Piotr Krępeć and Kris Górski are two Polish artists who recently produced one of the most breathtakingly beautiful albums I have ever heard. Titled ‘Impromptu Session 1’, it’s a soothing and meditative collection of instrumental songs that simply have to be heard to be fully appreciated.
I couldn’t quite believe my luck when Piotr and Kris agreed to an interview, as I had so many questions to put to them! Going in-depth about the arduous process of selecting “only” sixteen tracks for the record, what their thoughts are on the current state of the music industry, and the upcoming challenge of performing live, please give a big welcome to our new friends Piotr and Kris!
Hi Piotr and Kris! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us! Firstly, congratulations on ‘Impromptu Session 1’, it is a true work of art. How do you hope listeners will connect with or interpret the album?
Kris: Hi Jeremy 🙂 The intention behind this album was to experience music as it came to us. Without any preparation. We recorded a 6-hour-long session of improvisation, from which came all the songs present on the album. We were looking for space between the notes. I hope the listeners will feel that and find for themselves inner worlds to explore.
Piotr: Thank you for the kind words about ‘Impromptu Session 1’. We hope that listeners will find a deep connection with the music in these improvisations and discover their own personal feelings while listening to the album.
‘Myst and light’ is hands down one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. What does it mean to both of you and do you remember its “birth” so to speak?
Piotr: Thank you 🙂 As we mentioned, all of the music was recorded in one single session so the conception and birth were all tied into one process. The recording was an intense journey that we felt was somehow spiritual. There were many more songs than those that ended up on the album. It took 4 days to listen through everything. We made a list of the best ones, which was perhaps 25/30 pieces. We sat down and listened to all, noting our feelings and if any belonged together. The final choice and order came about quite naturally and ‘Myst and light’ seemed to want to open this music dance 🙂
Kris, I read that you own and run a recording studio called AudioPlanet in Kashubia and just from a quick Google search, it’s a region that looks incredibly beautiful! What sort of role does this play in the music that gets created there?
Kris: As you mentioned, the surroundings of our place are quite lovely. AudioPlanet is a residential studio and can accommodate up to 12 guests. Those who choose to record here usually come to experience nature as well. There are many instances where artists will take a break in the session to go for a walk or take a dip in the lake. It’s a wonderful place to be living in!
Who and what inspires each of you?
Kris: My musical journey started a long time ago with classical music and piano lessons from the age of 7, so I listened to mostly dead composers haha. Then came artists like Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and Michael Jackson. There was also jazz and blues/boogie era, grunge and Britpop. Nowadays, I prefer the softer music of Arvo Part, Olafur Arnalds, Joep Beving, and film music from Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore and others. Joni Mitchel’s ‘Both Sides Now’ is my favorite song of all time. Being in the music business, however, means I rarely if ever get to listen to music outside of work.
Piotr: Similarly to Kris, my musical journey began with classical music. However, that formula was very limiting for me. Later, years of inspiration with jazz music followed. Today, what inspires me the most is silence. I listen to very little music, or sometimes not at all. I appreciate minimalism, therefore, I won’t list the names of my favorite artists here. When I sit down with my instrument, my only inspiration is the sounds that currently come to me. I engage with them in a kind of dialogue. I never seek inspiration beyond that space. When playing together with Kris, he becomes my inspiration, and what happens musically between us. There is no better inspiration for me than the encounter of souls in the act of creation.
What are your thoughts regarding the music industry of today? And, if you were able to, what changes would you make to it?
Kris: Now that is a deep topic and I don’t know how much time we have haha. It’s a very stratified field with the top 3% making most of the money. There are a few areas that I feel should be worked on in conjunction. Many young upcoming artists have great music, but little financial means or knowledge on how to produce it. Producing them is one sure way to help them in the process and I would see production projects being treated like startups, where one or more people take stakes in financing.
Last year I produced two artists, one of whom is Cooper Lower from Australia, and the other a local Kashubian punk band called Transmisja z Kieszeni. However, that is the easiest part. What comes after is more challenging and this is where I see potential in platforms like Musosoup, Submithub and others. It’s the creation and sustaining of each artist’s individual tribe of fans that takes the most time and energy. It’s a complex world with many artists but it’s governed by very simple human emotions. Once those are understood a working model can be arrived at.
Piotr: I believe that today’s music industry is primarily a marketing mess, where talent often takes a back seat to the image of the artist. People are inundated with mediocre productions whose sole purpose is quick commercial success, even at the expense of quality and originality. I would prefer music to return to its roots, to true authenticity, rather than following trends dictated by major record labels, fashion, and who knows what else. Nowadays, we are saturated with artificially generated content that has lost its soul! Genuine art often gets lost in the tangle of the industrial machine. I am an advocate for a revolution to restore music to its original meaning.
Could you tell us a bit about your songwriting process? Not specifically for any song but just in general. How do you take an idea and turn it into a piece of music?
Piotr: The process of creation is truly like a mystery. A secret that is challenging to express in words. It’s something that transcends the boundaries of our human understanding. It’s an elusive connection with creativity, something that must be felt. It’s not just a skill but a gift that flows from the depths of the soul. During the act of creation, I enter a kind of trance, where sounds arrange themselves as if they have their own life. It’s precisely this elusive magic of the creative process that makes music become something more than just sound. It’s an encounter with the unknown, something that isn’t always possible to narrate with words but can only be felt in the heart of each sound.
Kris: It’s similar in my case. I never really set out with an idea. When scoring movies, music just “pops” into my head mostly. I compose mostly at my piano or grand piano. I record all the ideas and then work from there. Arranging and producing a track is much more time-consuming than writing it, for me.
If you were each allowed to collaborate with one musician or band, who would you choose?
Kris: That is a tough question. Piotr was definitely one artist I very much wanted to work with and now that is done, I feel like a chapter has been closed while the next one is already being written 😀
Piotr: Throughout my life, I’ve essentially been a solo artist. I rarely collaborate with anyone, and this album with Kris is an exception.
Thanks so much again for chatting with us you two! Before we let you go, what comes next for the project?
Kris: We are getting ready to play some concerts which, given the nature of our improvised album, is a bit of a challenge to prepare 😀
Piotr: It would be truly wonderful to perform a few concerts together. As Kris mentioned, it comes with some challenges, but I hope everything is possible!
