ENERGY OF THE SOUND 2017

Neofolk meets industrial head-on, cold wave meets krautrock, and pop meets the classical. 7JK was set up in 2011 as a combination of two completely different projects: the neoclassical Sieben hailing from the UK – relying chiefly acoustic instruments – and the Polish electronic post-industrial outfit Job Karma. On the album “Anthems Flesh”, released in 2012, the artists delivered a completely new quality – a product of the involved musicians’ experiences. Together they created a sonic universe filled with multiple layers of processed sounds of the violin, rhythmic tones of synthesizers, and Matt Howden’s warm voice.  The second release, entitled “Ride the Solar Tide” was released in 2016 on Redroom Rec. Musically, it is a step forward as against its predecessor, bringing an atmosphere that is accurately conveyed by the term “apocalyptic pop”. Currently, 7JK is a duo comprising Matt Howden (voice and violin) and Maciej Frett (electronic instruments).

Organics meets electronics in a clash of two radically different musical formations. The united forces of Sieben (UK) and Job Karma (PL) come to fruition as a new, unique project called 7JK. After a series of concerts together over the years, this unusual sonic collaboration is finally happening – Sieben, neo-classical, based on acoustic instruments, and electronic, post-industrial Job Karma finally write new material together. This is the sum of these musician’s experiences. Matt Howden, Maciej Frett and Aureliusz Pisarzewski create a universe of sounds, a rhythmic unison of synthesisers and generators, violin and voice. The result – a soundtrack for a movie yet to be made, merging many aesthetics and genres: Neofolk collides with industrial, electronics with krautrock, ambient with classical music.

The band was active in the 1990s featuring: Agata Harz (vocal), Katarzyna Smoluk (vocal, piano), Robert Niziński (woodwind instruments and keyboards), Lechosław Polak (accordion, keyboards, synthesisers) and Remigiusz Mazur-Hanaj (lyrics, tapes).

That stage in the history of the band was summarised by two records issued by OBUH: EP (New Moon), 1993, and LP (Moon), 1996.

The album was listed amongst 20 most influential alternative music records of the 1990s.

In 2013 it was reissued on the British market thanks to the Penultimate Press.

It was also Penultimate Press that released the band’s latest record – . English premiere was held in November 2015, during the hcmf// (Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival). The newest album was well received by both Polish and foreign critics, appearing among the best records of the year in Poland and Great Britain.

In 2014 the group reunited. The first concert after the reactivation was set in St. Catherine’s Church during the Unsound Festival in Kraków. Since then Księżyc has been appearing in various places and taking part in different events, e.g. concert with Iva Bittova in Warsaw’s Center for Contemporary Art, Ujazdowski Castle / Laboratorium; open-air performance in Warsaw’s Królikarnia (Rabbit House); concert under the plane trees in Toulouse’s municipal park during Les Siestes Electroniques (France); during the Land Art Festival on the bank of Bug river; in old church on the Energy of Sound Festival in Wroclaw; in Café OTO in London (with Áine O’Dwyer); on KRAAK festival in Brussels, and others.

In 2014 the WIRE magazine in cooperation with the Unsound Festival released a compilation album , and Księżyc appeared there too.

In 2015 Księżyc was nominated to participate in SHAPE programme – Platform for Innovative Music and Audiovisual Art from Europe.

Magic Carpathians Project has been active since 1998, established by Anna Nacher and Marek Styczyński (who previously had been a leader Theatre of Sound ATMAN). Influenced by musical traditions of Eastern and Central Europe (most notably the multicultural region of Carpathians mountains, spanning through Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland and Slovakia), free jazz, the philosophy of sound of classical Indian music and contemporary classic the duo creates compositions based on improvisation using plethora of traditional instruments from Asia, Europa and Australia. Prepared electric guitar, home-made analog electronics, field recordings made during their numerous travels around the world and bastardised radio waves add up to the distinct atmosphere of their music. Anna Nacher is also praised for her vocal technique – she has mastered various types of traditional styles of singing known as throat singing, developped through Central Asia and Eastern Europe. She regularly run voice trainings through a series of workshops (Poland, Greece, Germany, Slovenia). Self-styled purveyors of “ethno-core”, Poland’s Magic Carpathians combine mournful vocals, tribal percussion, eerie woodwinds, and noise collages into a hypnotic mega-drone; something akin to the Art Ensemble of Chicago transplanted to Eastern Europe. The Magic Carpathians utilize transcendental combinations of harmonium, hurdy-gurdy, accordion, guitar, violin, sitar and Carpathian woodwinds harmonized with more modern conceits such as vintage synthesizers, tape loops and field recordings.  Released more than 10 albums, present on many compilations released in the UK, Sweden, the U.S, Italy, toured the United States in 2001 and 2006 (from Knitting Factory, NYC through SXSW, Austin to Bottom of the Hill, SF). They also regularly play and run workshops in Europe (Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Slovenia Central Europe). The cooperations include the split CD with the American group Cerberus Shoal released on Northeast Indie and recent album with guest appearance of Eric Arn (of Crystallized Movements and Primordial Undermind).

Matt Howden is an English violinist that uses his own name for his solo neo-classical work, to separate it from his song-based material, which goes under the name of Sieben. Sieben is the one of the many projects of the musical artist Matt Howden. He has worked as producer, songwriter, session musician, and score composer. He currently lives in Sheffield, UK. Whilst Sieben is his most well known creation, he has been a collaborator with The Raindogs (Portugal), Sol Invictus (UK), Tony Wakeford (UK), L’Orchestra Noir (UK), L’Ame Immortelle (AT), Emilie Autumn (USA), Faith & The Muse (USA), Of The Wand And The Moon (DK), Larsen (IT), Chris Eckman (USA), Spiritual Front (IT), Shock Headed Peters (UK), Hekate (DE), Job Karma (PL), The Mystery School (USA) HaWthorn (UK) and many others. He releases neoclassical music under his own name.

Matt’s main instrument is violin and he is entirely self-taught. The story goes that, at 18, he was given a friend’s grandfather’s violin and then alienated friends and family over a two year period, finally unleashing himself upon an unsuspecting public in the streets of Newark, Lincoln and Grantham. He moved to Sheffield in 1986 and was part of the vibrant music scene in Sheffield playing in The Glass Hammers, Pig64, Yonni, and Stiki.

Sieben exists because of the I-Ching. Matt was given a reading by a friend which told him to make music he wanted to, not the music he thought people would like. This led to Matt throwing himself into a fully solo career, which indulged and channelled his fantasy and passion into violin and voice.

The premise and spirit of Sieben is layers – layers of instrument and voice that hypnotically draws you into a world of emotion. Lyrically, the themes shift and change from album to album, but are linked by the same sense of dissonance – the smooth, superficially melodious voice belies the dark, quick, twisted stories. Intelligent, quirky use of metaphor and archaic language is set against a backdrop of texture rich music.

The central place of the violin and Howden’s unusual way of playing it give’s Sieben a distinct sound which makes comparison difficult. Whilst, Sieben is frequently classified as neofolk, goth & experimental the music, and the man, could be as well described as alternative, indie, beautiful, brilliant, melancholy freak folk…the list goes on

DISCOGRAPHY: Matt has played over 1,800 shows, 35+ countries across the world, played with many artists on various scenes, made music for film and television, released 18 studio albums (and a 10CD boxset) to date.

Spiritual Front is a neofolk band from Rome, Italy. Its members describe their music as “nihilist suicide pop”, although elements of neoclassical and rock music are prevelant, along with a recurring experimental feel. The band began in 1999 as a project fronted by Simone Salvatori (a.k.a. “Hellvis”), a guitarist and singer from Italy, and has since worked extensively with other projects in the same genre of neofolk, along with releasing their own music to the public. Spiritual Front’s so-called “Mafia-Folk” has been in release since 1999, in which time Simone Salvatori, the lyricist and conceptualist behind SF, has been known to create a unique feel within their traditionally folk style.Their most noticeable recurring output is Simone’s charismatic playing of the acoustic guitar, along with martial drum beats characteristic of the neofolk genre. Slow and often melancholic vocals (leaning towards dark folk) are often contrasted with cabaret-like, somewhat comedic “swing-singing” and are reminicent of swing revival sound (particularly noticeable in their album Nihilist Cocktails For Calypso Inferno), showing the absolute dichotomy of Salvatori’s compositions. Emotional piano chords are also frequently featured, with occasional violin playing and solos. The use of field recording is also apparent in many of Spiritual Front’s albums, often attributing an ambient feel to their work.