More reviews:
Orkiestra p.w. sw. Mikolaja (St. Nicholas Orchestra)
Kraina Bojnów
Berklejdy
Muzuka Naskuchana
both Orange World (www.orange.com.pl)
There's not a whole lot of contact between Poland's new folk scene and the rest of the world, but over the years Poland has offered us some pretty interesting music, from the odd folk-pop of Voo-Voo or The Trubunia Family's work with The Twinkle Brothers (from Jamaica) to some great folk revival bands. These two groups, both young and energetic, seem to cross between the two, with a focus on a particular regional folk music but an attitude of total abandon when to comes to execution.
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The St Nicks are by far the "folkier" of the two, with an emphasis on dance tunes and old songs, often sung in pretty much the old style with fiddles, flutes and newer folk instruments like accordion. Not that they are opposed to playing around with it. It is a long established trick in Polish new-folk music to fuse the polka and reggae, and St. Nick's variety works particularly well. But they are at their best when it is a tune in the original style, just pumped up to high-pressure by good musicianship and a generous love of the old music. "Polka Spod Wody" is an excellent example of that energy. Devoid of electronics it is still loud and audacious.
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Berklejdy is pretty unique. Their music centers around the cymbalom of Andrej Zajko, an excellent and inventive player of this hammered zither. But they leave no doubts about where they are heading from the very first track, a sound that crawls out of the speakers with a raw, primitive wooden horn and then explodes into a slow groove reggae number with a fat bass and drum kit, punctuated by electric guitar and accordion. "Monopolka" also highlights this strange propensity to use an island groove in a lighter, melodic way. They mix it up with Arabic and Indian percussion tacked to a waltz, or just play with sounds and lovingly parody their own traditions. They offer a "Polkalypso" that is part dance tune, part surfer set, with a steel pan in tandem with the cymbalom. This is folk rock in the grandest tradition, played with verve and joy. - CF
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Available at cdRoots
Sound samples:
Orkiestra p.w. sw. Mikolaja "Polka Spod Wody"
Berklejdy "Monopolka"
both used by written permission, published by Orange World