Dear readers, we are pleased to offer you in this article an interview with a Hungarian artist who combines Blues Rock with Desert/Stoner Rock. We welcome Csaba Szőke of the Chebe project.
Hi, i’is a pleasure to have you among our pages, how are you?
“Hey, it’s alright. Lot of work nowadays so not much time for family and friends, but trying hard to get out of the spiral.“
You are a multi-instrumentalist and singer, how did you get into music?
“I attended an art school as elementary school where I learned to play the piano and had other music related classes as a child. Also I’m from a musical family, I had a really nice start as we listened to a lot of music, had a really nice collection back at home.“
You created the project Chebe recently, how did the band come about and what is the meaning of the name?
“I have an other band (The Space Huns) which is a fully improvisational stoner rock band, but I had some song ideas and lyrics that I wanted to work on. It was a long process for me, because it was not an easy thing to play in front of people alone, but eventually I started playing more and more gigs solo. The name is just a variation of my name “Csaba”. Wanted a name that is easier to pronunciate for a non-Hungarian.“
You play Blues Rock with hints of Desert and Stoner Rock, how did your passion for this music come about and how would you define your genre?
“When I started playing the guitar, I remember I had a really strong drive to play like Hendrix. The love of hard rock comes from my family so this is the genre that flows effortlessly. I think my music is mainly blues with some vibe from the genres you mentioned, but I try to keep things simple. If I play live, I like to improvise and that adds some psychedelic stuff to the atmosphere, too…“
The new EP “It’s All Right Bro” was released on March 2025, how would you describe this work?
“It’s really something new for me because of two different things. One thing is that I recorded it completely on my own at home which was really fun, I didn’t ever have so much time to play with different sounds and try different parts on the tracks. And the other thing is that I played almost all of these songs at my gigs for like a year before, so these tracks were kind of done and ready to roll.“
5 tracks, including an instrumental, how does the creative process of your music take place?
“Most of the time I just improvise, groove on my guitar and record the best licks, melodies, riffs for later. I don’t really have lyrical flows, or really rarely, so when I feel like writing I try to force myself to write as much as I can in a few days. Then I try to match those lines with the music I recorded earlier. Then I play the songs as much as possible so that it can clear itself and have a “final” form. But as I realise no song has a final form, they change every now and then a little bit.“
Intense instrumental and vocal parts intertwine, what themes do the lyrics deal with?
“I like to write hazey or dreamlike things. I really love when a piece of music or lyrics is not that precise about a subject and you can drift away with it. So I don’t think I have certain themes that I work with, but of course I might have some moods that occur more times like money, nature’s changes or phenomena, my experience with alcohol and other substances etc.“
This is your second studio work, how does it differ from the previous one?
“As I said it mainly differs regarding my workflow, that I could spend more time on the tracks. I recorded more layers to the songs, recorded solos and more drum parts, too. An other thing also that I wanted to record a slightly softer material, I think the first album’s tone was a little bit too heavy for the genre.“
Being basically a one-man band, will there be a chance to hear your music live in the near future or is it a studio-only project?
“I had quite a number of gigs in 2023, but I couldn’t really play gigs last year, I was kind of depressed and couldn’t focus on the project that much. Now I try to “rise from the ashes” and continue to play live, because I honestly feel that playing live is the most crucial point in making music. To experience the world, to travel to new places, to meet new people.“
You play all the instruments and sing in this work, what equipment did you use to make the record?
“I used a Focusrite soundcard and an sm57. I’d like to stay simple with the project and the tone, so I recorded the tracks keeping that in mind. I used my favourite guitar on all the tracks, a bass-cajon for the kick and a snare and that’s all.“
Music is constantly evolving, how do you see today’s scene in your country and more generally as far as your sounds are concerned?
“Hungary is a small country, so every genre has a really tiny scene. It’s really hard for professional musicians to get by not to speak about those who do it beside a full-time job like me. I used to be frustrated about the shitty commercial radio stations and all the brainwashing media hype around some pop musicians, but I don’t really care anymore. I know I don’t play mainstream music and that I have to go abroad if I want to share my music with people who might be interested. It’s hard, but it’s really rewarding and also really fun with all the freedom that “the scene” can provide.“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching music with sounds like yours?
“It might be a cliché, but I really believe that the most important ingredient to any kind of art is love and a playful attitude. You have to figure it out for yourself from time to time to keep music and art rewarding enough and it can be hard. You can feel yourself alone with all the social media bullshit storm we experience online, but the main focus should remain having a great time. I know it sounds easy, but it’s not that easy at all.“
How do you see this new and massive technological input in the making of music?
“I like to think of myself as an old school guy. I love analogue gear and live music, direct, face to face performances. I’m scared that most people will lose the connection to the real value of music, but most people are not really interested in music or whatsoever already so who knows… (I don’t feel much positivity about any AI generated YouTube album neither.)“
Do you have any other activities or artistic passions outside music?
“I used to draw and make digital graphics, but nowadays I don’t really do that anymore as I don’t have much time left for anything basically…“
I thank Csaba for the interview, wishing him all the best for the promotion of her new album and the continuation of his artistic career.
Purchase the new album on Bandcamp: https://chebe.bandcamp.com/album/its-alright-bro
