Harper Boogie, The Polish Music Scene... Plus A Mix :)
June 8
Harper Boogie is a name that has cropped up in various places I frequent online over the past few years. Gradually, I found out that it belongs to a dude named Marcin, who has a radio show in Poland, and as time has gone by he's always been very supportive of my mixes, giving them airtime inna Polish land.
My interest in all things Polish has been piqued by a recent visit to Krakow and Warsaw (see previous post - http://bassmusicblog.com/krakow-liveow ) so when Marcin sent over a mix for the blog, I thought I'd ask him a few questions about working in radio and the music scene in Poland in general. Enjoy!
[Lepperintro]
LYKKE LI – Dance Dance Dance (Buraka Som Sistema remix) / LL Records
REKTCHORDZ – Feed Your Head (ELITE FORCE remix) / U & A
PETER PAUL – Count Drak (Introspective remix) / N-Mity
ELITE FORCE & MEAT KATIE – Dark & Deep / U & A
HARPER – Where’s Your Amb At (mash-up) / CD-R
SPORTY-O – Guestlist (Keith McKenzie & DJ Fixx mix) / Illeven Eleven
HAGGSTROM feat NATALIE WALKER – Be My Baby (PEO DE PITTE remix) / Flat Out
GRIM_PIL – Come Dancing / TCR
WOLFGANG GARTNER – Flashback / Kindergarten
JOHNNY L & HORX – 18 Years / Who The Fuck Said Dance Was Dead
Easy Marcin! I understand you work for a radio station. What's your musical background?
I just love music. This is my full time job. Lots of things and projects at the same time, but all about music.
For more than a decade, apart from DJing and playing and promoting bass music for years, I’m a journalist (music magazines like Machina, Plastik, Laif, Brum etc). Basically, I’m a radio journalist / DJ. I used to work for Sonic Records (www.sonicrecords.pl) as a music research person (UK market specialist – we distributed / promoted such labels as Kingsize, Finger Lickin, Good Looking, Mo’Wax, Rephlex, Warp, Ninja Tune, Freskanova to name just a few). Right now i just do some projects for them from time to time. I’ve compiled many various compilations. One of them was called 'Plastikfikation', and according to Wyborcza - the biggest and most influential Polish newspaper - was the best and most important club compilation released in Poland. It came out in 1999, and it was a mix of funky and skankin breaks, good ol' big beat etc. – Freestylers, Laidback, Dub Pistols, Fatboy Slim, M/A/R/R/S etc. I’ve also done other compilations of old soul, funk and disco.
Together with Bert (we DJ togther as Boogie Mafia) I did a cover mix CD for Laif magazine called 'Hard Boogie' with tunes from Finger Lickin, Lot49, Burrito, Sinister, Westway -that issue sold somethine like 10,000 copies. And I think DJ mag once wrote that 'Boogie Mafia is the one to watch'. Or something like that. Which was nice :) I’m also a member of Beats Friendly crew collective - I play a bit softer and deeper with them, or kind of on a funk / reggae / hip hop kind of vibe.
How long have you been doing your show, and what style does it cover?
Previously, i’ve worked for Radiostacja, but for about two years I've worked for Radio Euro, the 4th national Polish radio channel (and the only one with good music!). I’ve got 4 radio shows: 'Basstion', which is every Sunday at midnight - all about huge basslines and fat beats, whatever genre its is, and I air guest DJ mixes too from artists i like and respect; Funkadelia, every Sunday from 6-8pm - this focusses more on funk, hip hop, ragga, bashment, funky reggae, soul etc; and finally Eklektyka every Wednesday - which is just good music from any genre.
What are your main musical influences and favourites?
When it comes to dance music, for me it’s all about really fat beats (mostly broken and heavy), huge basslines and funky grooves. I still love my breaks, but it’s hard to find a good and fresh breaks record these days. I’ve always been pretty open musically so apart from breaks it can also be tech-funk, 4/4 heavy bassline stuff, some dubstep etc. And i’ve always loved ragga and dancehall, especially mixed with fat hip hop beats or more uptempo modern club rhythms, right now stuff like Jinx In Dub, Baobinga, Redlight, South Rakkas Crew, Toddla T, Greenmoney, Major Lazer, RSD, Tayo etc. At home I like my Nick Drake or Pharoah Sanders too. And i reckon Velvet, and The Big Pink, will be huge! Oh, and I’m a sucker for party New Orleans music, especially the big brassy stuff.
Tell us a bit about this mix.
I describe my sound as hard boogie. Example? Check the Elite Force remix of Rektchordz (sHack is one of my heroes), the Introspective mix of Peter Paul 'Dark & Deep'... Huge, pulsating, hard to resist groove based on heavy, tight beats. And I love that Peo De Pitte remix - pretty spectacular!
It’s not always about upfront music, but it’s all about tunes that are guaranteed to work in the club for me and make people scream and jump up. I’ve added some classic acappellas, samples etc. There’s my little mash-up too (tried and tested!). As an intro I used a sample of a Polish redneck politician – chopped it up a bit ;)
What do you think about the music scene in Poland? When I was there recently, it seemed like Krakow in particular is very 'on it' in terms of fresh sounds and knowledge of upcoming DJs...
Well, this is a tricky subject, because my answer should be really long. I think you just spent time with proper people and played to a proper crowd. Kraków and Łódź were always good for drum’n’bass, and a bit breaks too (and some happy hardcore and rave in Lodz!). Warsaw , the capital, has been the busiest city in Poland for years, loads of parties, great concerts, etc ., top DJs and bands every weekend, and plenty of midweek events too. But maybe 8 to 10 years ago you had less parties but with a more open-minded and educated crowd. Right now it’s all about current cheesy house hits (like everywhere) or all about emo, flashy, snoby and in most cases empty electro cool kids with no proper respect for music and artists. Aquasky for them is like a band who has just made bassline / fidget stuff for a couple of years. Possibly they released a few breaks records, maybe. If Fake Blood could play at the same time and at the same place using the same records but as Theo Keating or The Wiseguys it is possible that no one would even turn up, and if they did I'm not sure they would dance! Which is funny and sad at the same time.
But to be positive, the scene is vital, there’s a new generation of clubgoers with lots of energy so i’m sure it’s just a matter of time when they will start to buy music rather than just get it free off blogs (although maybe that's just the way things are now?) and it will develop into something more than just the current 'trendy' movement. Something more conscious, more educated. I've always tried to do it - educate people - in my radio shows, reviews, articles, even my DJ sets. Its good to be able to show people that without The Winstons, and so much other 'old' music, it’s possible that there could be no drum’n’bass, no breakbeat, no dubstep etc. Try and tell people, 'just listen to as much music as possible, be open, be more and more sensitive etc. - and get to love huge basslines and fat beats!'
Sam Baobinga.
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