A. E. Bizottság
From Unearthing The Music
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A. E. Bizottság, a Hungarian musical group, was established in 1979 in Vajda Lajos Stúdió, a commune of amateur artists, at Szentendre. The group consisted of András Wahorn, László feLugossy, István Szulovszky, István Zámbó, Kukta Erzsébet Szabóné, Mária Bán and Sándor Bernáthy. In 1980 they entered a showcase under the name Bizottság (Committee), which offered a TV appearance to its winners. Despite a lack of success in the competition, their specific, exuberant performance was noted by the organisers of Fekete Bárányok (Black Sheep) Festival, taking place that same year. The invitation allowed them to perform alongside such stars as Beatrice or Hobo Blues Band. A. E. Bizottság joined the circle of young new wave groups, such as Trabant, Balaton or Vágtázó Halottkémek.
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Thanks to a stroke of luck, in 1983 a collection of their early live recordings were published under the title Kalandra Fel!! (Adventure time!!), released by a label called Start, a sublabel of Hungaroton. In order to obscure the explicitly political connotations of the group's name, they decided to add an abbreviation – A.E. (standing for Albert Einstein). Their concert at the Young Artists Club (Fiatal Művészek Klubja) in Budapest was recorded and later used by Gábor Bódy in his film Kutya éji dala (Dog’s Night Song, 1983). As a result of that meeting, the director came up with a proposition to shoot a movie with the group using the resources of the Balázs Béla Stúdió. Consequently, Jégkrémbalett (Icecreamballet) came into being – an extraordinary film, full of absurd humour and a true product of their dadaistic imagination. On a wave of success, an album with the soundtrack to the film was released by Start again. Nevertheless, the controversial picture was banned by the authorities. The group broke up in 1985, shortly returning after a tour across Western Europe.