Igor Pudło vel Igor Boxx is 1/2 of Skalpel duo which recorded in 2004 ("Skalpel") and 2005 ("Konfusion") two albums for legendary Ninja Tune label. After couple of years of silence he has surprised us at the end of last year (in October) with this new material which is as good and inspiring as one could expect. As far as nu jazz and trip hop this is probably the best album of the passing year.
The title of the CD speaks for itself: "Breslau" is for Wrocław. The city where I was born and lived for 20 years until I moved to Warsaw. The city with special multikulti blend of Polish, German, Jewish and other elements, all masterfully described in a book by Norman Davies and Roger Moorhouse titled "Mikrokosmos".
The most tragic event in the history of the city is the siege which started in February and lasted until May 1945. Declared by Hitler as "Festung Breslau" the city was virtually torn to pieces by ferociously fighting Red Army and Wehrmacht while civil population of half a million people was forcefully expelled out of the city in the middle of the harsh winter. Over 90% of buildings in the city perished, more than in Hiroshima, even more than in Warsaw.
But do not expect any pathos, direness or sadness in this music because it tells the story in a best tradition of Polish absurd sense of humour and grotesque. Check the link below with official video to sense the mood I am talking about or watch one of such masterpieces of Polish cinema as Andrzej Munk "Eroica".
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