Welcoming Skalpel in its roster with open arms, Ninja
Tune celebrates more than the rise of a pair of talented
musicians. The arrival of this record days before the
European Community opened to ten new countries, if fortuitous,
is a perfect illustration that European integration
is more a reality today than it ever was, political
union or not. Ninja had already given DJ Vadim a place
to confront his musical ground with that of musicians
from the UK and beyond, and now, it is the turn of Polish
duo Skalpel and their exhilarating jazz-infused electronica.
Hailing from Wroclaw, the cultural capital of Lower
Silesia in South Poland, a stone-throw away from the
German border, Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudlo first got
noticed after they interviewed DJ Vadim for a Polish
hip-hop magazine and consequently toured the country
with him. They then recorded a CDR, simply entitled
Polish jazz, which led to the pair being signed
to London-based Ninja Tune. Four Solid Steel
sessions followed over a two-year period before the
band finally got down to record their first album proper.
Basing their work almost entirely on samples of Polish
jazz records, the band claim to aim at ‘resurrecting
the dusty and smoky spirit of 60’s and 70’s
Polish Jazz’ by revisiting it and adding a modern
touch to it. The result is somewhat reminiscent of Saint
Germain’s Tourist in part, yet Skalpel
refrain from giving their record too much of a dance
floor feel. Instead, Cichy and Pudlo remain close to
the original sonorities of their sound sources. Listening
to Skalpel, it is hard to make the distinction
between what has actually been sampled, and what might
have been played especially for the record. And that’s
perhaps the main strength of this album: sounding like
a genuine jazz record without pretending to be anything
special. All the way through, the pair presents a totally
classic, yet fresh, soundtrack on which flourish elements
of swing, bop and soul, creating an extremely consistent
piece of work from beginning to end.
The album opens with the devilishly groovy High,
on which the band combines congas, double bass and flute
into a whirlwind of sounds and beats. Later on, a voice
confirms ‘Let them play their jazz records and
dance all night if they want to’ on the equally
funky Not Too Bad. Although Cichy and Pudlo
alternate between buoyant compositions and more reflective
moments, the general mood of this record is definitely
upbeat. On tracks such as the stunning 1958,
Quiz or the tongue-in-cheek Theme From
‘Behind The Curtain’, Skalpel provide
some slices of energy, while at other times, they demonstrates
great control over their music. Together, Break
In or Sculpture, which closes the album,
show Skalpel venturing into more delicate and fragile
constructions, yet the band retain the same driving
force.
Far from the technology-conscious electronica that we
have grown accustomed to, Skalpel draw from the Polish
jazz scene that flourished during the Communist era
the elements to create a soulful and honest collection
of groovy compositions. Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudlo
demonstrate all the way through a great understanding
of their sound sources and a great control over their
music without ever sounding arrogant or pretentious.
4.7/5 |
