spalarnia - Paradoks (2024)

The titular paradox of spalarnia's new album, Paradoks, lies in its ability to be both soft and intense. Incessant, hypnotic rhythms and massive synths are woven into a state of constant becoming, perpetually tense and earnest. Amidst these soundscapes—at times sparse, at times grandiose—spalarnia's voice oscillates between singing and speaking, seemingly calm and warm yet dark, like an underwater cave on a summer day where secrets can be shared.

In his Polish lyrics, spalarnia delves into themes of love, pleasure, desire, and the accompanying fears, abandonments, and emancipations. He crafts a world that is deeply personal and intimate, yet communal, euphoric, and hopeful. Like all sincere emotional landscapes, it is a paradoxical world.

Paradoks is available as a box set (incl. a CD, a long sleeve shirt, a bag, and a booklet), in digital format, as well as for streaming. The album is jointly published by Gang of Ducks from Turin and the Switzerland-based Präsens Editionen and features illustrations by Polish artist Mania Łukaszewska.


spalarnia is the music project of Wojciech Kosma, a performance artist known for his intimate, quasi-theatrical works. Drawing inspiration from Eastern European spirituality, folk traditions, eurodance, and R’n’B, spalarnia creates a unique brand of hypnotic and poetic emotionality—both in his recordings and live performances, as well as in his many collaborations. He has performed widely, including at Tate Modern, Cell Projects, Camden Arts Centre, Galerie Molitor, 90mil, Ephemera Festival, Komuna Warszawa, and numerous DIY venues across Poland. His music has been released by Dym Recordings, enjoy life, ehh hahah, Alicja, and his own imprint Poza.

Gang of Ducks is an artist-run multidisciplinary platform—operated by Sabla, XIII, and Oddgrad—that has, over the course of the past 11 years, published audio works by artists such as Donato Dozzy, Sara Berts, Francesco Cavaliere, Anna Homler, Haf Haf, and River Y.

Präsens Editionen is a publishing house and label for community-run projects including zweikommasieben Magazin, a broad range of print publications, as well as music and sound works by artists including Anom Vitruv, Red On, Belia Winnewisser, Martina Lussi, Samuel Reinhard, and Magda Drozd.