club nights emerged the electro-rock hybrid “Electroclash” sound that became an international phenomenon. Not to rest on its success, Tee continued to push the bar forward with his recent dirty electro-house album Club Badd, featuring appearances by Princess Superstar, Perez Hilton, Roxy Cottontail, Diplo, and collaboration with Steve Aoki and Santogold its tracks are routinely featured in MSTRKRFT and Justice live sets, among others.

Party hosts, and support DJs, Kollektiva and Kunk have each put their own unique stamps on Budapest nightlife Kollektiva with its rave-flavored events featuring such acts as the Bloody Beetroots, Yuksek, Foamo, and Jaymo & Andy George; while Kunk’s indie-nu-disco styled parties have featured Anoraak, Russ Chimes, Thieves Like Us, and The Twelves as guests. Also DJing a special electroclash set in the bar area will be Budapest’s longstanding arbiter of indie, Gumipop.

Kicking off the evening’s happenings is the announcement of the Nooka toy figure design contests for Nooka, with none other than the creator of the accessory watch himself present, Matthew Waldman – who is a long-time friend of Larry Tee, coincidentally.

What: Kollektiva and Kunk present: Larry Tee (USA) + Special Nooka Design Night
When: Friday, April 30, 10pm – 5am
Where: Merlin, Gerlóczy u. 4, 1052 Budapest
DJs Main Stage: Larry Tee; TMX, FullStereo, Popbitch (Kollektiva); Cigi (Kunk)
DJs Bar Area: Gumipop DJs
Personal hosting by: Kristof Steiner
Entry: 1500 HUF