Skalpel are Polish nu jazz

DJs A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

, musicians and record producers, Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudło, from

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

, Poland. Their musical style is a distinctive blend of hip hop beats, laced with samples lifted from the rich seam of Polish

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

records of the 1960s and 1970s.

History

In 2000, after interviewing

DJ Vadim Vadim Alexandrovich Peare (russian: Вадим Александрович Пир, Vadim Aleksandrovich Pir ...

for a Polish hip hop magazine, Skalpel discussed samples, obscure breaks and the Polish music scene with him. That led to a combined tour with Skalpel and Vadim's live band, The Russian Percussion, during which they performed with four turntables. Later that year, Skalpel released a demo CD entitled ''Polish Jazz'', which gained praise from the Polish music press, and they were subsequently picked up by the UK

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

Ninja Tune Ninja Tune is an English independent record label based in London. It has a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded by Matt Black and Jonathan More (better known as Coldcut) and managed by Peter Quicke and others. Inspired by a visit ...

. In 2001, they released the ''Virtual Cuts'' mixtape, which was composed of two live sessions. Between 2002 and 2004, five of their live DJ mix sets were aired on Ninja Tune's

Solid Steel ''Solid Steel'' are a series of DJ mix albums issued on Ninja Tune, an independent record label in the UK. ''Solid Steel'' also has a radio station webcast and related live concerts which further showcase the DJing talents of such artists. In 1 ...

radio show. Skalpel aim to resurrect the spirit of 60s and 70s Polish jazz, using samples to re-work it.

"The Polish music scene is very poor at the moment. Nothing really interesting happens. The majority of music on TV and radio is kind of 'World Idol'. Very little individuality – just copies of American music."

Skalpel's 2003 EP, ''Sculpture'' sold out upon release. It also led to a nomination for the prestigious Polish culture award, the

Paszport Polityki Paszport Polityki (Polityka's Passport) is an annual Polish cultural award presented by the weekly magazine ''Polityka'' since 1993. It is presented in six major categories: literature, film, theatre, classical music, popular music, visual arts ...

. Skalpel has released two albums. A self-titled album was released in 2004, followed by the double-album "Konfusion" in 2005. In May 2014, the duo released a new EP, "Simple," and a few months later released "Transit," their first full-length studio album in almost nine years, on their own record label, PlugAudio. In March 2020, Skalpel released their latest album, ''Highlight''.

History

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Remix albums

EPs

References