![\"Czarno-bia\u0142e](\"https:\/\/warsztatykultury.pl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/piotr_marek_kwadrat.png\" "\\"Piotr_Marek_kwadrat\\"")
<\/span><\/div>About<\/h2>\n
Unique encounters with legends of the European independent music scene at this year\u2019s edition of the East of Culture \u2013 Different Sounds festival. The program includes, among others, a discussion about Piotr Marek and the phenomenon of the Krak\u00f3w-based band D\u00fcp\u0105, a conversation with the founder of the Austrian label Trost Records and the artists representing it, as well as an author meeting with Alexander Hacke (Einst\u00fcrzende Neubauten).<\/strong><\/p>\n This is the 19th edition of the Lublin Different Sounds<\/strong> festival organized by Warsztaty Kultury, and the 13th edition within the East of Culture<\/strong> initiative, a project carried out by the National Centre for Culture using funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, as well as by three cities in eastern Poland \u2013 Lublin, Bia\u0142ystok, and Rzesz\u00f3w.<\/p>\n During the East of Culture \u2013 Different Sounds festival, discussions<\/strong> are a key element of the program, serving not only as a complement to concert events but above all as a space for deeper reflection on the history and evolution of music. It is during these meetings that experts, artists, and journalists address topics related to key movements and figures who have shaped the landscape of the European music scene \u2013 from the local underground in Poland to international avant-garde artistic movements. Thanks to such conversations, the festival not only presents the achievements of creators but also analyzes cultural contexts, publishing processes, and the influence of individual artists on the development of musical genres, allowing audiences to understand the broader dimension of phenomena that often remain outside the mainstream media.<\/p>\n Below is the program of music meetings during this year\u2019s edition of the festival.<\/p>\n Piotr Marek<\/strong> was born in Krak\u00f3w in 1950, where he lived and worked until his death in 1985. His father was a well-known Krak\u00f3w-based sculptor and professor, while his mother was a respected art conservator.<\/p>\n Piotr Marek was a versatile artist. He worked in painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, performance art, fashion, and music. He was a multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and lyricist. He also created self-built instruments as well as various devices and effects that led him to a unique and timeless sound. His final original musical and performative project was the legendary band D\u00fcp\u0105<\/strong>, whose album was only released in 2025 \u2014 40 years after Marek\u2019s death.<\/p>\n In all the fields of art he practiced, Piotr Marek was a perfectionist, but above all he was a person curious about new phenomena and an open-minded observer who approached everything with a sense of distance. Thanks to this, the quality of his work has a timeless and unprecedented dimension in terms of pioneering spirit and courage. He was a rebel and a provocateur who approached the material of his expression with remarkable humility.<\/p>\n Despite the unfavorable conditions of life and artistic work in the People\u2019s Republic of Poland, Piotr Marek was a very prolific artist. In 1971, he was accepted into the Association of Polish Artists and Designers (ZPAP) as the youngest member in history, even though he did not hold the required formal qualifications. His paintings were purchased by art dealers from all over Western Europe. To this day, a large portion of Piotr Marek\u2019s works remains abroad in private collections.<\/p>\n The discussion about Piotr Marek at the East of Culture \u2013 Different Sounds festival is part of an ongoing initiative to bring his legacy closer to a wider audience, which has resulted in growing interest in his work among both older and younger generations.<\/p>\n Participants in the discussion: Miko\u0142aj Kownacki<\/strong> (member of the band Pop Magic \u2013 the label that released the D\u00fcp\u0105 album, curator of an exhibition of Piotr Marek\u2019s works, son of Krzysztof Kownacki \u2013 a friend and collaborator of Piotr Marek), Andrzej \u201cBiedrona\u201d Biedrzycki<\/strong> (saxophonist of D\u00fcp\u0105), and Mateusz Sroczy\u0144ski<\/strong> (music journalist).<\/p>\n Mateusz Sroczy\u0144ski<\/strong> \u2013 journalist and music critic, as well as an activator of the independent music scene. He focuses on alternative music, improvisation, and counterculture. He is associated with JazzPRESS, \u201cCzas Kultury\u201d, the IR2 platform operating within the Reportage Institute, \u201cRuch Muzyczny\u201d, and \u201cNoise Magazine\u201d. He has also published in \u201cGlissando\u201d, the Soundrive portal, the literary monthly \u201cTw\u00f3rczo\u015b\u0107\u201d, and the quarterly \u201cLizard\u201d. He has collaborated with the collective Krzysztofory \u2013 Studio of Culture in Krak\u00f3w. On Jazzkultura radio, he hosted the program \u201cJest alternatywa\u201d. He curates the concert series of improvised music Kakofonie, which he co-creates with the Betel club in Krak\u00f3w. He is the author of the report \u201cWiecznie \u017cyje i kr\u00f3luje w podziemiu\u201d (IR2), devoted to Piotr Marek and the band D\u00fcp\u0105.<\/p>\n When:<\/strong> July 3, 2026, 15:45-17:00 Check out the event<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n As part of this year\u2019s edition of the East of Culture \u2013 Different Sounds festival, we will also present the exhibition of paintings and graphic works by Piotr Marek<\/strong><\/a>, as well as the visual legacy connected with the artistic output and activity of the band D\u00fcp\u0105<\/strong>. The exhibition titled \u201cZemsta Hegara\u201d is curated by Miko\u0142aj Kownacki<\/strong> \u2013 a musician and visual artist, member of the band Pop Magic \u2013 the label that released the D\u00fcp\u0105 album (2025), son of Krzysztof Kownacki \u2013 a friend and collaborator of Piotr Marek.<\/p>\n Check out the event<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Every year, an important place in the Different Sounds programme is dedicated to a distinctive music label, which serves as a starting point for telling stories about music publishing in different parts of the world. It allows for comparisons between diverse business models and approaches to sound, while also showing how cultural contexts shape publishing processes. Independent labels that, in our view, are the most interesting, are usually characterised by a focus on specific musical genres or a territorial emphasis that makes it possible to capture the specificity of time and place.<\/p>\n Trost Records<\/strong> is a renowned Austrian label founded in Vienna in 1991 by Konstantin Drobil<\/strong>. This year marks the 35th anniversary of this respected imprint, which today specialises primarily in alternative, exploratory jazz, improvised music, and avant-garde. Its beginnings, however, lay in releasing young underground bands from the Austrian scene, such as Valina<\/strong> (a post-hardcore outfit from Linz, which recorded most of its albums with Steve Albini at his legendary studio in Chicago). Over time, the label grew in strength, consistently building its brand through carefully curated artistic choices, and later establishing, among others, the Cien Fuegos<\/strong> sublabel. The face of the catalogue became such outstanding artists as Peter Br\u00f6tzmann, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Mats Gustafsson<\/strong>, as well as groups including Sun Ra Arkestra, Zu, The Thing, and DKV Trio<\/strong> (featuring, among others, Hamid Drake and Ken Vandermark). The presentation of Trost Records\u2019 output and philosophy fits perfectly into the upcoming edition of the East of Culture \u2013 Different Sounds festival, especially as the label continues to move forward, presenting ambitious, progressive projects that break musical stereotypes.<\/p>\n More about Trost Records for the East of Culture \u2013 Different Sounds festival was written by journalist Rafa\u0142 Ksi\u0119\u017cyk<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Participants in the discussion:<\/strong> Konstantin Drobil<\/strong> (owner and founder of Trost Records), Ingrid Schmoliner<\/strong> (pianist of the Drank duo), and Mats Gustafsson<\/strong> (free jazz saxophonist). The conversation will be moderated by \u0141ukasz Kami\u0144ski<\/strong> (music journalist).<\/p>\n \u0141ukasz Kami\u0144ski<\/strong> \u2013 a Varsovian by birth and by choice. He has been connected with music for 25 years as a journalist, panel host, and commentator. Before fully dedicating himself to writing about music, he worked as a film translator and in the promotion department of the Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw. For 23 years, he was a journalist at Gazeta Wyborcza. He has also contributed to Gazeta Magnetofonowa, Jazz Forum, Onet, ZAiKS Wiadomo\u015bci, and the website Lubimyczyta\u0107.pl. He has collaborated with numerous festivals, including Malta Festival, Millennium Docs Against Gravity (formerly Planete+ Doc Film Festival), NEXT Fest, and Great September. He is the co-author of the acclaimed alternative guidebook Do It in Warsaw. He was also affiliated with Music Week Poland and Culture Hub Poland.<\/p>\n When:<\/strong> July 4, 2026, 14:30-15:45 Check out the event<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBlast. Distorted Memories\u201d<\/strong>, recently published in Polish by Gusstaff Records, is the autobiography of Alexander Hacke \u2013 a unique artist, musician of Einst\u00fcrzende Neubauten, and an icon of the German independent music scene. The book traces his path from the Berlin underground to international success.<\/p>\n Although Alexander Hacke<\/strong> was fascinated by classical music as a child (Ludwig van Beethoven), he dropped out of school as a teenager to become part of Berlin\u2019s underground scene, dominated by punks, squatters, and other freaks. After his first projects under the pseudonym Alexander von Borsig, he joined the newly formed band Einst\u00fcrzende Neubauten in 1980, which quickly became an icon of the German independent scene and one of the most important industrial bands in the world.<\/p>\n In the book \u201cBlast. Distorted Memories\u201d (original title: \u201cKrach. Verzerrte Erinnerungen\u201d), Alexander Hacke writes not only about the band, but also about his private life (including his relationship with Christiane F. \u2013 author of the cult book \u201cWe Children from Bahnhof Zoo\u201d), dozens of side projects and other bands he played with (such as Jever Mountain Boys, Crime & The City Solution, Baba Zula), his collaboration with Italian pop superstar Gianna Nannini, film music, the Turkish music scene he presented as a narrator in the film \u201cCrossing the Bridge\u201d (\u201cMusic is Life\u201d), and of course about the love of his life, Danielle de Picciotto, and their joint duo hackedepicciotto. Hundreds of anecdotes and stories from concert tours\u2014sometimes funny, sometimes like scenes from a thriller\u2014concern not only himself but also a vast number of artists from around the world with whom Hacke has collaborated.<\/p>\n The book will undoubtedly appeal both to fans of Einst\u00fcrzende Neubauten and to anyone fascinated by the music scene from the 1980s to the present day.<\/p>\n Participants:<\/strong> Alexander Hacke (author) and Janusz Mucha (translator, publisher). The conversation will be hosted by Jarek Szubrycht<\/strong> (music journalist).<\/p>\n Jarek Szubrycht<\/strong> (born 1974) \u2013 graduate of Polish philology at the Jagiellonian University. Journalist for \u201cGazeta Wyborcza\u201d. Founder of the magazine \u201cGazeta Magnetofonowa\u201d, collaborator of Antyradio. He has also published in \u201cPolityka\u201d, \u201cPrzekr\u00f3j\u201d, both incarnations of \u201cMachina\u201d, and \u201cFilm\u201d. He has run the T-Mobile Music and Red Bull Music portals, as well as his own radio show on Off Radio Krak\u00f3w. Author of music-related books, including the metal-focused \u201cSk\u00f3ra i \u0107wieki na wieki\u201d, biographies of Andrzej Zaucha, Slayer and Vader, and a conversational biography of Maryla Rodowicz. A retired metal vocalist associated with the band Lux Occulta, and a lyricist for bands such as Decapitated.<\/p>\n When:<\/strong> July 4, 2026, 16.00-17.15 Check out the event<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n More information about the festival: innebrzmienia.eu<\/strong><\/a> and nck.pl\/projekty-kulturalne\/projekty\/wschod-kultury<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n East of Culture \u2013 Different Sounds<\/strong> Organisers: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, The National Centre for Culture Poland, The City of Lublin, the Workshops of Culture in Lublin.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\u201cA blank spot on the underground map: why did Piotr Marek have to wait 40 years for his moment?\u201d \u2013 discussion<\/h2>\n
\nWhere:<\/strong> Workshops of Culture in Lublin, Grodzka 5a \u2013 auditorium 2nd floor
\nAdmission free<\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cRebel International: how Trost changed the landscape of the avant-garde\u201d \u2013 discussion and meeting with the label<\/h2>\n
\nWhere:<\/strong> Workshops of Culture in Lublin, Grodzka 5a \u2013 auditorium 2nd floor
\nAdmission free<\/strong><\/p>\nAlexander Hacke, \u201cBlast. Distorted Memories\u201d \u2013 author talk<\/h2>\n
\nWhere:<\/strong> Workshops of Culture in Lublin, Grodzka 5a \u2013 auditorium 2nd floor
\nAdmission free<\/strong><\/p>\nWsch\u00f3d Kultury \u2013 Inne Brzmienia<\/h2>\n
\nJuly 2-5, 2026, Lublin
\nAdmission free<\/p>\n