The History of Force Majeure

László Kovács and Zsolt Vidovenyecz met at an information technology exhibition in Debrecen. As they were talking they soon turned to the subject of musical instruments and it quickly became clear they were both more interested in these than in computers. As they got to know each other it became increasingly obvious that they shared very similar musical interests, and so a few weeks later Zsolt joined the group that Laci was part of at the time, before they eventually formed Force Majeure. All this happened in October 1996.   After searching for some time, they decided to name the group after a recording released in 1979 by Tangerine Dream. In one sense the choice was a mark of respect for the great masters of electronic music, in another sense the expression "force majeure" reflects the particular, incomparable force which music alone is capable of bringing out of us. Music makes people laugh and makes them sorrowful. Whether with happiness or sadness, it can fill the heart and spirit with majestic feelings. If you let it, in a pleasant reverie it sets your mind free to rise above mundane weekday problems and your thoughts can soar freely into other dimensions.   The roots of Force Majeure go back a lot further than their meeting in 1996: Laci had already formed his first band - Imaginary Zenith - with a schoolfriend in 1983. Both played keyboards and primitive synthesisers. After hearing their efforts, a new member joined them soon after, whose compositions on acoustic guitar took the band to a new level.   The lack of the right equipment was a permanent problem for the group's practice sessions. Because they didn't have the finance to buy serious instruments and because at that period it was almost impossible to get them in Hungary, Laci decided he would try to build his own. The necessary study, development and experimentation lasted until 1991. By this time he had managed to create a lot of studio equipment (sequencer, analogue and digital synthesisers, reverb, mixer, etc). Finally in 1992, Laci was able to buy his first serious instrument, a ROLAND® D110 synthesiser.   In the meantime, the friends didn't meet so frequently and Imaginary Zenith ceased to exist.   In 1993 Laci joined Network, a group formed several years earlier by Attila Sipos, a keyboard and guitar player. Over the next two years the group produced several interesting compositions including 'Lonely Wolf' which Force Majeure subsequently re-orchestrated with more modern instruments. The experience gained here had a great influence on later work.   As the years passed, the group's equipment gradually grew as did the musical themes they were working on. Force Majeure's first significant step came on October 16th 1998 at an instrument exhibition in Debrecen. Despite the modest circumstances, Force Majeure included their characteristic visual elements, a small laser show and a slideshow. The show was almost a dress rehearsal for the group's first major concert in Veszprém on the 10th August.   At the beginning of 1999 Laci met an old classmate from his days as a physics student and they talked about that year's coming solar eclipse. It turned out that in Veszprém, Hungary there were going to be many scientific and cultural activities related to the eclipse. And so the concert was born. Initially the concert was planned for the 11th, during the solar eclipse itself, on the basis of data supplied by the Debrecen Solar Physics Observatory. The concert was envisaged as musical background to the natural phenomenon. However, after visiting the site and considering what would be possible in the circumstances, the idea was modified and the concert was scheduled for the evening before the eclipse.   Natural phenomena lie at the heart of Force Majeure's conceptual world. They use music to focus attention on the fascinating beauties of nature. The next time Hungary will see a similar event will be in 2078, so the group felt that this was a unrepeatable opportunity to produce a recording related to this natural phenomenon. In this spirit they began to select, re-orchestrate and re-arrange the material - most of which had already been written - for the 'Total Eclipse' album, which under great time pressure, was finally ready for release on 30th July 1999. The work was made even more difficult by the fact that the group also had to prepare the concert at the same time. During this period there were often days without sleep with the group frequently travelling between Budapest and Debrecen, giving interviews, and mixing the record.   At the concert Force Majeure appeared as a three-piece group. Besides Laci and Zsolt, Attila Sipos played on guitar and keyboards. A video of the concert was produced, called 'Galaxy', which contained sections from the new album currently in preparation.   After the Veszprém show, apart from a few concerts, the group took several months off.   Force Majeure's biggest concert so far took place in Debrecen on 19th August 2001. This free event was attended by about 40,000 people. The concert was many years in the planning One of the most beautiful parts of Debrecen is the main building of the University and the square and huge fountain it overlooks. It was in this fountain that we built the stage, and 25 metres behind this stage the fire brigade set up a 14 metre wall of water. This served as the canvas for our spectacular coloured light projections and laser cannon show. A video was made of the concert. This released with the title 'Future Lights'. The Force Majeure performed its next laserconcert on 19th April 2002. in the cultural heart of University of Debrecen, called 'Lovarda'. The last action on 25nd October 2002 was the opening ceremony of Cora Debrecen. Until now almost three album's material has been composed, but they have not been released. The band did not give any more concert, due to the members' other kind of activities. During the last few years the band was planning a return several time. However, soon they realised they shold change the name of the band, as many others have chosen the name of Force Majeure. Finally, on the 16th of February 2010, the Force Majeure officicially transformed. The group was reborn with the new name: 'Pergamoon'.