Label: Polskie Nagrania Muza – SX 1262 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Red Label Country: Poland Released: 1976 Genre: Electronic, Rock Style: Experimental, Prog Rock
Much loved late 70s Polish experimental classic! (NM)
Impossible to categorise Polish left-field electronic / fusion gem from beat musician Czesław Niemen with his seemingly slept on '76(!) LP Katharsis. Given the year, location and political situation of this one, it's staggering just how out there this is, blending feathered, minimal drum-machine programming with bluesy guitar and some confident synthesiser action yet it all holds together really nicely even to this day and is super listenable. The occasional Polish vocals add extra intrigue (for me at least) as it's rare to hear them in this avant-garde / experimental context, with other Polish avant-garde around this time being mostly instrumental (I.E Ossian - more on those guys soon) and exploring the more spiritual / free-jazz blueprint as opposed to messin with electronics. A mind-bogglingly successful fusion of multiple styles that's a real grower. (NM)
Tracklist A1 Odkrycie Nowej Galaktyki = Discovery Of A New Galaxy 2:11 A2 Mleczna Droga = The Milky Way 3:11 A3 Planeta Ziemia = The Planet Earth 6:39 A4 Fatum = Fate 2:20 A5 Pieczęć = The Seal 2:48 B1 Z Listu Do M. = From A Letter To M. 4:42 B2 Próba Ucieczki = An Attempt To Escape 2:37 B3 Katharsis 4:41 B4 Epitafium (Pamięci Piotra) = An Epitaph (In Memory Of Piotr) 4:04
