The story of The Qualitons began in 2007 when DJ/producer Kanada Káosz was invited to DJ at the Berlin Soul Ascension Festival (SAF). When he saw some of the greatest funk/soul/beat bands playing at the SAF (incl. The Soul Investigators, Afrobeat Academy, Whitefield Brothers) he went back to Budapest inspired to organize such a band in Hungary. He went to dozens of concerts to hand-pick musicians for this project.

The band were named after the living memory of the former Hungarian Recording Company „Qualiton” – a record label which existed from the late 50s up to the 70s. At first the band's repertoire consisted of cover-versions from rare Hungarian 7" singles but soon started to write their own songs. They released two 7" singles on Munich’s Tramp Records and were featured on a compilation entitled Contemporary Funk (TR-9005).

The Qualitons' first big break through came when Kaosz produced shows with the veteran Hungarian soul-rock singer Kati Kovács. They rehearsed her best songs and went on tour around Hungary. This brought a great deal of attention from the Hungarian media, as this was dubbed by them as "The Comeback of Kati Kovács". The strength behind Kati's big comeback was, of course, The Qualitons!

Recently legendary Japanese DJ Muro placed “Mellbimbo” by The Qualitons right at the beginning of his Afro-Funk mixtape Super Afro Funky Breaks. Furthermore in May this year Gil-Scott Heron and his band shared stage with The Qualitons at the Mediawave festival in Szombathely, Hungary. Heron and the guys enjoyed themselves so much that they congratulated The Qualitons personally for their authentic music and great performance.

The band consists of: Barna Szőke – guitar, Mátyás Premecz - Hammond/vocals, Ernő Hock - bass/vocals, Hunor G. Szabó - drums/vocals and Kanada Káosz - tambourine/claps/producer.

The Qualitons will be touring Europe in fall/winter of 2010, promoting their debut album "Panoramic Tymes". Watch out for upcoming dates in your city!

With driving drums and chasing bass, off kilter bleeps and doo wop vocals, the new style of “Clockwatching” ties together all that is distinctive about the Belleruche sound that we know and love, with the fresh addition of layered harmonies from singer Kathrin deBoer, skirting the line between sugary and spiky, and a melodic interplay between vocals and bassline that makes for a dynamic take on a classic song form.

The official promo is fresh up on YouTube, here; the perfect visual side order to this song, it continues the mischievously mysterious and edgy bent on proceedings. Asked for their own perspective on the atmosphere and vibe of the video, the band describe it with their characteristic ability to hit the nail on the head: “Hmm...somewhere between Twin Peaks and Bergerac, maybe?”.

The B side of the “Clockwatching” 7” is a version of The Beat’s classic hit, “Mirror In The Bathroom”, which came about when Belleruche were asked to do a cover for a live session they recently did on Virgin Radio in France. Acknowledging the minefield that is playing other people’s songs, they shed some light on their thinking behind their cover of this major pop hit: “[The versions are] very different really. Hopefully we've made a good stab at putting a new spin on what is a classic song for a lot of people...covers are always tricky to understand. The lyrics and the bassline make that song what it is, and it was fun to push into a more abstract and electronic sounding direction.” And the result is a delicately dark and quirky electronic take on the track, which just begged for a vinyl release. 

With 30,000 album sales under their belt, Belleruche are currently teetering on the brink of stardom. They released their first LP, ‘Turntable Soul Music’, on Tru Thoughts in 2007 and its fresh energy coupled with fuzzy vintage charm quickly won the attention of the press, along with a burgeoning fanbase. They shot to particularly high popularity in France, where they regularly play live to crowds of thousands (including a recent set opening for De La Soul). And over the course of another very well-received album (2008’s ‘The Express’ which yielded great reviews, daytime BBC 6 Music support, a live Radio 2 session and a prestigious iTunes Single of the Week), plus a packed schedule of enthralling live performances, the band have strengthened their foothold in the overcrowded UK landscape and now look poised to take it by storm. In March this year, whilst working on the new goods, they revealed a sneak peek into their experiments in sound with the “Liberty EP”, a collection of new material, killer remixes and beguiling acoustic versions, which took their sound in many an interesting direction, selling out on vinyl and having to be re-pressed within a fortnight. With their new album, Belleruche have thrown some more new and exciting sonic surprises into the mix, with tougher edged beats, live strings and contemporary influences alongside more rigorous attention to song arrangements. The trio are currently developing a new live show to encompass all of these elements and more ready for headline tours of the UK, Europe and North America later this year...watch this space.