Republika

Through their blend of infectious melodies, lyrical poetry, and new wave influences, Republika emerged as one of Poland’s most distinctive acts and secured a lasting place in the nation’s rock lineage. The group first appeared at a showcase for new wave acts held in Torun during November 1981. Its lineup featured Pawel Kuczynski on bass, Zbigniew Krzywanski on guitar, Slawomir Ciesielski on drums, and Grzegorz Ciechowski handling vocals, piano, and flute. Beginning in June 1982, the quartet entered a three-month recording period that produced the landmark 1983 release Nowe Sytuacje. Within the following year they completed Nieustanne Tango, extending the musical direction already mapped out on their debut. They also issued an English-language album titled 1984, its name drawn from George Orwell’s bell-ringer figure. Internal disputes prompted the band’s dissolution in summer 1986. Ciechowski launched a solo career as Obywatel G.C., while Kuczynski, Krzywanski, and Ciesielski joined vocalist Robert Gawlinski to form Opera. Drawing on unused Republika sketches, Ciechowski issued the 1986 solo album Obywatel G.C., an artistic achievement that did not translate into immediate sales. His 1988 follow-up, Tak! Tak!, became a major commercial hit. A 1990 concert in Opole sparked the band’s reunion; Kuczynski declined to rejoin, leaving the remaining trio to deliver the 1991 comeback album, a set of rearranged classics. Leszek Biolik stepped in on bass, and together with Ciechowski, Krzywanski, and Ciesielski he completed the final Obywatel G.C. record, Obywatel Swiata. The first live unplugged collection, Bez Pradu, appeared in 1993. That same year the band recorded Siodma Pieczec, adopting a more acoustic approach by substituting Hammond and Rhodes pianos for earlier keyboards and samplers. In 1995 they released the pop-leaning Republika Marzen. Ciechowski’s sudden death on December 22, 2001, halted work on the subsequent album; four completed studio tracks and fifteen live performances were later assembled on the double-CD set simply titled Republika.