Skalpel

For years, the Wrocław-based Skalpel duo (Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudło) has been combining the local jazz tradition with the possibilities of new electronics. The ensemble stands out due to its unique style – the musicians creatively decontextualise small fragments and sound snippets from works by other artists to then assemble them in new sequences. This leads to the development of new rhythmic, melodic and textural relations between the used fragments, while the resulting musical narrative is close to the poetics of collage.

The duo’s first two albums – Skalpel (2004) and Konfusion (2005) – recorded for the famous Ninja Tune label, were followed by concerts all over the world and excellent reviews in prestigious music magazines, from NME, through Pitchfork, The Wire, to DJ Magazine. These albums are now among the classics of jazztronics, while the next ones – Transit (2014), Highlight (2020) and Origins (2022) – are an excellent update and modification of Skalpel’s unique analogue-digital sound. These latest albums have been released worldwide in cooperation with the iconic record label !K7 Records, to which, among others Tosca or Tricky are also signed. Skalpel has won such awards as Fryderyk, Polityka Passport Award, the Man with the Golden Ear Award or the Wrocław Artistic Award. The duo has also been nominated for the BBC Gilles Peterson Award.