Three-day trip to Gothenburg, Sweden. Equipment: Tascam Portacapture X6, Ulanzi tripod and a stomach ready to accept impossible amounts of coffee and kannelbullar. No headphones, because they would take up too much space in the wizzar luggage (the choice between extra underwear and audio equipment is obvious to me, please).
I'm bad at reporting on trips, so I'll limit myself to specifics:
Tea from 7 Eleven rules.
The streets of the city are dominated by electric cars. Typically Warsaw, bursting temples, road noise is non-existent.
I ate the largest kanelbulla in the world. The size of a small pizza.
Diverse urban tissue. On one side of the street is Łódź Fabryczna (in Poland), and on the other is the Old Town in Kraków. Opposite is the trendy Haga district, and behind it are old tenement houses.
Public transport is provided by trams. They sound beautiful and old-school.
I highly recommend a passenger boat trip to Brännö Island. Two shops. No cars allowed (mopeds allowed). A nature reserve. Makes you want to move in.
I only spent one day recording, which ultimately worked out well for them. They form a sensible audio story, documenting the journey by public transport and water to Brännö.
I posted a video on YouTube reporting on editing one of the recording segments in Adobe Audition. It turned out to be a little tutorial (unfortunately, only in Polish).
The full version of the recordings is of course already available on Bandcamp. ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL COVER by Hania Pawłowska.
Turmeric Acid y Bardo Todol - Sonopædia
A real banger. A collection of strange radio plays in the style of Ścianka's "Piotrek", but set in the reality that surrounds us. Engrossing para-sci-fi micro-stories derived from the most ordinary sounds: the reverberation of sewage pipes, the wailing of a priest during mass or processed synths. Turmeric Acid is the pseudonym of Michał Fundowicz, presented on the project's Bandcamp as the "editor of Sonopedia". Curated by Bardo Todol. Released on cassette by Strategic Tape Reserve. I think it's time to take a closer look at this label.
Nina Garcia - Bye Bye Bird
This stuff sounds like a solo album by a member of any no wave band from the 80s. Raw, dehumanized, unbearably rattling guitar by Frenchwoman Nina Garcia. Where Eagles Dare! Beautiful cover. Unfortunately only vinyl from Ideologic Organ (also Kali Malone). Unfortunately, because I don't have a record player.
Przyzwoitość - Eryk, mówiący banan
Dariusz Dudziński, ex-drummer of the legendary Ewa Braun and current Titanic Sea Moon. Humorous, recorded with minimal resources, songs about the everyday life of a person (banana?) who thinks too much. And when you think too much, all that is left is - to quote Miłosz - "a rope and a branch bent under the weight" or the rejection of seriousness as such. For me, it's a bomb. Greetings to Mr. Dariusz, who sent me the purchased copy by InPost. I would prefer the mighty Polish Post Office, but oh well, that's the climate we have.
Sokołowski/Stasiewicz/Leszoski - Manna
Eaten meat, just a skeleton. Few people after high school would agree with the thesis that this is music. Few enthusiasts of Karlheinz Stockhausen would be moved. I am somewhere in the middle. Listening to these less than forty minutes was harder for me with each subsequent attempt. I have already collected about twenty attempts, so that says something. A minimalistic released CD from Antenna Non Grata.
That's How I Fight - Movement Three - Continuum
Big deal. Definitely, so far, my favorite album from this year. Again ex-member of Ewa Braun - Piotr Sulik. Plus Gosia Florczak, Jacek Sokołowski (not the same one as above) and Pieczarka Franciszek. Guitar connected to endless loops, synthesizers, drums, flute (!), accordion (!!) and guest bass by Jacek Chrzanowski in one of the tracks. A strange set. The music is sometimes frozen somewhere far in time, and at the same time very dance-ritual. Ambient that FIGHTS (effectively) against the sounds of everyday life. You can feel like you're in Jon Hassell's backyard. Released by Zoharum.
Updated: Mar 6
About a month ago I went to Glinianki Park in Sulejówek with two hydrophones and a Zoom F3 in my bag. The pond was frozen solid, except for one water oasis in the north-eastern corner. The ducks had set up a modest swimming area there. I sat down on the bank and placed the Aquarians on the surface in stereo configuration. The session probably lasted an hour, but about 35 minutes of material survived in post-production, later divided into 3 parts. When editing, I used minimal low-pass. I added a bit of reverb. And that was it. The sounds of ducks wading on the ice sound full and satisfying. The sounds of sliding sound like lightsabers from Star Wars. I must have written this 50 times in 100 different places. But it's worth clarifying where the title of the material comes from. One of my more interesting works. I sincerely recommend it. Unusual sound documentation from the immediate surroundings.
