SZYMON WÓJCIK
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composer, sound artist, guitar player and improviser born in Warsaw and currently based in Cologne (DE).
In his works he focuses on exploring different modes of continuous formation and disintegration of sound structures, the boundaries between noise and music in the conventional sense as well as creating contrasts and juxtaposing things that seem very distant at first glance. Through interdisciplinary collaborations he researches the influence of other media on the creative process and compositional work.
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I LOVE YOU HILDEGARD! (2024)
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I LOVE YOU HILDEGARD!
is a piece for artificial choir and electric voltage recorded through an ARP 2500 modular synthesizer;
composed for a 16-channel surround system.
I LOVE YOU HILDEGARD! is in a way a creation of an fictional reality, consisting of superimposed and modified fragments of Hildegard's monophonic pieces forming a completely new polyphonic piece for 12 voices;
it is a far-fetched fantasy and an idea of what Hildegard's music might have been like had it not been as we imagine it today, as well as a take on issues of truth, interpretation and manipulation in the sphere of music and sound.
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Performed in April 2024 at RMC in Copenhagen.
‘what did you forget that you want the future to remember’ for ARP 2500 (work in progress)
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‘what did you forget that you want the future to remember’ is a result of a months spent experimenting with the legendary ARP 2500 synthesizer. The main focus of the research was the”human” features of the machine as well as traces of a passing time. At the moment the result is a study in harmony and repetition, exploring boarders between linear and non-linear composition aspects with a heightened focus on just intonation and beating interference patterns.
Part of the research was presented at GKG Bonn in July 2023; Comissioned by Strom : Klänge —exhibition at the Gesellschaft für Kunst und Gestaltung Bonn.
ALL THE WONDERS OF SIX LITTLE SPOONS
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ALL THE WONDER OF SIX LITTLE SPOONS is a project found- ed in 2021 in Cologne (DE) by the Polish, Cologne-based composer and guitarist Szymon Wójcik (RASP Lovers).
The ensemble consists of 10 musicians from different parts of the world, coming from various musical backgrounds: Thea Soti (voice), Ferdinand Schwarz (trumpet), Jonas Engel (alto sax, clarinet), Victor Fox (bass clarinet), Emilia Gołos (piano), Zoe Argiriou (vibra- phone, bass drum, timpani), Magdalena Lorenz (violin), Jonas Gerigk (double bass), Anthony Greminger (drums) and Wojcik himself on electric guitar.
The album is an attempt to escape and find an alternative to the hierarchical composer-ensemble relationship. Wójcik closely involved the musicians in the creation and development of the music, by composing specifically for unique styles and techniques used by each member of the ensemble.
The music of „All the...” is a search for balance between the precise organisation of musical material and freedom of expression. Wójcik gives up the idea of a soloist in favor of a dialogue and searching for a common language within the ensemble. He draws from various musi- cal traditions, often at first glance far apart, creating trans-genre environment full of contrasts and oxymorons.
The music is strongly influenced by the writing of Gertrude Stein, specifically her „Tender Buttons”, and a poem by Polish artist Monika Orpik. Language in Wójcik’s compositions has been used not only as a narrative tool but primarily as another instrument, of which the phonetic layer is an extremely important element.
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Szymon Wójcik - electric guitar and compositions
Thea Soti - voice
Ferdinand Schwarz - trumpet
Jonas Engel - alto sax, clarinet
Victor Fox - bass clarinet
Emilia Gołos - piano
Zoe Argiriou - vibraphone, percussion
Magdalena Lorenz - violin
Jonas Gerigk - double bass
Anthony Greminger - drums
©Ludwig Lederer
RASP LOVERS
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R o m a n t i c
A l t e r n a t i v e
S c h i z o p h r e n i c
P u n k
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RASP Lovers is Szymon Wojcik’s project that came to life in 2018. The main assumption underlying rasp music are contrasts, oxymorons, combining elements that are far apart from each other, creating constant tension between formation and desintegration of sound structures and exploring the boundaries between noise and conventional music. Their debut album “Romantic Alternative Schizophrenic Punk” was released on 26th October 2019 on Howard Records.
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Szymon Wójcik - guitar, compositions
Jerzy Mączyński - saxophone, electronics
Marcel Baliński - piano
Rafał Różalski - double bass
Bartosz Szablowski - drums
