Piknik Reggae 2005 in Michałów: an outdoor welcome to summer with Polish bands
Piknik Reggae is an entirely new event on Poland's concert map, in Michałów, Chocianów municipality. This all-day outdoor reggae festival is perfect for anyone wanting to welcome summer with this exceptionally positive, sunny and danceable music.
28 MAY 2005
Reggae is enjoying renewed popularity in Poland. Piknik Reggae features the country’s most interesting and famous bands representing every form of this richly diverse music. Everyone arriving in Chocianów will find something: traditional roots from legendary Bakshish, Ostróda’s new Positive line-up, energetic dancehall from wild Wrocław band Natural Dread Killaz promoting debut “Naturalnie”, and phenomenal veterans Vavamuffin.
The event also features excellent Ave Lion, winners at Ostróda’s 2004 festival. We will hear Paprika Korps’ almost-punk sounds and reggae’s most mystical form, dub, from Wszystkie Wschody Słońca. Special guests are Italy’s B.R. Stylers, known from Bielawa. Bass Medium Trinity, among Poland’s finest sound systems, close the event. It is hosted by DJ Bass Reproduktor Xiądz Maken I, renowned reggae promoter and creator.
The organisers provide a setting with all the facilities of a proper picnic. At the festival, you can enjoy good food and drink, dance, relax in style and experience unforgettable moments.
The event was conceived and created by Eric Alira, an employee of Chocianów Municipal Office, previously known as the winner of Polsat's Bar. He invited Positive Music Promotion and LIONSTAGE Management to collaborate, helping make Piknik Reggae one of the brightest points on Poland's summer reggae festival map.
The main organiser is Chocianów Town and Municipality Office. Co-organisers are Positive Music Promotion, LIONSTAGE Management, Stowarzyszenie Polska-Afryka and the Municipal Commission for Resolving Alcohol-Related Problems. Piknik Reggae is held under the honorary patronage of Chocianów's mayor, Mr Franciszek Skibicki.
About the bands
POSITIVE
The band formed in 1986 in Ostróda, in Masuria. Between ’86 and ’92, they played many concerts across north-eastern Poland, including Muzyczny Camping in Brodnica. From the beginning, reggae inspired the band, accompanied by political lyrics that often caused Positive’s concerts to be interrupted by the sound system being switched off during hard-line communist rule. Another incarnation emerged in 2003. They played at the largest winter reggae festival, “Afryka” in Toruń, and were invited to guest on part of the “Pankyreggaeparty” tour with Habakuk, Proletaryat and Farben Lehre. They also appeared at Poland’s largest summer reggae festival, Ostróda Reggae Festiwal.
BAKSHISH
Polish reggae legends Bakshish formed in Kluczbork in spring 1982. Since then, dozens of people have passed through the band led by charismatic Jarex. Renowned for outstanding concerts, Bakshish rarely record albums: only three studio releases have appeared since they formed — “One Love”, “Eye”
http://www.bakshish.webstyle.pl
NATURAL DREAD KILLAZ
NDK are a wild reggae-dancehall outfit. They mainly use their own productions, while also embracing Jamaican and Polish riddims. Although they have not been around long, they already have several major concert appearances to their name, supporting acts including Soundkail, WWO, Abradab and DJ Feel-X. They have also played reggae festivals, including One Love Sound Fest 2004 and Wolny Tybet. Piknik Reggae is one of more than a dozen stops on the band’s tour promoting their latest album, “Naturalnie”.
http://www.biskupin.wroc.pl/~loos/ndk
VAVAMUFFIN
Formed more than two years ago, Vavamuffin is a collective of experienced musicians and excellent singers making music strongly inspired by raggamuffin, with elements of traditional reggae and dancehall. The band were releasing their first album, “Vabang”, material from which they will present in Michałów. Vavamuffin concerts direct incredible energy towards the audience, offering great fun and, above all, a thoughtful message.
http://www.vavamuffin.art.pl
PAPRIKA KORPS
Founded in Opole in 1995, Paprika Korps describe their music as heavy reggae. They are the first Polish band playing this Jamaican music to tour abroad so frequently. Known for excellent concerts, they have recorded three albums so far, the latest, “Telewizor”, warmly received by fans and critics alike.
http://www.paprikakorps.pl
WSZYSTKIE WSCHODY SŁOŃCA
Słupsk's ethnic music legends. Poland's only dub band. For them, roots reggae is merely an inspiration for incredible, trance-like musical explorations. They combine the most modern sounds with Polish folk instruments. Their three albums so far have received excellent reviews and established a new quality in Polish music.
http://wws.reggaenet.pl
B.R. STYLERS (ITALY)
Active since 2000, this band from Pordenone, a small northern Italian town, are European dub stars. Their sound is often compared to an explosive mixture of Zion Train, Revolutionary Dub Warriors and Jamaican classics. They have toured Slovenia, Germany, Italy and Croatia extensively, appearing annually at European reggae festivals alongside stars such as Lee Scratch Perry and Zion Train. They have recorded two official albums and appeared on numerous dub and reggae compilations.
http://www.brstylers.com
AVE LION
Formed in 1996, AVE LION certainly need no label: anyone with an open mind and heart will quickly understand who they are after hearing a few songs. Their newly released demo, “Instalacja”, offers the chance to discover this for yourself. It comprises five tracks, ranging from roots reggae through dub to ragga, that seek to demonstrate the band’s musical diversity. For some time, they appear to have been moving away from 1980s reggae influences, searching instead for their own style within classics in the vein of Steel Pulse and the contemporary ragga scene.
BASS MEDIUM TRINITY
Active for around two years, this sound system builds sets around Jamaican reggae and dancehall played on seven-inch records. Alongside a party approach, their lyrics call for love and recall Rasta ideology. Abselektor handles the show’s music, while Bass Medium’s vocal strength comes from Marika’s powerful, distinctive voice and Frenchman, recently known for collaborations with hip-hop producers including Feel-X. BMT’s singers readily experiment with other styles. Marika gained considerable attention through her work with drum ’n’ bass act Breakbeat Propaganda and DJs from that scene.
Despite a short history, Bass Medium have played numerous events in virtually every club presenting this kind of music. Their appearances include Creamfields 2003, Wrocław Sound Clash, where they won the audience award, and three concerts in Lille as part of the Polish Season in France, Nova Polska
HOST – DJ BASS REPRODUKKTOR XIĄDZ MAKEN I
DJ Bass Reprodukktor Xiądz Maken I’s pseudonym arose from his enjoyment of reproducing bass while dressed in a cassock or chasuble, often causing a sensation among receptionists, bar staff and perfectly ordinary people wherever he plays. He selects music and works the microphone and megaphone. DJ Maken organises tours and concerts for many international artists, often supporting them with JVSS along the way, giving him ongoing contacts with numerous groups and record labels. Previously, he worked in music journalism with several radio stations and magazines or fanzines.
www.jvss.independent.pl
Event details
REGGAE PICNIC 2005
Date: 27 May 2005
Address: Michałów near Chocianów
Dane z dawnej strony LIONSTAGE.
Piknik Reggae to zupełnie nowa impreza na koncertowej mapie Polski w Michałowie, w Gminie Chocianów. Całodniowy festiwal muzyki reggae na świeżym powietrzu to doskonała propozycja dla tych, którzy chcą przywitać lato przy dźwiękach tej niezwykle pozytywnej, słonecznej i tanecznej muzyki.
Wiadomości