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Polish rock refers to rock music from Poland. Because it is a former communist country, the rock and punk scenes have often served for anti-establishment ideas in Poland. [1]
After the era of "big-bit" (Polish style of simple rock'n'roll), one of the earliest pioneers of Polish rock was Tadeusz Nalepa, a singer, guitarist and songwriter who began his career playing pop music in his group - Blackout, before turning to blues rock and changing the band's name to Breakout in 1968. Their debut - "Na drugim brzegu tęczy", is often referred to as the "first Polish rock album in history".
Significant artists of the "big-bit era" include: Czerwone Gitary, Niebiesko-Czarni, Czerwono-Czarni, Trubadurzy, Karin Stanek.
In the 1970s, due to political pressure and censorship, there were very few bands that managed to gain commercial success or become artistically notable.
Significant 1970s artists include: Niemen, Budka Suflera, SBB, Marek Grechuta (artist on the edge of rock, usually not of that genre), Skaldowie. Breakout recorded and released their most successful album, Blues in 1971. Among these bands, who achieved local success, but never managed to gain international recognition despite their quality, were Grupa Stress and Nurt, which were more on the hard-rock psychedelic, progressive side.
1982 - beginning of the "boom of rock" in Poland - debuts or first success of many important bands. On 24.04.1982 was first broadcast of Lista Przebojów Programu Trzeciego, voting chart that helped promoting many rock bands. Underground artists were promoted at Rozgłośnia Harcerska.
1987-1990 - crisis of rock, many artists emigrated, bands broke up, split or were suspended. Meanwhile, there was second wave of Polish rock called Krajowa Scena Młodzieżowa (Sztywny Pal Azji, Chłopcy z Placu Broni, Róże Europy, Kobranocka, Tilt, Mr. Zoob, Rezerwat), but with minor market and/or artistic success.
Official market: "THE GREAT FOUR": Perfect, Republika, Lady Pank, Maanam. Other: Oddział Zamknięty, Lombard, TSA, Bajm (most of them still active and popular in the 2000s)
Underground scene: Kult, Dezerter, Brygada Kryzys, Klaus Mitffoch, Dżem, T.Love Alternative, Turbo, Aya RL, Izrael, Daab, Kat, Lessdress (debuted in 1989)
1992-1995 - second boom of Polish rock, many female vocalists
From 1997 till the mid-2000s Polish rock "went underground" due to not being played on greatest commercial medias, despite many artistic successes or attention of many fans.
significant 1990s artists: Wilki, Myslovitz, Acid Drinkers, Homo Twist, Vader, Voo Voo, Armia, Sweet Noise, Kazik/Kazik Na Żywo, Ira
female rock: Hey, Edyta Bartosiewicz, Kasia Kowalska, O.N.A., Closterkeller
gained new success: Kult, Dżem, T.Love (after changing style from punk to rock shortened its name from T.Love Alternative)
reunioned and managed to gain new fans: Perfect, Republika, Lady Pank, Maanam
Significant 2000s artists: Myslovitz, Kult, Hey, Dżem, Wilki, Cool Kids of Death, Coma, Lao Che, Pogodno, Ścianka, Vader, Behemoth, Voo Voo, Lech Janerka, Strachy na Lachy, Krzysztof Wałecki (as a solo artist, with Vintage,and Oddział Zamknięty), Darek Pietrzak, Acid Drinkers and Riverside.
Poland has a very active underground extreme metal Music Scene. Some of the bands that have heralded and helped the cause are Vader, Behemoth, Yattering, Decapitated and Lux Occulta. This has paved ground for a large underground movement. One of the biggest death metal record labels in Poland is Metal Mind Records.
The music of Poland covers diverse aspects of music and musical traditions which have originated, and are practiced in Poland. Artists from Poland include world-famous classical composers like Frédéric Chopin, Karol Szymanowski, Witold Lutosławski, Henryk Górecki and Krzysztof Penderecki; renowned pianists like Karl Tausig, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Arthur Rubinstein and Krystian Zimerman; as well as popular music artists, and traditional, regionalised folk music ensembles that create a rich and lively music scene at the grassroots level. The musicians of Poland, over the course of history, have developed and popularized a variety of music genres and folk dances such as mazurka, polonaise, krakowiak, kujawiak, polska partner dance, oberek; as well as the sung poetry genre and others. Mazurek (Mazur), Krakowiak, Kujawiak, Oberek and Polonaise (Polonez) are registered as Polish National Dances, originating in early Middle Ages. The oldest of them is Polonaise that comes from the Medieval pageant dances and it was originally called "chodzony", a "walking dance".
Czesław Niemen, often credited as just Niemen, was one of the most important and original Polish singer-songwriters and rock balladeers of the 20th century, singing mainly in Polish. He possessed an unusually wide voice range and equally rich intonation. He was also an ardent composer and keyboardist.
Kult is a Polish rock band formed in 1982 in Warsaw.
Myslovitz is a Polish rock band. The band take their name from their industrial hometown of Mysłowice in the Upper Silesia region of southern Poland.
Olga Aleksandra Sipowicz, also known by the mononym of Kora, was a Polish rock vocalist and songwriter. She was the lead singer of the rock band Maanam from 1976 to 2008. Jackowska also provided the voice of Edna Mode in the Polish dubs of both Incredibles films.
Justyna Maria Steczkowska is a Polish singer, songwriter, photographer, and actress.
Pol'and'Rock Festival, formerly known as Woodstock Festival Poland, is an annual free rock music festival in Poland, inspired by the Woodstock festival. The festival has been held since 1995. In 2009, Woodstock Festival Poland gathered an audience of over 400,000 people, in 2011, the attendance was above 700,000, in 2012, about 550,000 people, in 2013, about 500,000, and in 2014, the attendance reached a record high of about 750,000. As of 2019, the aggregate attendance of the festival is 750,000 making it one of the biggest music festivals in the world.
Voo Voo is a Polish music band that was established in 1985. The group's musical style is highly diverse, predominantly characterized by a fusion of rock and folk elements from various cultures, intertwined with a notable emphasis on improvisation. In more recent times, their creative repertoire has also embraced contemporary music genres like drum and bass, hip-hop, and nu jazz.
Czerwono-Czarni was one of the most popular rock bands in the history of Polish popular music, and one of the pioneers of rock and beat music in Poland. Czerwono-Czarni was the first Polish rock band to last long enough to cut a record. It formed in 1960, and lasted until 1976.
The Best Polish Songs... Ever! is a compilation released by EMI in late 2007. Generally, it has been released for Poles who live abroad and for Polish music fans.
Infernal Connection is the fifth studio album by Polish thrash metal band Acid Drinkers. It was released in December 1994 in Poland through Mega Czad. The album was recorded from 8 September to 3 October 1994 at Modern Sound Studio in Gdynia. The cover art was created by Tomek Molka and Litza and photos by Kazik Staszewski and Jacek Gulczyński.
The Rose Festival is an annual exhibition of roses and florist arrangements which takes place in Kutno, Poland.
Polskie Nagrania "Muza" is a Polish record label based in Warsaw. It has produced records in many genres including pop, rock, jazz, folklore, classical, children. Until its purchase by Warner Music Poland in 2015, for €1.9 million, the label was owned by the Polish government.
Lista Przebojów Programu Trzeciego is the oldest and the longest-running music chart in Poland. Aired by Polskie Radio Program III, a division of the Polskie Radio public broadcaster, the list has been broadcast weekly since 24 April 1982 until 15 May 2020 after 1998 airings. Initially hosted by Marek Niedźwiecki, since 2010 the hosting duties have been alternated by Niedźwiecki and Piotr Baron.
Ursynalia – Warsaw Student Festival is a Polish music festival held each year in Warsaw at the end of May or beginning of June. It is organized by students' union of Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW) and, since 2009, by Fundacja Bonum and Arena Live Production. The first edition of the festival was held in 1983.
Męskie Granie is a concert tour, initiated by Żywiec Brewery. It is organized each year in the summer in major Polish cities, with the addition of the town Żywiec. The first edition was held in 2010.
Marek Wojciech Niedźwiecki is a Polish music journalist and radio anchor.
Sony Music Entertainment Poland Sp. z o.o. (SMEP) is a Polish subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. It was founded in 1995 in Warsaw. The label's CEO is Kazimierz Pułaski.
EMI Music Poland Sp. z o.o., was a Polish subsidiary of EMI Group Limited, it was founded in 1995 in Warsaw. Labels CEO was Piotr Kabaj.