Oskar Szafraniec
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Biografía
- it's all about the music..Szafran (pronounced Sha-fran) is a Polish Berlin resident who, in recent times, has made his mark upon the deeper sides of techno, house and electronic music. He's known for playing live in the twilight zones of European clubland and festivals and now for the kind of longer extended dj sets usually reserved for djs with bigger riders than their record collections. Known to discerning lovers of vinyl with a slew of releases (under his full name Oskar Szafraniec) on labels such as Rawax, Deset and Cyclo, the 26 year old producer feels like now is the ideal time for a change of name, a slight change of direction musically and a new outlook in these weird global times. Recent collaborations and releases with artists such as Pier Bucci and Ricardo Villalobos have brought attention to this charming musician, producer and dj. People are sometimes surprised when they learn how, when only 18, he toured Japan with A Guy Called Gerald, shaping his musical identity and exposing him to literally a whole world of music, sights and smells. As an expanding library of music in all good record stores builds up, it shows us an artist whose infuences range from Miles Davis, Arthur Russel, Terry Riley, Philip Glass and John Coltrane. Szafran selects layers of atmosphere, rattling riffs and unusual drums draped in subtle textures. He does it in ways perhaps not always associated with the housey techno scene he pervades now, yet always drawn from these infuences he adores. When pressed upon how his music combines contrasting analogue, digital and organic elements he simply tells you, 'I see it a bit like painting on a canvas - colours and shapes put together where shape is very important'. This approach to art and music naturally all feeds into his live work as well. Oskar's played shows in revered establishments such as Berlin's Club der Visionaere, Watergate, Tresor, Salon zur Wilden Renate, the UP Festival in Czech Republic, Moscow's ARMA17 and more recently he's engaged in those all important longer sets for over 10 hours at The Laboratory in Sofa. He gets to connect with audiences where people crave something deeper and more experimental than copy and paste house music in these more discerning types of party zones. Now, a new residency at TAMA in Poznan (back on his home turf of Poland) sees him spreading his wings further and getting cosy in a regular nightclub slot. And as crucially, he's continued working and collaborating with some of the most infuential and respected electronic producers on the planet. There's something about Szafran which gives you the notion of a much older soul staring back at you, answering questions in his sincere, wise, yet all the time wide eyed and youthfully honest way as well, always seeking the truth via music and art. His new releases on many highly respected labels see an artist allowing himself to evolve his headphone-friendly techno, blended with hints of dub and elements of house, which he describes as 'a bit jazzy, a bit exotic'. It's easily witnessed on the yearning yet effortlessly textured grooves of 'Miles Away' on Cyclo Records, and the simply marvellous melodic dancefoor offering, 'Russian Roulette'. Becoming A&R at the highly respected Deset label is another good move into new pastures, getting to help and choose the shape of this record label's output. Offers pop up all the time from alternative sides of the industry too, from synth manufacturers such as Roland AIRA offering him the chance to try out and demonstrate beta versions of their kit thus endorsing his talents via their brands. There's a character to his music which regularly shows up in his productions as well. He's sometimes found singing on some of his tracks (such as the 15 minute opus 'Night Trip' coming on Skylax), often fnding this route preferable to using other people's samples in his music. It's a purity with an open minded approach to writing music which keeps on pushing Szafran upwards in an epic journey to the very heart of the electronic scene itself. Gaining slots at the world's leading clubs and festivals such as Mountain Festival in Osaka and Sweden's Into the Valley come more easily now that he's also establishing himself as an important fgure in the more culturally aware clubs which embrace his sets, all the while developing a healthy sense of culture. His frst record might have been called 'Dark Days' but Szafran now certainly has a bright future ahead of him. As Fabric resident & vinyl lover Terry Francis said in UK news outlet The Guardian recently, 'I've been buying a lot of stuff by this guy lately'. Ashley Casselle, London February 2021̸Ricardo Villalobos & Oskar Szafraniec - Rawax AIRA Series Vol. 1 12'' (RAWAX) Pier Bucci & Oskar Szafraniec - Rawax AIRA Series Vol. 5 12'' (RAWAX) Oskar Szafraniec - Miles Away EP 12'' (Cyclo) Oskar Szafraniec - Savalli EP 12'' incl. DJ Skull and Myles Serge Remixes (Murge) Oskar Szafraniec - Russian Roulette EP 12'' incl. Aubrey Remix (Cyclo) Oskar Szafraniec & Gel Abril - Moonraker EP 12'' (Cardinal) Oskar Szafraniec - Esso EP (Melotherapy) Oskar Szafraniec - Borderline EP 12'' (Closed Circuits) A Guy Called Gerald & Szafran - Dark Fire more on: https://www.discogs.com/artist/4392014-Oskar-Szafraniec
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