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viewing 1 To 5 of 5 items
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CLASSIC 103LP
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"KAKUHAN haven't released much, but what's out there is some of the most astonishing hybrid electroacoustic music that's emerged in the last few years. Owing as much to Autechre as it does to Arthur Russell, it's dizzyingly psychedelic music that flits between wild free improvisation and obsessive, micro-edited precision, unclassifiable rhythmic and tonal experimentation that nods to the renaissance era and the contemporary dancefloor sometimes in the same breath. And in 2023, not long after the release of their now-classic debut album Metal Zone, KAKUHAN were invited to perform live at Unsound in Kraków. The duo were offered the opportunity to collaborate with a local artist, so after serious consideration decided on percussionist and musicologist Adam Gołębiewski, a veteran improviser who's performed and recorded with everyone from Yoko Ono and Thurston Moore to Mats Gustafsson and Ken Vandermark. Hino and Nakagawa were struck by Gołębiewski's unique tone and his very specific, immediately recognizable approach to drumming, realizing immediately that the collaboration would stretch their concept even further. 'Personally, I was looking forward to hearing how Hino's rhythmic sequences and Adam's percussion would interact,' says Nakagawa. But it's Gołębiewski's interaction with his cymbals particularly that bridges a gap in KAKUHAN's sound, existing in the space between Nakagawa's cello and Hino's stuttering samples. In fact, the performance was so successful that the trio headed to Krakó's KPD Studio shortly afterwards, dubbing an exclusive session with engineer Rafał Drewniany that would become Repercussions. The session's vision is captured perfectly by the album cover, a painting from Polish artist Alicja Pakosz that shows a knife edge splitting a jet of water. It's the relative sharpness of Gołębiewski's sound that defines this project, cutting through Nakagawa and Hino's well-worn musical rituals and creating something new in the process."
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LP
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CLASSIC 101LP
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"Ita is the third album form Polish trio Hinode Tapes. This time, Piotr Chęcki, Piotr Kaliński, and Jacek Prościński are joined by Japanese double bassist Hiroki Chiba (who has collaborated with Jim O'Rourke, Eiko Ishibashi, and Otomo Yoshihide, among others). Their joint album is titled Ita and features four new compositions at the intersection of ambient and free jazz. This extraordinary collaboration came about thanks to Piotr Kaliński. 'We were connected by a mutual colleague who understands the music of Hinode Tapes and Chiba quite well. He recommended that I go to one of his concerts and it just blew me away, because Hiroki explored the territories between jazz and ambient in a masterful fashion,' explains Kaliński. 'From my perspective, Chiba's presence adds a new color to Hinode Tapes' music. Apart from the fact that objectively he is a great musician, this is our first album to feature a double bass player. This aspect determined the way we made decisions on this album in terms of managing sonic space,' adds Prościński. At the beginning of 2025, Hinode Tapes played a short tour in Japan. 'It was a very strong experience. We saw a genuinely great interest from the audience, and we were watched on stage by such legendary and important people to me as Inoyama Land and Chihei Hatakeyama,' recalls Kaliński. 'During the concerts we tried to compress our approach and musical aesthetics. We also played strongly improvised concerts with Japanese artists -- Hiroki Chiba, Momose Yasunaga (known from our previous album) and Ko Ishikawa, a virtuoso playing the traditional Japanese instrument shō. Ko collaborated with Ryūichi Sakamoto on the album Async. It was an honor and a big challenge for us.' Ita brings another change of aesthetics in the context of the Hinode Tapes discography. 'Our previous album was quite dark, you could even say gloomy. On this one there is more sun, colors in a higher register, like bells, triangles, janissaries,' says the drummer."
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CLASSIC 091LP
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"Talán is the title of Raphael Rogiński's new solo album. Rogiński -- Polish guitarist, composer and musicologist, received recognition not only as a member of the Shofar trio where he performs with saxophonist Mikołaj Trzaska and percussionist Macio Moretti but also thanks to his astounding takes on John Coltrane's music released in 2015 Plays John Coltrane And Langston Hughes African Mystic Music. 'Talán is a very old (probably Scythian) word that can be translated as 'maybe' and that's where my musical approach comes from -- I take something in order to lose something else,' Rogiński explains. 'It's a constant process of achieving goals by getting rid of others and I'm fixated on this idea. It's also a meditation upon a process, a calm observation,' he adds. Talán is also a result of Rogiński's fascination with the Black Sea. 'All of the tracks are somehow connected to it and some were composed in Odessa -- a city often thought of as a gateway to Asia. This is where my some of my ancestors arrived to Europe,' says Raphael. 'When working on these tunes I came to know the Black Sea both physically and spiritually. What's interesting, it's been once called Inhospitable Sea only to later turn into Hospitable Sea. A myth was tamed and when the mystery disappeared and different civilizations met, a new myth came into life. The album was composed over a couple of years and took many attempts at the recording. My patience is usually very limited so this has been a strange experience for me. But traveling the region of the Black Sea and discovering its nature within myself required time. Our world is full of wonders and awes and traveling (both physically as well as emotionally) remains one of the most important aspects of living,' Rogiński admits."
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CLASSIC 100LP
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"Bura is a brand-new album by guitarist Raphael Rogiński and the group Ruzičniak Tajni (Svetlana Spajić, Marina Dzukljev and Tijana Golubović). It features guest appearances by Piotr Zabrodzki (LXMP, Mitch & Mitch) and Mila Gavrilovič. Ruzičniak Tajni is a unique meeting of Polish and Serbian musical traditions, the result of cooperation between artists seeking new forms of expression based on the cultural heritage of Central and Eastern Europe. The initiator of the project is Raphael Rogiński -- a Polish guitarist, composer and researcher, known for his experimental approach to traditional music and his love of improvisation. In the project, he is accompanied by three outstanding Serbian artists whose work is a conscious combination of local traditions and modern expression: Svetlana Spajić -- a renowned ethnomusicologist and singer, specializing in old vocal techniques and archaic song forms. Her interpretations combine authenticity of message with sensitivity to the contemporary context. Marina Dzukljev -- a pianist moving in the area of improvised and experimental music, known for deconstructing harmonic and rhythmic structures. Tijana Golubović -- a violinist and vocalist, drawing from folk performance practice, while simultaneously exploring new sonic narratives. Their collaboration resulted in the album Bura, recorded in Serbia in November 2024. The title refers to the characteristic wind from the northern Balkans, symbolizing both the forces of nature and the cultural tensions shaping the identity of the region. The album is a musical encounter of traditional Serbian songs -- reconstructed on the basis of oral traditions and archival materials - with modern means of expression. Another key element is Raphael Rogiński's original compositions, inspired by Sufi poetry, which was translated into Serbian in the 19th century."
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CLASSIC 099LP
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"Brand new studio album from Marek Pospieszalski Octet featuring Zoh Amba. 'This band turned out to be an effective working unit from day one,' Pospieszalski admits. 'Its musical concepts leave a lot of space for creative playing and that's why I decided to use the Octet as a platform open for outside participation. One of the musicians I considered for this purpose was Zoh who is well recognized for her direct and limitless approach to music. And this opportunity came on the occasion of our concert at NOSPR concert hall in Katowice. The next day we visited Emil Berliner Studios where the album was recorded,' he explains. For most of the music recorded here, sheet music is treated only as a guideline, a rough entry point, and it's only thanks to collective improvisation that Now! sounds as good and coherent as an album. 'And that's one of the reasons why I decided to add titles only once the music got recorded,' Pospieszalski says. 'And despite the fact that I am being really direct here, I prefer to have listeners interpret the album's message on their own. Individual context is key here -- place, time and most importantly, personal emotions.' Leading a 9-person band may seem like a challenge on a lot of levels but Pospieszalski prefers to treat it as a set of new opportunities instead. 'Although everything here is focused on my artistic vision, it wouldn't sound as good if it weren't for other musicians involved,' he admits. 'Each member of the group has their influence over the final result of our collective playing. I tend to give them direction but it is up to them to interpret it.'"
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