Skalpel

Polish duo Skalpel fused their country's deep-rooted jazz heritage with a modern electronic aesthetic. Producers and DJs Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudlo first joined forces in Wroclaw, Poland, during 1998. Operating largely out of sight, the pair soon constructed intricate Eastern European fusion mosaics through cut-and-paste sampling of vintage LPs by Krzysztof Komeda, Tomasz Stanko, and the Novi Sisters, devoting months or years to locating the precise elements needed for each composition. In 2000 Pudlo conducted an interview with Ninja Tune artist DJ Vadim for Polish hip-hop magazine Klan. Shortly thereafter Vadim brought Skalpel along on a Polish tour supporting his Russian Percussion collective; upon their return to Wroclaw the duo released the CD-R Polish Jazz. Although distribution remained restricted, the recording drew widespread praise, prompting Ninja Tune to offer a recording contract in 2001. Over the following three years Skalpel crafted its self-titled debut LP, which drew parallels to Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. Konfusion appeared in 2007.