Erik Sumo – My Rocky Mountain

The debut long-player from Budapest beat juggler Ambrus Tovishazi.

Life as a ‘ Crate Soul Brother’ has seen Erik Sumo immersed in rare Eastern European jazz, library soundtracks, twisted funk, and cutting edge Baltic break beats for some time. It may come as some surprise then, that on his debut LP the Hungarian singer/songwriter has mixed up a heady concoction of Western inspired, acid tinged, future blues music that’ll challenge the listener as much as it’s guaranteed to entertain them.

‘This Is Where It Began’: a genre defying and surreal collection of songs that are sure to turn so-called ‘dance’ music on its head. An album inspired as much by Ennio Morricone and Clint Eastwood as it is by post-punk, Portishead and the cosmic sounds of seminal outfits like the RTB Big Band.

Strings, harmonicas and infectious hand clapping conspire to mess with your mind, as traditional and future influences provide an unforgettable soundclash. ‘East meets west head on with the wild percussion and wordless vocals of ‘Sirens Of The Dead Sea’, and elsewhere, where The Real Moustache’ owes as much to facially hirsute travellers as it does tough beats for the dance floor.

Sumo finds his voice on the title track, a cunning blend of lazy jazz drumming, electric guitars, and a certain cowboy’s heartfelt lament. The refrain then continues across borders to ‘Friday In France’. Here we’re met by a chanteuse of Francophile leanings, before, once again, we’re back on Sumo’s horse, trudging our way across ‘The Map Of The World’.
An inspired, dubbed out version of ‘Summertime’ helps us on our way home for a well earned hot meal, only to find on the menu that ‘Babyfoot Is Off Today’!

Tovishazi, with a little help from vocalists Julie Fabian and Erzsi Kiss, is due to confound, confuse and amaze with his debut LP. He reaches the summit of his ‘Rocky Mountain’ as has a hell of a lot of fun along the way…now ‘get on your horse, and drink your milk’….