Each track, a journey: discovering the world of Plastic
Plastic is a Polish electronic duo, identified as the pioneers of this musical trend in their country. They have been present in the music scene for many years, as well as producing songs and albums for other artists and film soundtracks. They already have 3 albums to their credit: the latest, entitled SPACE, is a collection of “musical postcards”. Tracks after tracks, this album is a fantastic story of all the trips around the world that the artists have made.
«We’re the only good Plastic». How can we blame them. This is a Poland (electronic, plastic, but so cool) that you don’t expect from Plastic, an energetic electro-pop duo formed in Zamość, in the southwestern part of the country. Their music is a kaleidoscope of acoustic, pop and electro-pop sounds, full of suggestions that travel between past and future. They don’t like to define themselves by nature, they have a musical concept that travels beyond space and time.
This interesting project is the brainchild of Agnieszka Burcan and Paweł Radziszewski, friends (even unconscious, since kindergarten!) who met through other mutual friendships in Zamość, Radziszewski’s hometown, and the place where they started playing together in 2003. Agnieszka graduated from the Faculty of Jazz and Popular Music, with a degree in composition and musical arrangement from the Katowice Academy of Music, and is the beating heart of Plastic. She composes the songs, sings them, programs them. He is the sound engineer and the one who takes care of the guitars, bass and production.
This fluidity also involve their name, which is an idea of Paweł. Actually, Plastic has more meanings according to the artists. It all depends on the album released, more explosive or more plastic. Plastic itself is a flexible, colorful material that can become a work of art. Moreover, Plastic in Poland is also a credit card used for purchases. And in fact, the Plastic people have an eye for the look, a reflection of their eclectic soul, so they also love to do a lot of shopping.
Plastic has opened for Roisin Murphy, MGMT, Calvin Harris and Sofi Tukker. In 2008 their fame increased with the adventure of Eurovision, getting the 3rd place in the national preselection. And there is no shortage of participation in major festivals: in fact we remember those at Coke Live Music Festival, Nokia Trends Lab, Free Form Festival, Keep The Moment, Orange Warsaw Festival, and Levi’s Music.
In order to better understand the essence of Plastic, you have to move to the clubs. They spill their eclecticism into working for other artists, producing sensational remixes. For instance, they did the official Polish remix of Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People, Miracle by the British duo Hurts, and Miłość! Uwaga! Ratunku! Pomocy!, an iconic track by Polish band Hey.
And after seven years of musical journeys between pop and indie pop, in April of this year these sounds and powerful clubbing beats return. The roots, in short, of Plastic. They are the fundamental elements of the new album SPACE, their fourth studio album, which winks at the most glamorous clubs.
It seems as if the duo, through this album, wanted to somehow put a distance between the pandemic and the alienating reality and the freedom of the individual. And finally, let themselves go in the dance. It is singles such as U Gonna Love It, Out Of Control, Waiting For A Plane, Gonna Get U (released in 2019) – and embellished with guests such as Włodek Pawlik, Randy Brecker and Krzysztof Antkowiak – that lead the way for the mood of the album. But it is with the release of Dream Dancing (I Hear The Music) that we can fully understand the power of this latest work of Plastic.
A track, a journey
SPACE is an album that describes into music, the sensations given by the on the road experience of Plastic to see the concerts of music stars, where the pandemic was only an unthinkable science fiction stuff. So I invite you to try to guess which track hides the sounds of the big airports, the buzz of the streets of Santa Monica or in the London tube or the chatter in Minneapolis, where the band visited Prince’s house. This sense of freedom given by the journey can also be found in the video clips. In fact, Dawid Krępski’s overhead shots of a sparkling New York in its evening lights or of an unusually empty Los Angeles (in Dream Dancing) during the lockdown.
However, the initial sensations given by the produced and recorded material were different from the actual release of the album.
The shock of sudden restrictions on freedom due to the pandemic have certainly
not left Plastic
indifferent,
who said: «In SPACE we found space to address various issues. It’s a positive album, with a detachment from reality that is typical for us. However, during the pandemic we started to perceive our songs a little differently. For example, Waiting For A Plane is about the love of flying. It is an expression of our longing for what was once within reach, and has now become a symbol of our lost freedom and ordinariness. Out Of Control takes on a different and deeper meaning today. It describes the anger and desire to break out of isolation.»
«During the pandemic, our personalities were suppressed by four rooms. Now we feel even more the need to express our emotions, if only through a free and spontaneous form of movement like dance.
Dream Dancing is the bridge to our past. It could easily fit into our previous albums, for example right next to I Want U. It connects back to the dance music that inspired Plastic to begin with, and that is currently experiencing a renaissance. In short, we feel the need to express our emotions even more – if only through a free and spontaneous form of movement like dance.»
The electronic scene cannot do without Plastic. Therefore, all singles from the upcoming album will certainly be remixed by friends of other bands, DJs and music producers from the independent scene, both Polish and foreign. Aga and Paweł are firmly believed that this is the real power of music: enjoying music, making new friends and mixing each experience to create something unique.
Chiara Grasso
