Freedom Café

Freedom Café is a European band whose members come from various countries; together they play medicine songs and bhajan. The group’s core members are Manuel Villaescusa from Spain (lead vocals, guitar), Bakai Márton from Hungary (violin), and Christian Amin Varkonyi from Austria (percussion).

Villaescusa is a music therapist and clinical psychologist who studied in the UK and Spain. He plays handpan and guitar with the band Ocno, with whom he released the album Despertar soñando in 2010. He released a beautiful solo EP, Canciones del tambo, in 2020.

Bakai has performed and recorded with numerous bands in Hungary and abroad, bowing his violin to the sounds of jazz, rock, fusion, and contemporary folk music. He is a member of the eclectic world music band DzsinnKalaDzsi.

Varkonyi specialises in creating hypnotic soundscapes rich in overtones. He has released several albums of his solo performances and collaborations, beginning with the exquisite Stillness (2009). In 2017, he and Colombian singer Andrea Márquez released a cover album titled Pay Madre Naturaleza.