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The Mystical Sound of Polish Music: a playlist by spalarnia

 
spalarnia_press photo by Joanna Krawczyk 2
Music
 

Polish artist, musician, and poet Wojciech Kosma aka spalarnia makes austere, languid avant-pop rooted in experimental R’n’B and Eastern European folk. Here he sheds lights on the mysticism found in the music of his homeland, following the release of his beautiful new album ‘Tajemnica‘.

The scope of Wojciech Kosma’s work across performance art, experimental songwriting, electronic music, poetry & choreography is broad, unconfined, and endlessly curious. After some focus on performance art – with projects encompassing improvised dialogue and freeform choreography – Kosma has turned his attention to his musical project spalarnia in recent years, releasing output on labels including Gang of Ducks and Präsens Editionen.

 

With his latest album ‘Tajemnica‘ [loosely translated as ‘mystery‘], Kosma reflects the monochromatic, infrared aesthetic of the album artwork with R’n’B-inflected pop that feels radical in its austere tenderness. Telling stories of “love, heartbreak, and irrationality” in his native language, it’s music that distils its constituent elements down to their barest essence. Softly sung, melancholic vocals are backed with stuttering drum machines, sub-bass, and slivers of haunted eurodance. For all of it’s gentle elegance, it’s an insistently heartbreaking listen.

 
TAJEMNICA – digital cover
 
 

To mark the release, we asked Wojciech to put together a playlist, and he responded in kind with a compelling exploration of Poland’s musical identity. His choices span music from an affiliate of legendary auteur Krzysztof Kieślowski, the innovative musician Raphael Rogiński, and a Chopin prelude that has a countrywide resonance. Check out ‘Tajemnica‘ in full below and read on for Wojciech’s intro and selections.

‘Tajemnica‘ is out now on Präsens Editionen, more info HERE.

“I wanted to challenge myself to compile a list of Polish music that I think should be celebrated. It’s a sacrilegious mix of melancholic, mystical, and very earnest sounds — much like our national soul, if such a thing ever existed. I pulled from old and new, known and unknown, and as I was doing this, the weather changed from gloomy to sunny while my neighbour started chopping wood with a chainsaw. This probably would have been a different selection tomorrow — Poland is a state of flux.”
Topics
2026 Avant-pop Eastern Europe Eurodance Experimental R'n'B Folk Gang of ducks Krzysztof Kieślowski New music Poland Polish music Präsens Editionen Raphael Rogiński Spalarnia Tajemnica
LISTEN
Zbigniew Preisner - Dekalog IV [Part 1]

Preisner is mostly known as a film composer and — to me, at least — as Krzysztof Kieślowski’s main musical collaborator. This piece is from Dekalog, a ten-part Polish TV series from the eighties, with each episode dealing with one of the Ten Commandments. I rarely hear music — in films or elsewhere — that is so distinct, melodic, and contemplative.

  • Zbigniew Preisner - Dekalog IV [Part 1]

    Preisner is mostly known as a film composer and — to me, at least — as Krzysztof Kieślowski’s main musical collaborator. This piece is from Dekalog, a ten-part Polish TV series from the eighties, with each episode dealing with one of the Ten Commandments. I rarely hear music — in films or elsewhere — that is so distinct, melodic, and contemplative.

  • Julia Mikuła - (nie)modlitwa

    I don’t know anything about the artist besides devoutly loving this track. Its title, ‘(non)prayer,‘ and its opening line, “God, if you exist,” employ my favourite spiritual device – praying to an entity you don’t necessarily believe in. Time stops when it comes on my playlist.

  • Młody Polak - mogłam cofnąć czas

    Młody Polak (Young Pole) embodies most thoroughly what I think contemporary Poland sounds like. It’s a country ridden with inferiority complexes, and the derivative, out-of-place music is the best example of that — though not Polak’s. Their blend of hardbass, disco polo, and hip-hop–esque elements is uniquely local and sincere.

  • Edyta Geppert - Nie Żałuję

    Nie Żałuję came out when I was ten, so it doesn’t really belong to my affective milieu, but whenever I listen to it, I imagine this is how the transformation from communism to capitalism in Poland must have sounded: austere, devoted, proud, and exhausted.

  • Raphael Rogiński - Electron

    This is one of my uber-prolific friend Raphael’s favourite tracks. In other projects, he often plays with (or deconstructs) classical, jazz, folk, and mystical musical traditions, and I believe it’s all captured here — with just one melody and one guitar.

  • Mateusz Tomczak - Jesteś Wszystkim Czego Chcę

    Another artist friend of mine whom I think deserves greater recognition. If you listen to Polish music often, you’ll be able to quickly decode all the references and cultural appropriations. Good, original songwriting is rare. Go, Mateusz.

  • Maanam - Szał Niebieskich Ciał

    One of my beloved Polish bands with their most heartfelt love ballad. Rather than going for simplistic confessions, Kora, the singer, takes us to space, where bodies are planets and love is their mad orbit.

  • Chopin Prelude in E minor Op. 28 No. 4

    I know it’s so basic of me, but I had to finish with Chopin, mostly because I think this piece has the most exquisite melodic voice leading I’ve ever heard. This is Eric Lu’s interpretation from the International Chopin Piano Competition, which for two weeks is broadcast live on the radio and which we consider more important than the Olympics.