The Adam Mickiewicz Institute heads to Spain with its revolving Don't Panic We're from Poland musical showcase. This time Napszyklat (NP), Ed Wood and Kristen take the stage with three very distinct musical forms and performance styles.
Napszyklat is a band from Poznań founded by Robert Piernikowski and Marek Karolczy in 1995. The duo creates experimental music that is caught between electronica and hip-hop acoustic. Unsettling musical textures come together with varied styles of rap performance. The band has recorded three albums, their most recent release Kultur Shock came out in June 2011. It has been described as "a clash between loud western culture and undefined central and east Europe. That’s the culture shock. Humbling, synth buzzing, vinyl crack, field recording of non existing places sings and undefined Hip Hop verses". Their sounds sports elements of futuristic funk and ethnic tones, such as in the song "Miejsce" - an eerily tragic song about having no place in the world in a very contemporary format.
Ed Wood is a noise-rock duo from Bydgoszcz founded in 2004 by Kuba Ziołek (also known as TMWWTH from Tin Pan Alley) and Tomek Popowski (also known as the drummer for George Dorn Screams). The two have built up an absurdist musical legacy with ludicrous pseudonyms (Sam Waterston and Oleum), bizarre interview etiquette and an album titled Anal Animal. Their Myspace page catalogues their sound as Screamo / Surf / Western Swing. The sound is a punk rock blend of complex guitar riffs and heavy drums inspired by American indie music. The band is best known for its unpredictable live performances that often push the envelope of good taste to its outer limits.
The third band on the Don't Panic programme offers a break from the tough sounds of NP and Ed Wood, with the softer, lyrical style of Kristen. Kristen was formed in the late 1990s and has released six albums since. Its early inspirations came from Chicago post-rock and math-rock and then moved on to explore avant rock, free jazz and a dash of electronica. Their latest album An Accident was released on the Lado ABC label last year, Poland's most significant independent music publisher. Their sound is mostly based on guitar, drums and sampling that is laced through with ethereal vocals.
All three bands on performing a the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona on the 1st of June 2012 on the Adidas Originals stage. Primavera Sound runs from the 30th of May - 3rd of June 2012. This year marks the 12th edition of the festival, with 270 concerts that are based around the city's Parc del Fòrum, spreading to other venues throughout the city. The programme presents independent acts from the US, UK, France, Spain and the rest of Europe. Major acts this year include Rufus Wainwright, Marianne Faithful, Franz Ferdinand, M83 and new hip hop superstar ASAP Rocky. There are 150,000 people expected to attend this year, with 35% of them coming from abroad.
Don't Panic We're from Poland is an initiative launched by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute aimed at promoting new and independent Polish music at festivals at home and abroad. Earlier this month it brought musical acts Bueno Bros, Paula & Karol and Novika to the Great Escape Festival in Brighton, UK.
Don't Panic We're from Poland Performance Schedule at Primavera Sound:
7:30 pm - Napszyklat
12:30 am - Kristen
1:45 am - Ed Wood
For more information on the Primavera Sound Festival, see: www.primaverasound.com
For more information on Don't Panic We're from Poland, see: www.dontpanicfestival.pl
Editor: Agnieszka Le Nart
Source: Myspace, Adam Mickiewicz Institute
Thumbnail credit: Ed Wood. Source: Myspace