Skalpel—a complex, beat-based, Polish jazz band from Wroclaw, Poland—consists of Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudlo. The pair are talented DJs (in Poland, they are among the best-known, most respected DJs and producers in the country) who have had five mixes aired on Ninja Tune's "Solid Steel" radio show over the last two years. Though the duo have been around for a while, the year 2000 was a landmark year for the group. They toured with DJ Vadim’s Russian Percussion and presented an amazing 4-deck show all over the country. Later that year, Skalpel released a demo CD titled Polish Jazz, which not only received heaps of praise in their native country, but also led to a recording contract with Ninja Tune.
For the past two years, Marcin and Igor have been digging through record crates, trying to build the most exciting collection of samples from various Polish jazz records. Their goal is to resurrect and reinvent the spirit of 60s and 70s Polish jazz for tomorrow. The result is Skalpel, the duo's self-titled debut release from Ninja Tune, which includes the single "1958," featured here. Check out Ninja Tune's Web site for more info about the band.
