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"This group has been performing since 1993 and refers to a continual rotation of members as one of its trump cards. Surprising, isn't it? Their music is even more surprising.... There is something unearthly about it, and although in some parts it raises goose-pimples, it also utterly absorbs the listener, who remembers it for a very long time.

The group uses the term Zombient to describe the type of music it plays - a trance like combination of the cosmic sounds from two analogue keyboards and the hypnotic voice of vocalist Marzena Boroń, who also introduces elements of pantomime to the performance. As textual material for her vocals she uses Japanese XVI century haiku poems.

The ritual-magic conception of musical creations as a celebration of passing time constitutes the foundation for all of the compositions. It is the artistic creation of writer and composer Piotr Grzesik, who was the founder of the whole project."

Małgorzata Antosik: "Guide to the Polish Underground" published in Łódź
February 2001

 

"We have not included the entry about Klandestein in this lexicon purely for the sake of this group’s interesting concept of creating music structure, because what does matter is not “in what way” (although the method is worth being aware of), but “what really is there.”

I perceive this music as an individual story told by means of space, surfaces, lines, points, suspended sounds, slow motion and disturbing pulsation. It may be called a bit mysterious, arcane, fairy-tale, yet realistic; while hypnotising our minds and senses, it does not take them totally captive. This music, focused on every note, is artistically persistent and conscious of its own creation. The vocalist’s charismatic voice perfectly matches the electronic landscapes, adding to them a touch of magic and ritual. Klandestein’s art seems ascetic and restrained, however, it is also passionate and abrupt. Before I heard “Planet Tiger” I had become acquainted with Piotr Grzesik’s “Feary Tales”, and then with his “Melanhole”. He builds his music according to the same rules as Klandestein does. Both CDs bring us electronic music which is not as unique and charismatic as Klandestein’s. Their titles define the tone and atmosphere."

Henryk Palczewski: "Informator Ars-2"
 nr 31, 2001

 

"This is a CD that I have been listening to for a couple of months, and still I cannot catch its phenomenal character. The concept behind "Planet Tiger" is founded on a pamphlet of Johannes von Grieschke, the 17th century esoteric, astrologer and astronomer who claimed that there are not eight, but nine planets in our solar system. The ninth he called Planet Tiger and attributed to its influence most of the epidemics, wars and other disaster that harassed the mankind. The remaining issues about the contents are not so obvious... Cracow's KLANDESTEIN have worked out an unchangeable system they based their music on since the very beginning in 1993 (no matter if it was an acoustic, electronic or electro-acoustic -the current one - period). I cannot undertake a task to explain how it does work because I am sure, I would miss something important. It is said enough that the formula of KLANDESTEIN's music is very hard to pigeonhole, which is most exciting about their the 3rd album. The group transgresses many set phrases on a composition, and musical styles as such. They create broad streams of sounds that intertwine with each other, which have resulted in liquid and amorphous forms of music. The tracks do not seem to have beginnings and ends, mood twists or any climax and in that sense they cross the line between a planned composition and improvisation. This is a very emotion-soaked music, unconscious and psychedelic. A female singer, whose beautiful voice fits perfectly in the unique formula of the group's music acts as fuel to fire. For their own needs, KLANDESTEIN labelled it as "zombient", which rather speaks little to me, however one can find in there ambient, as well as minimal electronic and illustrated music being actually none of them. Of course, it is hard to find any points of reference to them, but if I could, it would be Miroslaw Rajkowski and Księżyc (on acids!) performing live. Recommended!"

Krzysztof Sadza "Eld Rich Palmer Zine"
September 2002

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