Rope

Forming an electro-acoustic duo named Rope, Przemyslaw Chris Drazek contributes guitar and trumpet while Robert Iwanik supplies electric bass and vocals. Before this project the pair had played in KRZYCZ, whose name translates to “scream,” yet they departed after several releases and a tour once the noise-rock material ceased to interest them. In 1998 they assembled Rope inside a modest Polish village and later tracked the EP Fever in Warsaw. Early material reflected the splintered post-hardcore approach favored by bands on Amphetamine Reptile and Touch & Go, yet the pair soon gravitated toward drone-oriented psychedelic textures recalling Swans, Current 93, or Nick Cave. During 2000 they liquidated their belongings and relocated to Chicago to join that city’s active experimental scene. There they enlisted drummer Mike Kendrick, began touring, and composed songs for a forthcoming album. The EP Fever reached American listeners via Family Vineyard in 2002.