Polish Folk Music

KAPELA ZE WSI WARSZAWA / WARSAW VILLAGE BAND

Warsaw Village Band is a result of response against narrow-mindness and surrounding us mass-culture, which in fact leads to destruction of human dignity. The band is a radical turn to sources in search of musical inspirations and immemorial virtues. It is also an exploration of folklore and archaic sounds of our ancestors and our instincts. Moreover it's inexhaustible source of fun, joy and spontaneity.
Warsaw Village Band was founded in 1997 by six young people who are playing violin, suka ( unique polish fiddle coming from XVIth century), cello and various traditional polish drums.
Our repertoire consists of folk dance melodies, ballads and rural songs, which are performed in a special way - using a special, old technique of singing, that consists in using so called white voices. However it's not only a simple imitation of Polish folk music, but rather adduction to the concept of folk music, giving the style of folk performance which is closer to modern aesthetic conventions. The result of our works and researches is a new and unique style of music called bio-techno, or even hip-hopsasa ( means let's dance, which is polish traditional invitation to jump). We can also describe this style as hard'cora of obora, which means hard-core straight from the byre.
We have already been awarded on a few folk festivals in Poland, and we've got a big concert experience (some concerts were transmitted by Polish Radio and shots by Television).We have also taken part in some radio and tv programmes (TV Polonia). We recorded first album "Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa" at Polish Radio Studio live, produced by Wlodzimierz Kleszcz who before achieved international successes with "Twinkle Inna Polish Stylee" and "W Sherwood" of Trebunie-Tutki in cooproduction with Adrian Sherwood.
Our activity not only concentrates on music, but also focuses on everything which is associated with polish roots, especially what is condemned to be forgotten, and yet can inspire and enrich contemporary culture. Our passion is travelling to small villages and visiting old musicians who tell us about their tradition, customs and ancient habits which are passing away. They hand down to us the part of this tradition in form of music, which is the base and main inspiration for our further works. Sometimes we have luck to find this haughty, pure polish Spirit.
We are trying to create a new cultural proposition for the youth in an alternative way to contemporary show-biz. That's our fight.

The most important events of group:

WVB recorded soundtrack (composed by Jack Wall) for computer game "Myst 4". (june 2004)
Warsaw Village Band is the winner of the BBC Radio 3 Awards!! (march 2004)
"People's Spring" choosen to the top of the folk music albums in Germany, U.S.A., Poland. Januoary 2004)
concert on the "Sfinks" Music Festival – Belgium (July 2001)
KAPELA ZE WSI WARSZAWA represented Poland at 10th International Ethnic Music Festival "Tanz&Fest" in Rudolstadt (Germany). It is the largest event of this kind in Europe and attracts a few dozens of renowned musicians and ensembles from all over the world. (July 2004)
III place in the competition for the best folk music album in Poland (December 1998)

Warsaw Village band played concerts in 20 countries między innymi 28.10.2004 WOMEX - Essen, 25.06.2004 - Hannover - Masala Festival, 06.06.2004 - Molln - EBU festival

Musicians:
Maja Kleszcz - cello, vocal
Magdalena Sobczak - dulcimer, vocal
Sylwia Swiatkowska - violin, old polish fiddle, vocal
Wojciech Krzak- violin, hurdy gurdy, jews harp
Piotr Glinski - baraban drum
Maciej Szajkowski - frame drum

Discography:
"Wiosna Ludu" - II ed. CD MetalMind 2005
"Uprooting" - CD Jaro 2004
"Wiosna Ludu" - CD Orange World 2001
"Hop Sa Sa" - CD Kamahuk 1998