Before they made themselves heard with the hit singles Cairo, Heats and Distance of the Modern Hearts and a multitude of concerts in the United States, England, Germany and Serbia. They will not stop at that. KAMP! released a couple of successful mixtapes and many remixes which can be heard on their Soundcloud profile. The artists have grappled the acoustic songs of Coldair and Indigo Tree and played around with Monika Brodka’s Dancing Shoes, turning it into a hit that got 3 million clicks on YouTube! Their album does not repeat the pattern of debutants who merely compile their most popular tracks to make a record, instead releasing albums that reveal an innovative, original production with a clear narrative strand.
Whether it's Cairo, Heats or Distance of the Modern Hearts, their songs, sung in English, show the band's originality. To pop electronic from the '80s they add the couple of years younger cold wave (they are fans of gothic Bauhaus) and club-like sounds from the spicy '90s. To melodic refrains they add exotic, lazy, beachy tones and melancholic texts about love, unfulfilled dreams and resentment, then on to passionless, distanced vocal sets. Here the "you" is more imagined and secondary, the front of the stage is taken by the "I". An "I" that is self-consumed, self-observant and self-conscious:
I’m a desert in your head
until you’re here
I’ll take it slow
But I’m just dying now to know
If you’re still here
Against the synthetic musical backdrop the naive lyrics take on an honest and timid tone. Established in 2007 KAMP! is composed of Michał Słodowy – electronic percussion, programming, Radek Krzyżanowski – keyboard, production, Tomek Szpaderski – voice, keyboard, guitar.
They band has been making waves outside of their native Poland, most recently discovered by MTV Iggy's Laura Studarus, who called their sound "decadent, packed with feel good grooves and winsome beats that sound just as appealing in your headphones the day after as they do in a crowded nightclub". In an interview with Studarus, Tomek revealed their fresh stance towards the pop genre they function in, saying
Everything in dance music is already said. There’s nothing new to discover. But there are plenty of things you can mix to make new qualities. It’s also a question of feelings and what emotions you would like to send. That’s really important—especially when you’re on the dance floor and all there is IDM music without feeling. Everything is just pumping. It’s a about melodies and discovering something new.
Discography:
''Breaking A Ghost's Heart'' (MP3, Brennnessel), 2009
''Thales One'' (MP3, Brennessel), 2009
''Heats'' (MP3, Brennessel), 2010
''Kamp!'' (CD, Brennessel), 2012
For more, see: www.facebook.com/kampmusik. Contact: kamp@kampmusik.com, booking: bartek@kampmusik.com
Author: Jacek Świąder, April 2013. Translated by MJ. Updated by Agnieszka Le Nart, May 2013.
28.04.2013
