Little Cow

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"Hungary's hottest export since gulash!" (Funkhaus Europa 103,3) Little Cow is a fine mix of joy and melancholy, humour and lyricism. Gypsy-tinged ska/rock/funk pop songs performed by charismatic musicians. Real party music that makes your feet move and keep your mind work.

HOW DID IT START
Little Cow was founded by László Kollár-Klemencz after the great success of his songs for the ‘Little yellow cow’ animations. This funny figure and his story - which by the way won the audience award of the International Animation Festival in Ottawa, October, 2002 - were brought to life by him and his creative partner, Igor Lazin. 2002 was a successful year for the yellow animal: the protagonist Little Cow became the main advertisement figure of Hungary‘s Sziget Festival. (You can watch the animation on www.littlecow.hu)

The band first was formed to play on that certain festival, with a makeshift set-up and a slender repertoire. Those times the band was just a hobby of the members, well, it didn’t really exist. Still, László managed to make two albums with various musician friends in the meantime: A Kis Tehén (The Little Cow) came out in 2002, and Csintalan (Naughty) in 2004.

HIGHWAY TO FAME
The band in its current form ganged up in 2005, which was also the year of the incredible success of their song Szájbergyerek (Cyber boy). Though the video clip was not brodcast by any commercial channels –for it was said to be too underground - it became quickly wide-known and popular with the mediation of the internet. This has become a real hit breaking all records in the Hungarian music industry including the ringtone-download. What’s more, the clip headed the video chart of the Hungarian VIVA Television for weeks, while the song burst out as a Nr. 1 hit on all the home charts and was chosen as the ‘Song of the year in Hungary’ on the Fonogram Award. Shortly it gained fame even abroad - it was selected for the British ‘Beginner’s Guide to Eastern Europe’ compilation album.

Thanks to this success the public interest arouse quickly in Little Cow: the band was invited to different festivals, village days, cultural celebrations, TV shows in Hungary, and they even made it to Paris, where they played to a truly enthusiastic audience.

By 2006 they became one of the Hungary‘s most popular bands. Their new album Szerelmes vagyok minden nobe (I’m in love with every lady) was published that year by EMI in Hungary and the international version I’m in Love with Every lady came out on Berlin based label Eastblok Music in February, 2007. Thanks to them, the album is available all across Europe. The release gig in February in Berlin was a real smash-hit: the audience loved them and they were interviewed by important media, did a live session on Radio Multiculti. Soon afterwards their live radio recording gig in Dortmund brought them the review which calls the band “Hungary’s hottest export since gulash“. Their return in to Berlin’s Rodina club was such success nobody would believe.

In Hungary the band choose to launch their new album in a surprising way – they created a little theatre show out of their music and toured the country with their production, sponsored by T-Online, Hungary. In 2007 Csintalan became a Platinum Album in Hungary.

This year the band has done a successful spring tour in Austira and Germany, has played in Slovakia and the Czech Republic and is invited to the Lowlands Festival in The Netherlands. They are also preparing for their autumn tour in Germany and Austria, going for debut gigs in the UK and the US. Their song “Virágok a réten“ (featuring their gypsy friends Romano Drom) has been selected on the Top of the World album of the Songlines Magazin, UK and the Gypsy grooves album of Putumayo World Records (beware, Putumayo uses the band’s Hungarian name, Kistehén tánczenekar – not our fault…)

WHAT MUSIC
The reason why their music is so rich, diverse, and revolving – still specific and well recognizable - is because it can not be restricted into a certain category. We might call it crazy listening or underground pop, or may think we listen to a village version of Beatles - it mixes and matches gypsy, Balkan, rock, pop, ska, and dance music in the best proportion. The album I’m in love with every lady for example keeps the serenity, absurdity and humour of the Cyber boy, besides this it is mature, sometimes more than funny, other times deep and poetic.

VIDEO CLIPS
Little Cow became famous with visual aids – the low budget but very catchy video clips are the other strength of the band, thanks to the multi – talent of band leader László Kollár – Klemencz. The setting is usually very simple: the small rehearsal room of the band decorated with Eastern-European memorablia, or a beautiful autumn meadow, circus caravans or a kindergarden. László is interested in the athmosphere his songs and his friends can create – when you watch them play, you just want to be there and party with them.

HA ÉN EGYSZER NAGYON MEGÖREGSZEM
CYBERBOY - SZÁJBERGYEREK