Over The Counter #17: SideOne Records

In this series we ask some of our favourite shops from around the world to tell us about the records passing through their premises at present. We head back to Warsaw and to SideOne Records to hear about the records and labels that are causing a fuss in store at the moment. For their second instalment Jakub guides us through some of his favourite Polish releases…

For this list we focused on showing you records and tapes made by Polish artists or released by Polish labels that are currently available at our shop. Finally, the Polish underground scene is experiencing a bloom of new players and releases and we are proud to present you a quick run-down of what we find interesting among them. This list doesn't go from best to worst, nor does it favour any genre – all of the music presented is absorbing in it's own way and we recommend it from the bottom of our hearts.

Wieloryb – 1 [Requiem Records]

Wieloryb (eng. Whale) released a cassette in 1994 filled with punkish EBM magic that was completely unheard of in Poland at that time. Finally – after almost 25 years Requiem Records printed this unique material on vinyl for future generations to play hard.

FOQL – Dumpster-Diving Know How [CGI Records]

FOQL is without a doubt one of the most prominent players in the Warsaw underground scene. She is known for her live performances, her love for tape and her project Oramics – an agency and a platform that supports and promotes women in electronic music.

Dyktando – A Line Drawn By Chalk Hypnosis [Syntetyk]

The first release on Syntetyk – a new label governed by our staff member -features an EP filled with dirty industrial sound made by Dyktando. Dyktando is an artist known for his work with the Brutaż family and a close friend of our shop. Syntetyk is said to release more local heroes in the near future.

TAMTEN / FOPA – Polski Dom [Regime]

A cassette released by Regime – a label hailing from Wrocław – features a split by Tamten (a former dealer at SideOne) and Fopa. Without a doubt it is one of the most important items this year when it comes to balearic realness.

Mazewski – Untitled [Brutaż]

Brutaż is certainly the leading factor of the Polish electronic scene. For their newest EP they picked Mazewski – a true wizard when it comes to spinning records. His debiut EP features goblin disco, dub-driven paranoia – in short what Brutaż loves the most – the unexpected.

Poly Chain – +/- [BAS]

Poly Chain – an Ukrainian artist who lived for many years in Warsaw and made a name for herself with her live performances and dj sets filled with spaceship electro madness – strikes again with a cassette released by a local collective – BAS.

Jaxe – Seekings [Dom Trojga]

Eltron – one of the most important figures in the Polish underground scene and a close friend of our shop – started his own record label called Dom Trojga. For the first EP he released Jaxe – a master when it comes to acidic melodies and magical trance punches.

Mozaika – Passing Looks [Public Possession]

Mozaika – an active producer and a good friend – returns to Public Possession with another EP. This time he collaborated with an Australian singer Sui Zhen to produce a mystic Synth Pop gem followed by two dreamy solo tracks and showed yet again what he is capable of.

V.A. – Subtransmission System [K-Hole Trax]

The notorious Wrocław based K-Hole Trax released a V.A. cassette of Polish artists that covers a full spectrum of what they love the most. Their 6th tape features electro realness, EBM terror, dirty house nostalgia, dancehall funk, ambient dreams and acid trance breakbeat.

Mirt – Greed [Readymade Sun]

Mirt's newest record shows yet again what a mature producer he is. No one does it better when it comes to melancholic modular experiments and as always we fully recommend his work.

Bartosz Kruczyński – Baltic Beat II [Growing Bin]

If we take into account all his records under each alias, Bartosz is definetely the best selling artist in our shop. Versatile, active and modest we are proud to have him as our friend and customer. Baltic Beat II is a story about Polish rural spaces filled with nostalgia and dreamyness.

VTSS – Self Control [Haven]

VTSS – an artist born and raised in Warsaw – is going to the big league playing dj sets and live performances all around the globe. In a short period of time she released two heavy industrial EPs and is said to release a third one in the near future. She recently moved to Berlin and we miss the times when she would randomly appear in our shop to buy the heaviest records available.

V.A. – TVPC Sampler Vol. 6 [The Very Polish Cut-Outs]

Still a preorder, but already the best sale of our shop this year – The Very Polish Cut-Outs are making a big comeback. After years of staying dormant they released Pejzaż, what turned out to be a major success, and now they continue with their V.A. series of re-edits.

Dextre – Sleep Axis [Echovolt]

A debut EP called Sleep Axis by our loyal customer and a good friend Dextre released by Echovolt is just a mastercraft of moody house and electro funk. Nothing brings us more joy than upcoming artists ready to take over the scene.

Marek Kamiński – Not Here [Not On Label]

Marek Kamiński is a multi-instrumentalist born and raised in Cracow. His new record is a dangerously beautiful piece of art upon which he worked for over two years, combining the sound of various instruments and field recordings.

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