Birth of an underground music scene?

First reports of a ‘lo-fi’ or ‘bedroom pop’ music scene ¹ in Budapest in the online music press date from 2011, and although the scene – along with its respective artists (such as Piresian Beach, Morningdeer, Zombie Girlfriend, Mayberian Sanskülotts and Eyes on U) – became more widely known in the ensuing years, it arguably continued to expand and change without surrendering its striving for exclusivity and underground status. Despite its representation – ‘insider’ and niche media – as a distinct scene, this musical micro-world did not develop in a vacuum. Rather, its particular logic is embedded in complex ways into local and translocal music worlds and genres, as well as technologies, including digital home recording technology and online platforms. I examine the emergence of this underground scene with the aim of exploring how it is constructed – both as a scene and as underground. More precisely, I look, first, at how it formed as an online and offline network of cooperation, interaction and creativity; second, how it has been shaped through the particular use of technologies and the attitudes towards such; and third, how it is embedded into local and translocal art and music worlds and histories. Through this analysis, I reflect on the shifting role of DIY attitudes and practices in the maintenance of cultural autonomy.