The 1980s in the West saw the widespread use of synthesized sound technology, previously largely unobtainable for amateurs because of its price. At that time in Great Britain synthesizers – cheaper and produced in bigger batches – found their way into the hands of youth raised on punk rock. In the US, the first samplers were already being used in hip-hop, Roland’s mass-produced drum machines and bass synthesizers were about to target suburban adolescents, while techno and acid house were emerging. In communist Poland, then part of the Eastern Bloc, access to electronic instruments was still a different story. They were mostly only to be found in the recording studios of the state-run radio and television, some units were imported by western diplomats or Poles working on foreign contracts, and Soviet-made instruments were brought by soldiers of the Red Army stationed in Poland.
The album titled “Echo wielkiej płyty” (eng. The Echoes of Plattenbau) features a number of long-forgotten or never before released recordings of electronic music created in the mid 1980s. These are unique and characteristic of the Polish scene, yet difficult to categorize, often hovering between the world-chasing trend of “el-music”, as it was dubbed in Poland, and muzak, often reduced to merely a background role in television programmes on science and computers.
The first compilation in the catalog of The Very Polish Cut Outs label is surely an attempt to acquaint listeners all over the world with some of the less known or completely forgotten representatives of the Polish electronic music scene, who in the 80s, despite limited access to equipment, created truly fascinating and diverse compositions. All pieces were dug up and hand-picked by Maciej Zambon and Norbert Borzym, both of whom are also responsible for Renata Lewandowska’s amazing album “Dotyk”, released last year.
The album’ s launch scheduled for mid-May will be the crowning moment of their over 2-year-long archival work put into the compilation. This double vinyl album will be released in a limited edition of 800 copies. Artwork designed by Bartosz Szymkiewicz.
