A more adroit form of expression for the reality of human misery isn’t likely to be found outside of Eastern European classical music. The region’s sonic visualizations present a world both striking and chaotic, all within precisely paced compositions. Polish electroacoustic musician, Michal Jacaszek, is a prime exemplar of such artistic inclinations. Jacaszek’s all-consuming passion for producing music started as early as 2001 with recordings of modern electronic sounds alongside “singing poetry.” He transformed his method throughout the years, and in 2009 Pentral was released, an instrumental album constructed around the acoustic interior sounds of Gothic churches. It’s important to note that Jacaszek is not a classically trained musician; he credits modern electronic tools for the ability to do what he loves. Jacaszek’s unconventional background is surely a factor in the ease with which he approaches varied influences – classical minimalism, buzzing electronics, and tangible ornate textures all concurrently thrive in his work.
Ghostly International seized the opportunity to release Jacaszek’s latest project, Glimmer, and provide a platform for his work in North America. On Glimmer, Jacaszek strove to enhance traditional acoustic instruments by processing them through electronic manipulation. There’s a noticeable lingering pace to the album, lending to it’s genuinely troubling atmosphere. The baroque instrumentation on display is deliberately disharmonious, making the soft traces of clarinets and harpsichords all the more gratifying. The multi-textured sounds can be static and intimidating one moment and weightless billowing clouds the next, serving “to create some fragile beauty glimmering behind the veil of reality.” In the following interview, Jacaszek candidly discusses his early experiments with music, the unique methods of production he implements for each project, and his position within Poland’s musical landscape.
How did your passion for organic sounds, and eventually electro-acoustic production, first come about?
It is very likely that I would not touch electronic music if I were a classically trained composer. I started working with electronics because I was desperate to create music, and I did not have any background knowledge or educational foundation to do that. Only electronic tools could make it possible. I think that the sound aesthetic that I create is just a secondary result of the methods I employ to arrange and compose my songs.
Can you tell us a bit about the music scene in Poland and how this setting affects your musical production?
Here in Poland we have (and have always had) a bunch of great artists, crossing the boundaries of musical genres. In the 80s and 90s we had, for example, bands connected to the OBUH label like Ksiezyc, Za Siodma Gora, Siekiera, Armia etc. Today, the alternative scene is even more interesting: Male Instrumenty, LADO ABC label projects, Skalpel, Dawid Szczesny, DJ Lenar, Raphael Roginski, jazz projects like Contemporary Noise Sextet or Wojtek Mazolewski, hip-hop related projects like Asfalt artists, just to name just a few. But I don’t think these musicians significantly impact my creativity. I started making music in a small city situated rather far away from bigger metropolises. I studied art restoration so I was outside of the music circles and didn’t have many friends who were musicians. I guess I am more influenced by a deeper Polish tradition, present in Polish classical music or even folk music; a specific Polish-Slavic-northern spirit is my inspiration.
During the recording of Pentral, you stated that you didn’t want to remove natural or accidental sounds from your field recordings; instead you choose to manipulate them. What methods of amplification and manipulation did you use?
Pentral was based on field recordings in Gothic churches. I did not want to hide all of the accidental sounds of people’s steps, murmurs, or other noises, because they were interacting with the ambiance and it sounded interesting. I recorded all sounds using a zoom H4 recorder, and Avantone C-40 stereo microphone. Some recorded samples then went to a sampler machine where I used them as harmonic and rhythmic material. A second part of the sounds remained unprocessed and I used them to create an atmospheric background.
Why do you refuse to use synthesized sounds in your productions?
I intuitively avoid synthesized sounds as I just simply do not like them; the organic world better suits my aesthetic.
What draws you to a certain locale when you are looking to record acoustics? What factors do you take into consideration?
Choosing a church to record Pentral (the only album, so far, based on interior acoustics) was not accidental. It was not only a matter of interesting reverb – great long reverberations can be found in industrial spaces for example, but Gothic churches are places full of spirits and a long hidden history for me. This potential was extremely inspiring. The churches were an oasis of strange, surprising silence – they are situated in the middle of the city, so suddenly from the crowded streets you are entering a realm of stillness and filtered light, and all this somehow translated into music.
Is there a similarly discernible sonic theme in Glimmer? Can you tell us a bit about the production process?
Working on Glimmer was a typical studio process. First a selection of baroque based samples built a foundation, and then I invited a harpsichord player (M. Skotnicka) and bass clarinet player (A Wojciechowski) to add some improvisations on their instruments. Then everything was cut, processed, edited and mixed together.
How do you go about choosing venues for your live performances?
Well, I do not have much influence on where I am invited to play. But of course I have some preferences: It is great when music is corresponding with the surroundings, when my sounds speak with the space, architectonic details, and decorations. I feel good in theater halls, sacral spaces, etc.
What is the vibe of your live shows like? Have your performances affected your method of production in any way?
Studio work has always been the first step, and I do not think about live performances until those long studio sessions are finished. Live performance has always been an adaptation of what was produced in the studio – an attempt to translate a studio domain into a concert situation.
How did you get involved with Ghostly International?
Ghostly guys knew my previous work, and they first asked me to contribute with an exclusive track on a Ghostly SMM compilation. After that I met Jeff Owens, one of managers, and he expressed interest in my future work. A year later I sent them a demo…
Finally, which artists do you find inspiring in your field, or just in general?
My biggest inspiration is the whole world of classical music. Chamber baroque pieces, XX century minimalists, Early Georgian choirs, XIX c. Romantics…I love polish modern composers like Gorecki and Szymanski.
