Warsaw Village Band
Country of origin:
Poland
Type of music generally:
Fierce traditional (and trad-based) Polish folk music
Status:
Most recent release, Nord (2012)
See also:
Warsaw Village Band's site
Comparisons:
Other bands fusing traditional ethnic music with contemporary sounds
Covers/own material:
Traditional and trad-based
Comments about live performance:
Very energetic and captivating group. Saw part of their show at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival and was really sorry I didn't get to see the whole set. (2004, JoAnn Whetsell)anyone else see Warsaw Village last night in Oakland??? WOW, they were simple amazing, raw, wild, beautiful, truly making new music while using the old...GREAT voice on the lead girl, low and warm and wild...i was blown away and I never get blown away.... I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend them to anyone who loves world, ecto, strings, polish and eastern [European] music, Bulgarian harmonies, prog. Don't miss them. I am a musician and a singer, a GOOD one, picky about vocals and lyrics, for 13 years, 10 of that in world, SO IT TAKES A LOT, a whole hell of a lot to impress me and they had my jaw dropped for two hours. (8/05, cyo@landoftheblind.com)
Recommended first album:
People's Spring
Recordings:
- Hop Sa Sa (1998)
- People's Spring (2002/3)
- Uprooting (2004)
- Upmixing (2008)
- Infinity (2009)
- Nord (2012)
People's Spring
Release info:
2003—World Village/Jaro—468028
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Katarzyna Szurman—old Polish fiddle, voice, jingles
Maja Mayall Kleszcz—bass, voice
Sylwia Mazura Swiatkowska—violin, traditional fiddle, voice
Wojciech Szpak MC Krzak—violin, jews harp, voice, krzaqattack
Piotr Prof. Glina Glinski—baraban drum Maciej Herszt Szajkowski—frame drums, dhol voice
Guest artists:
Marta Stanislawska—old Polish dulcimer
Wojciech Pulcyn—double bass
Piotr Korzen Korzeniowski—trumpet
Maciej Cierlik Cierlinski—hurdy gurdy
Mario Dziurex JVSS—remix
Piotr Pucylo—remix
Comments:
Rhythmic, high energy, percussive, at times verging on cacophony, and utterly fantastic. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Uprooting
Release info:
2004—World Village/Jaro—468036
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Maja Kleszcz—vocal, cello, frame drum
Magdalena Sobczak—vocal, dulcimer, background speech on "Fishie"
Sylwia Swiatkowska—vocal, traditional Polish fiddle, old Polish fiddle, violin
Wojtek Krzak—violin, hurdy-gurdy
Maciej Szajkowski—frame drum, pole cimbals
Piotr Glinski—baraban drum, snare drum, xylophone, triangle
Guest artists:
"Lipsk" Women's Choir
Marian Pelka (Marian Pelka Band)
Jozef Lipinski
Augustyn Szymanski
Janina & Kazimierz Zdrzalikowie
Feel-X—live scratch
Mario Activator—live dub, siren
Comments:
There are ways in which Uprooting is wilder than People's Spring, and other ways in which it is tamer. Similarly, there are ways in which it is more modern (particularly with the scratching and other electric sounds). And then there are ways in which it is more traditional (not the least of which is the incorporation of recordings from older Polish musicians). Overall it's another interesting and successful mix of old and new. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Infinity
Release info:
2009—Barbes Records—BR0021
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Maja Kleszcz—vocals, cello, clap
Magdalena Sobczak—vocals, choir, dulcimer, clap
Sylwia Swiatkowska—vocals, choir, violin, fiddle from Plock, clap, suka
Wojtek Krzak—violin, baraban drum, clap, tom, violin 7/8, nyckelharpa
Maciej Szajkowski—frame drum
Piotr Glinski—baraban drum, percussion
Guest artists:
Tomasz Kukurba—vocals, viola (2)
DJ Feel-X—scratches (4)
Natalia Przybysz—vocals (6)
Jan Trebunia Tutka—vocals, viola (11)
Produced by:
Maja Kleszcz & Wojtek Krzak
Comments:
Infinity continues the Warsaw Village Band's string of energetic, appealing albums highlighting the group's rhythmic "hardcore folk" with occasional forays into trip-hop/electronica ("Skip Funk") and Zap Mama-style vocals ("Heartbeat"). I find their music difficult to describe, so I hope my enthusiasm comes through. This is a brilliant album, one that not only stands up to repeated listens but demands them in order to fully reveal itself. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
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