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STARA RZEKA

Krautrock • Poland


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Stara Rzeka picture
Stara Rzeka biography
Stara Rzeka (Polish for "Old River") is one of many projects of a Polish multi-instrumentalist Jakub Ziołek (his other outfits include Alameda Trio, Ed Wood, Innercity Ensemble, Hokei, T'ien Lai and Kapital). The name of this one-man band comes from a small village located in the heart of beautiful Bory Tucholskie - a big forest in northern Poland - where Mr. Ziołek was based at the time when he conceived this idea.

The music for Stara Rzeka's albums has been composed almost exclusively on an acoustic guitar and draws influence from a wide variety of genres and styles, including black metal, otherworldly folk, electronic music and drone among others, which makes it virtually impossible to pigeonhole it. But, as Mr. Ziołek admitted himself in an interview for the Quietus, his only true and prevalent influence is the German music of the 70s, which he considers the most important legacy in post-World War II European music, with such bands as Kraftwerk, Cluster, Ash Ra Tempel, Can, Faust, Neu, Amon Düül II, Guru Guru and many others (although he said that he admires different artists as well and e.g. for his last album he utilised compositions of free jazz artists Pharoah Sanders and Albert Ayler and by an American composer Moondog) and that is why we decided to file this project under Krautrock in Progarchives.

Jakub Ziołek released two studio albums - "Cień chmury nad ukrytym polem" and "Zamknęły się oczy Ziemii" - as Stara Rzeka with the last one being, as he said, his final work issued under this moniker though he continues to use it for performing purposes as for now (at least until he comes up with a new one for his activities).

Bartłomiej Ślązak (Tuzvihar)


Sources:

http://stararzeka.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/stararzeka
http://instant-classic.com
http://thequietus.com

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STARA RZEKA discography


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STARA RZEKA top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 13 ratings
Cień chmury nad ukrytym polem
2013
4.20 | 10 ratings
Zamknęły się oczy Ziemii
2015

STARA RZEKA Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.95 | 3 ratings
Live at CCSP
2021

STARA RZEKA Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

STARA RZEKA Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

STARA RZEKA Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

STARA RZEKA Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Live at CCSP by STARA RZEKA album cover Live, 2021
3.95 | 3 ratings

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Live at CCSP
Stara Rzeka Krautrock

Review by DamoXt7942
Forum & Site Admin Group Avant/Cross/Neo/Post Teams

4 stars Amazed at the fact that there are no overdubs on the material. This "live" album was released in 2021 by a one-man act STARA RZEKA is one of many projects by a Polish multi-instrumentalist Jakub ZIOŁEK. It is said that the material in this creation was recorded live in 2015 at Centro Cultural São Paulo in collaboration with a drummer / percussionist Mauricio TAKARA, and Stara played only with a guitar, a pocket synthesizer, and guitar pedals. What a surprise, and how appropriate for the current dark pandemic situation. Yes this album gives us power.

"Part 1" gets started with crystallized glass-fiber-ish ambient departure. Do not be deceived by such a mystic, mysterious manner. Crazy dissection by the guitars in the former phase is splendid. Percussion by Mauricio is quite colourful, flavourful, and fruity. It's Polish psychedelia. Stara's fuzzy but dynamic guitar sounds go forward aggressively. His improvisational melodic lines remind us of the similarity to early-70s German Psych like Ash Ra Tempel or Guru Guru. We the audience should be immersed and absorbed into his Krautrock soundscape, that keeps pretty elastic and expansive so freely. Synthesizer-oriented noisy discharges are also enjoyable, based upon percussive vibe baselines. The last spart featuring repetitive addictive phrases sounds like King Crimson's Discipline Era. In "Part 2" floating electronic bubbles definitely catch our heart in a strict manner. Musical instability is sitting on there, but it cannot give us any concern nor anxiety. It sounds like something pleasant is around the duo and the audience as well. Mauicio's drumming is just on the point we get fond of. Weird melodic concentrations shoot massive power for us under such a tough situation. The last metallic texture leads us smoothly onto the Third Movement. "Part 3" keeps kind of a dreamy hallucinogenic plastic fantasy in the first set. Elegant ethnic tribal beats launched by Mauricio's percussion and drums are very comfortable. No obvious syllable nor verse-chorus-verse is here, but it's sort of a wonder why we can feel familiar with such a complete deviation. Guess the duo provided their rigid and sincere musical attitude and intention on the stage. This sound protocol and outcome give us a fascinating niche. And the epilogue "Part 4" should be in the same vein of Manuel Göttsching's "Inventions For Electric Guitar" that meets enthusiastic percussion played flexibly and loosely. Enchanting reflections filled with the antithesis of the pop-cultural world ring our bells without any suspicion. We are driven into another complicated dimension by the shortest track in the album.

The very last applause is the result of a wonderful dream proposed by the splendid duo.

Thanks to tuzvihar for the artist addition.

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