Biography
Budapest-based Yonderboi, born László Fogarasi Jr. in Kaposvár, Hungary, projects a quietly confident presence within downtempo electronica. During his formative years Fogarasi pursued solitary interests, bypassing the orchestral instruction given to contemporaries and instead chasing the singular appeal of Rhoda Scott while miming lyrics during choir sessions. Eventually the classic and golden-era hip-hop textures of the Beastie Boys and De La Soul took root, prompting him to explore home-based production methods.
At sixteen he sent an initial demo to Juice Records and secured placement on the label’s Future Sound of Budapest compilation. His debut single arrived as an instrumental reworking of the Doors’ “Riders on the Storm,” issued under the title “Pink Solidism.” The five-track EP Cinnamon Kisses followed in 1998. By summer 1999, already viewed by some as a Hungarian, disco-inflected counterpart to µ-Ziq possessing the sonic finesse of an East German Goldfrapp, Fogarasi enlisted keyboardist and friend Balázs Zságer to finish his first album for Mole Listening Pearls, the widely praised Shallow & Profound (2000). Its sophisticated blend of lo-fi jazz and conceptual trip-hop masked the producer’s youth; he was only nineteen when the record was made.
Several years passed before the 2005 follow-up Splendid Isolation, which incorporated contributions from Legendary Pink Dots’ Edward Ka-Spel, assorted instrumentalists, and a children’s choir. A further interval preceded the 2011 release Passive Control, featuring vocals by singer Charlotte Brandi, yet Fogarasi regarded the three albums as a connected trilogy. By then multiple Yonderboi pieces had been placed in video games, television programs, and films. He also established himself as a visual artist and worked in collaboration with, as well as performed alongside, director Peter Greenaway.
At sixteen he sent an initial demo to Juice Records and secured placement on the label’s Future Sound of Budapest compilation. His debut single arrived as an instrumental reworking of the Doors’ “Riders on the Storm,” issued under the title “Pink Solidism.” The five-track EP Cinnamon Kisses followed in 1998. By summer 1999, already viewed by some as a Hungarian, disco-inflected counterpart to µ-Ziq possessing the sonic finesse of an East German Goldfrapp, Fogarasi enlisted keyboardist and friend Balázs Zságer to finish his first album for Mole Listening Pearls, the widely praised Shallow & Profound (2000). Its sophisticated blend of lo-fi jazz and conceptual trip-hop masked the producer’s youth; he was only nineteen when the record was made.
Several years passed before the 2005 follow-up Splendid Isolation, which incorporated contributions from Legendary Pink Dots’ Edward Ka-Spel, assorted instrumentalists, and a children’s choir. A further interval preceded the 2011 release Passive Control, featuring vocals by singer Charlotte Brandi, yet Fogarasi regarded the three albums as a connected trilogy. By then multiple Yonderboi pieces had been placed in video games, television programs, and films. He also established himself as a visual artist and worked in collaboration with, as well as performed alongside, director Peter Greenaway.
Albums
