OIEE is a deeply unique Hungarian live act committed to pushing the boundaries of traditional live shows. Known for their experimental nature and audience engagement, they recently put out a video of themselves performing ‘MARATHON’ at the renowned music venue Trafo. I was completely blown away!
Desperate to know more about the band, I was delighted when founder Bence Kocsis agreed to an interview! Taking us through what he loves about audience participation, the feeling of knowing that your music is being listened to worldwide, and what he cherishes most about being a musician, please give a big welcome to our new friends OIEE!
Hello and welcome OIEE! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us! Let’s kick things off with an easy one…Who is OIEE and when did your love affair with music begin?
My name is Bence Kocsis and I’m based in Budapest. I started my first project in 2004 as a singer/songwriter in a rock band and I had a lot of different bands on the road (Saverne, Window, Metrosection, Wopo Wopo).
This solo project started in 2018 when I felt the need for total freedom when it came to producing, featuring artists etc. I’m also a visual artist and art director who has produced and directed more than 30 videos and different kinds of art projects. You can find out more about it on my homepage: www.oieeproductions.com
I studied arts and design management at the Hungarian art university: MOME.
I’ve become completely obsessed with the most recent video you’ve put on YouTube! Captured during your live performance at the renowned venue Trafo, please tell us more footage will become available soon.
For a start, I wanted to mix the usual after-movie video genre with a live video and that interactive sound experience we did for the intro.
There will be another video of 2 dance performances and one with a Hungarian poet collaborating with a drummer.
I love how you involve your audience, and it’s something that I’ve always wished more artists and bands would do. It’s so innovative and captivating! How did you know that this is how you wanted your live performances to go?
I had the main topic for a start, which is “stimulation addiction”.
We reacted to that with the other artists, and it’s also part of my lyrics, so I was thinking about how we could use our audience and their phones to get involved. I really liked the idea and that it sums up the whole concept so well.
Your tunes have racked up millions of streams on Spotify, and I’d like to know if you could tell our audience just how it feels to know that so many people are listening to and resonating with your music.
It’s the main thing I like about Spotify, even if the system is built to be more suited for the big artists than newcomers. But still, I have a little chance to reach out with my music to the other side of the world. Right now, less than 15% of my listeners are from my home country, which is quite crazy. I’d never thought of that. But my focus now is to travel as much as possible and give small pop-up shows in bars to big headline shows at festivals too. I want to meet people and get to know communities, and people who think similarly about art and music.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Stromae and Childish Gambino, mainly because of their artistic visions apart from what they do as musicians.
When you’re not creating music, what keeps you busy and happy? Walk us through a non-music day in the life of OIEE.
I’m a program manager for two open-air locations and I’m organising jam sessions and other concept live shows and DJ gigs. I’m also working on my own management and visuals.
I love to cooperate with graphic designers, video editors, and animators and I’ve had my hand-picked super team for a while. They are a part of the OIEE artist family. It’s a joy to work with them because they help me to create my visions in the best way possible.
I also try to leave some space for them to get involved in the creative part, so they can also have fun while working together.
What aspects of being a musician do you cherish most? And on the flip side of that, what would you say have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered?
For me, creating music is maybe the best possible way to get the flow experience. Maybe that’s where I can be super focused on one thing and forget about everything. Also, singing in improvised jam sessions is one of my favourite experiences as a musician.
The biggest challenge must be the financial side and that, sometimes, it’s not all about how good a track is, but it comes down to timing, promotion, location and loads of stuff.
If you were allowed to collaborate with any musician or band, who would you choose and why?
The same as in question 5! 🙂
Thanks again for chatting with us! It’s been awesome getting to know you a little better! What comes next for you musically?
I will be playing a lot abroad. The closest ones are a solo tour in April (Wien, Prague, Poznan, Berlin) and we will play at The Great Escape festival (Brighton) with the duo set up in May.
I’m also about to release two tracks in the coming months with Berlin-based artist, Nomé.
Thank you for the detailed questions, it was a pleasure! 🙂
