In this exclusive interview, singer and guitarist João Figueiredo of Hungary-based trio Altisonic dives into the creative forces behind their latest release, Venturis. Formed by Figueiredo (vocals/guitar), Ákos Kostyán (bass), and Angel Szimeonov (drums), the band blends an array of musical influences drawn from their diverse international roots—Brazilian, Hungarian, and Bulgarian. This fusion has led Altisonic to develop a sound both unique and reflective of their eclectic backgrounds. Here, they share insights on how their multicultural dynamic shapes the music, their journey from cover songs to original compositions, and how the pandemic unexpectedly became a creative catalyst for their debut album. From genre-blending to live performance challenges, join us as Altisonic offers a look into their artistic journey and what lies ahead for the band.
Prog Sphere: How did the international backgrounds of the band members influence the sound and dynamic of Altisonic?
João Figueiredo: Altisonic brings together diverse cultural backgrounds: Ákos Kostyán (bass) is Hungarian, Angel Szimeonov (drums) is Bulgarian-Hungarian, and I, João Figueiredo (vocals/guitar), am Brazilian. This multiculturalism strongly shapes the band’s creative process. Musically, our eclectic sound arises from our varied influences and broad exposure to different styles. On the band dynamic front, our open-mindedness fosters a collaborative environment, where discussions are enriched by multiple perspectives, leading to well-rounded decisions on every aspect of the band’s work.
Can you tell us about how the band initially came together and how you transitioned from playing covers to writing original music?
Ákos and Angel had been playing together for years in various rock bands in the local rock scene. Before the 3 of us met, they were rehearsing covers with just drums and bass. After moving to Hungary, I found a music community (GS Fanatic) and posted about wanting to join a band in Budapest. At one point Ákos saw my post, and we arranged a studio session for jamming, in October 2019. Initially, we focused on cover songs, which helped us bond musically and personally. In 2020, due to the pandemic lockdown, we shifted our focus to creating original music, which became our priority moving forward.
Your music blends rock with influences from genres like pop, prog, funk, metal, and ethnic music. How do you balance these diverse styles?
This is essentially the result of our influences. The three of us listen to a wide range of music genres and don’t get too focused on just one style. Ákos, in particular, could practically train a GPT model with the sheer number of albums and artists he knows and listens to. He’s always introducing us to albums and artists we hadn’t heard of, and his record collection is genuinely impressive.
Among other genres, Angel and I lean more towards heavy metal and progressive music. We aim to balance this musical diversity so that no single genre overwhelms our sound or categorizes the band too narrowly. At the same time, we don’t impose strict limits; when creativity is flowing, we let ourselves explore a bit more deeply in one direction if it feels right. In our full-length album, Venturis, we intentionally used specific aesthetics for certain songs—for example, a prog-rock vibe in “Ocean” and a heavy metal feel in “Wasted Battery”.
What was the creative process behind your debut album Venturis?
It all started in a pretty spontaneous way. Just as we began jamming on original ideas and thinking about writing our own songs, the pandemic hit, and suddenly we were all in lockdown. Then one day, Ákos came up with this one song, and I remember feeling captivated—not only by the song itself but also by the idea of actually moving forward with the band, despite everything the world was going through.
After working on that first song and seeing what we were capable of, it was like the floodgates of creativity opened, and each of us started bringing in more riffs, chord progressions, lyric ideas, and sometimes nearly complete songs. Eventually, we had ten songs and decided to draw the line there, focusing on producing and recording these tracks, which now make up our full-length album, Venturis.
How does the songwriting process work within the band since you all contribute?
For me, one of the coolest and most unique aspects of Altisonic is how collaborative our songwriting process is, especially after playing in other bands where songwriting often falls to just one or two members. In Altisonic, our approach varies: some songs come together entirely in the studio during warm-up jams, when a great idea suddenly pops up. Other times, one of us records a basic idea and shares it with the band, and we work on it collectively. And there are also moments when a song arrives almost fully formed, but we still take time in the studio to refine the details.
What’s interesting is that all three of us are capable of expressing our ideas melodically, harmonically, and rhythmically. Combined with the ease of today’s recording and sharing platforms, this has really enhanced our creative process.
What themes or messages do you try to convey through your lyrics, and how do your multicultural backgrounds affect the lyrical content?
Our song lyrics cover a wide range of topics. In Venturis, each lyric explores a different theme without a unifying concept, unlike in a concept album. Some lyrics describe specific or unusual situations we’ve experienced or observed, while others are more metaphorical, sometimes offering critiques of certain issues in our society.
Listeners will find themes like wishful thinking, psychology, pessimism, psychedelic elements, and dramatic events throughout our songs, making for a very diverse mix. Our multicultural backgrounds play a significant role here, as all three of us contribute to the lyrics. Our varied experiences and unique perspectives bring distinctive insights when we come together to develop ideas around a shared theme.
Your song “Ken Lee” was featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday Hungary playlist. How did that recognition impact the band?
We firmly believe this was a sign from our mighty Lord, Ken Lee. [laughs] With this not-so-serious inside joke, I feel obligated to share a bit about this song, which has some intriguing background.
In short, this was the song from Ákos I mentioned earlier—the first one that surfaced and unlocked our latent creative energy during lockdown. Interestingly, Ákos says this song actually came to him in a dream, feeling almost like one of those fateful events described in sacred texts. All these elements gradually added to the song’s mystique. But as we continued writing other tracks, “Ken Lee” lost some of its magic and simply became another cool song on our setlist, until we eventually released it as a single.
It was a fantastic surprise to have “Ken Lee” featured on Spotify’s “New Music Friday Hungary”, which brought much more visibility to the song and to the band on our digital platforms compared to previous singles. It also received a great response from our audience, solidifying its place as one of the standout tracks on Venturis.
What was it like recording and releasing your first songs during the pandemic? Did the global situation affect the creative process?
This was a unique experience because of all the restrictions we faced during that time. On the upside, these challenges pushed us to learn more about production, recording, mixing/mastering, and, most importantly, finding the right professionals to collaborate with.
Lockdowns in Hungary, especially in Budapest, were quite strict. Whenever restrictions eased, we would gather in the studio to practice the songs and fine-tune details. We recorded the drums at DobBázis, a studio in Budapest specializing in drum recordings. Angel did something truly impressive—he recorded all the songs in single takes, using only the rough backing tracks we had available at the time. Big thanks to Tamás Vellai for his excellent work capturing Angel’s drumming.
We recorded bass, guitars, and vocals at home using our home studio setups. We’re especially grateful to have Miroslava Dukmedjieva on board as our audio engineer—she delivered exceptional quality.
How does Budapest’s music scene compare to your experiences with music in other countries, and how has it influenced Altisonic’s growth?
I can only compare it to the Brazilian scene, especially what I experienced around São Paulo. One positive aspect of the Budapest scene is the high number of bands playing original music at a very impressive level, along with the opportunities provided by venues hosting concerts and festivals. In São Paulo, while there’s a significant number of great artists playing original music, I see a higher demand for tribute bands.
On a national level, I’ve noticed a concentration of gigs in the Budapest area compared to other parts of Hungary, whereas the music scene in Brazil seems to be more decentralized, which can benefit bands looking to expand into other regions. Being based in Budapest is an advantage for Altisonic, as it positively influences our growth by making it easier to access key venues and network with many other bands.
With multiple genres influencing your sound, how do you decide the direction of a particular song?
When a song begins to take shape, it often has an inherent character that we usually try to respect and preserve. However, if it starts to head in a direction that’s either outside our general style or something we’d prefer to adjust, we discuss ways to shape its aesthetics, amplifying certain elements and downplaying others.
Production plays a big role here, especially when deciding on guitar tones and how to approach the vocal lines and harmonies. We also work to define how the song should sound in its studio version and how we can translate that effectively in a live setting, given that we are a power trio.
Can you share any memorable moments from the recording of Venturis or the creative journey leading up to its release?
The road that led to Venturis‘ release was a bit bumpy but filled with great memories. Looking back, my strongest impression is of overcoming challenges and growing together as a band, whether in songwriting, recording, or the many other skills we developed along the way. The creative journey was also unique, because at a certain point, we were completely free to assemble our first album—a milestone in Altisonic’s career that began to shape the band’s inner voice.
I remember some vocal sessions being quite exhausting, both physically and mentally; after recording certain songs, especially “Connected to Power”, I just wanted a pillow and blanket! I also have great memories of how we felt after hearing the songs for the first time after the audio engineer finished mixing and mastering. That was incredibly rewarding.
What inspired the title Venturis for your debut album?
The word “Venturis” plays with several meanings and closely relates to the time we lived through during the pandemic, when we began composing the album. In 2020, due to the tragic number of hospitalizations, there was a global shortage of a critical component for mechanical ventilators, the ‘Venturi valve.’ Watching the engineering community mobilization to find ways in making these parts more accessible, I took some time to revisit the ‘Venturi Effect’ in fluid dynamics and the application of the ‘Venturi pipe’ in various fields.
Over time, I realized an interesting parallel with our experience at that moment: moving through a narrow passage and being involuntarily accelerated forward amid so much uncertainty. In Latin, the term “Venturus” and its variations convey the idea of movement or something approaching. In the end, “Venturis” was chosen to symbolize movement, flow, and the constant change in our lives.
What do you see as the biggest challenge for a band like Altisonic in today’s music industry?
Today’s music industry has a complex structure, offering various levels of success and achievement. It’s crucial for a band, especially in the underground scene, to reflect on this and define what level to pursue and how to work toward it. With well-aligned expectations, a band can identify challenges that are well-suited to its current stage.
For Altisonic, one of our biggest challenges now is finding ways to raise the bar for our next record, especially in terms of songwriting and production. After our debut album, we want to keep the elements that worked well while also pushing forward with innovation.
Are there any artists or bands from Hungary or internationally that have inspired your musical journey?
There are many international artists and bands that inspire us, and continue to do so. In the prog sphere (no pun intended), I’d mention bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Porcupine Tree, and TOOL.
From Hungary, classic bands like P. Mobil and Hobo Blues Band have also been influences. We also draw inspiration from some contemporary Hungarian bands, such as éK and Antares.
What can fans expect from your upcoming new material, and how will it build on the foundation you’ve laid with Venturis?
We’re currently in the midst of creating new material, making this an especially exciting time. It’s fantastic to hear the new songs taking shape and hinting at fresh directions for the band in terms of musicality.
Fans can expect a different sound and a distinct shift in the songs’ feel and musical approach. Now that our beloved debut album is out, we’ll always have a reference point, but this also fuels our desire to explore new directions and experiment with different paths. We’re eager to start sharing more, so follow Altisonic online and stay tuned for what’s coming next!
We’d also like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Prog Sphere and Niko Savić for the space and great questions, as well as to everyone in the Prog Sphere community. You guys rock!
