The Warsaw Village Band (Kapela ze Wsi Warszawa in Polish) emerged in 1997 and simultaneously conserves traditional music and experiments with modern instrumentation and subject matter. The musicians have created a genre of music they call ‘hardcore folk’; thanks to the groundbreaking, yet traditional singing style or ‘bio-techno’; thanks to electronic remixes featured on the group’s People’s Spring CD. The fresh approach earned them international recognition with a nomination in the newcomer category of the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards in 2003.
On their countryside journeys, the band keeps their material fresh using the same means as classical ethnographic research; documenting dying traditions with live recordings of various Polish folk festivities and village celebrations. Their lineup includes the suka, a Polish fiddle from the 16th century that is only known from historical drawings and whose strings are played with the player’s fingernails rather than the usual fingertips. The suka is joined by an hundred-year-old Polish dulcimer and the hurdy-gurdy, a unique instrument that sounds similar to the bagpipe, thanks to a drone that is played by a cranked wooden wheel rubbing against the strings of the instrument.
The Warsaw Village Band’s lyrics address social and political concerns, in part, due to the music’s close ties with punk circles. “Who is Getting Married” takes a feminist stance on her assumed marriage. It is about a young girl in the countryside that refuses marriage in order to sing, dance, and be free rather than being dependent on someone. “Crane” is a protest song of defiance advising the country’s youth to “be nobody’s servant.”
The music and research of the Warsaw Village Band has inspired many in their home country. Their performance at the Pastoral Celebration in the mountainous region of Orava opened doors to the sound of the Mazovia Province. Although the music of the Polish plains was largely unknown to this audience, the band was welcomed with warm admiration and was honored with the distinction of being the first lowlanders ever to perform at a “highlanders only” party.
The sheep-herding mountaineers of Poland used a style of singing called “bialy glos” or “white voice”; a type of powerful, melodic screaming used to communicate across long distances. The Warsaw Village Band revives this musical style on their CD People’s Spring. The band travels Poland’s countryside in search of the old people who recall the traditional folk music of their regions.
In 2020, the band released Uwodzenie / Waterduction, an album inspired by the river Vistula and its tributaries. The lineup included Magdalena Sobczak-Kotnarowska on vocals, cymbały (dulcimer); Sylwia Świątkowska on vocals, violin, octave violin, Polish fiddle, suka; Ewa Wałecka on vocals, violin; Miłosz Gawryłkiewicz on trumpet, flugelhorn; Piotr Gliński on baraban drum, percussion; Paweł Mazurczak on double bass; Maciej Szajkowski on frame drum, percussion, udu drum; and Mariusz Dziurawiec, dub master.
Discography:
Hop Sa Sa (Kamahuk, 1998)
Wiosna Ludu – People’s Spring (Orange World Records, 2001)
Wykorzenienie – Uprooting (Metal Mind Records, 2004)
Upmixing (Jaro Medien, 2007)
Infinity (Jaro Medien, 2008)
Nord (Karrot Kommando, 2012)
Mazovian re:action – Re:akcja Mazowiecka (Karrot Kommando, 2017)
Sun Celebration (Jaro Medien, 2017)
Uwodzenie / Waterduction (Karrot Kommando, 2020)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.