Biography
Poland's post-communist era from the 1990s onward produced a broad spectrum of sounds, encompassing bubblegum Europop, death metal, black metal, jazz, and longstanding Polish folk traditions. The Warsaw Village Band occupies the space of contemporary Polish folk-rock, steering clear of purist constraints without resembling an American or British chart act that merely translates its lyrics into Polish. Instead, the group pursues a roots-oriented yet exploratory path, merging Polish folk elements with influences drawn from other European regions as well as North America, Africa, and Asia. Unwilling to play it safe, the band has drawn from funk, soul, hip-hop, rock, the blues, African traditions, and Indian raga, while also weaving in Swedish polska (distinct from German polka) and demonstrating familiarity with Middle Eastern, Arabic, Jewish, Turkish, and North African styles. East European sources, among them Czech, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Baltic folk, have likewise left their mark.
Drummer Maciej Szajkowski, previously a member of Antidotum, assembled the part-male, part-female ensemble in Warsaw in 1997. That same year the group issued its debut recording, Hopsasa, which earned modest domestic recognition; the album appeared in the United States and Great Britain under the title Kapela Ze Wsi Warszawa: Wiosna Ludu. Greater international visibility arrived after the German imprint Jaro Records signed the band in 2002 and issued its second album, People's Spring (Wiosna Ludu in Polish), the next year. Jaro followed with the third album, Uprooting, in 2004, the same year the Warsaw-based collective received the BBC Radio 3 Award for best newcomer in the world-music category. Later Jaro releases comprised the remix collection Upmixing and the album Infinity, both appearing in 2008, with Infinity subsequently licensed to the Brooklyn, New York-based Barbes label for American distribution.
Founding member Szajkowski (born 1975 in Warsaw) handles drums; Maja Kleszcz (born 1985 in Warsaw) supplies lead vocals and cello; Magdalena Sobczak (born 1978) contributes lead vocals and dulcimer; Sylwia Swiatkowska (born 1974 in Warsaw) delivers lead vocals along with suka—a traditional Polish fiddle likened to the Bulgarian gadulka and the Indian sarangi—and violin; Wojtek Krzak (born 1980 in Kozienice, Poland) plays violin, hurdy-gurdy, and drums; and Piotr Glinski (born 1974 in Warsaw) covers drums and percussion. Kleszcz is the daughter of Wlodzimierz Kleszcz (born July 27, 1949, in Lublin, Poland), the journalist, radio DJ, and producer who collaborated with the Jamaican reggae ensemble the Twinkle Brothers and is widely regarded as an expert on diverse roots-music traditions.
Drummer Maciej Szajkowski, previously a member of Antidotum, assembled the part-male, part-female ensemble in Warsaw in 1997. That same year the group issued its debut recording, Hopsasa, which earned modest domestic recognition; the album appeared in the United States and Great Britain under the title Kapela Ze Wsi Warszawa: Wiosna Ludu. Greater international visibility arrived after the German imprint Jaro Records signed the band in 2002 and issued its second album, People's Spring (Wiosna Ludu in Polish), the next year. Jaro followed with the third album, Uprooting, in 2004, the same year the Warsaw-based collective received the BBC Radio 3 Award for best newcomer in the world-music category. Later Jaro releases comprised the remix collection Upmixing and the album Infinity, both appearing in 2008, with Infinity subsequently licensed to the Brooklyn, New York-based Barbes label for American distribution.
Founding member Szajkowski (born 1975 in Warsaw) handles drums; Maja Kleszcz (born 1985 in Warsaw) supplies lead vocals and cello; Magdalena Sobczak (born 1978) contributes lead vocals and dulcimer; Sylwia Swiatkowska (born 1974 in Warsaw) delivers lead vocals along with suka—a traditional Polish fiddle likened to the Bulgarian gadulka and the Indian sarangi—and violin; Wojtek Krzak (born 1980 in Kozienice, Poland) plays violin, hurdy-gurdy, and drums; and Piotr Glinski (born 1974 in Warsaw) covers drums and percussion. Kleszcz is the daughter of Wlodzimierz Kleszcz (born July 27, 1949, in Lublin, Poland), the journalist, radio DJ, and producer who collaborated with the Jamaican reggae ensemble the Twinkle Brothers and is widely regarded as an expert on diverse roots-music traditions.
Albums
Singles
