There is little hope for the new generation of Polish house music producers these days in Poland as the scene has fallen into total obscurity in the last few years.
With almost no labels, no venues that host non-techno parties and most importantly no listeners and supporters, the scene looks grimmer than ever.
The term "music for nobody", coined some time ago on social media, describes the situation in a fitting and ironic way.
Nonetheless the Polish house music flagship Transatlantyk is back for 2019 with this new various artists EP that showcases some of the best hidden musical talents the country has to offer.
Breezy electro from Dextre, raw distorted house from K-Hole Trax, trippy ambient excursion by 1 9 9 2, and some deep sounds by Aheloy! make this versatile new EP on the label, a joy to listen at home or spin at clubs.
Limited to 200 copies! More

No matter where the winds may blow, what storms may come or what pirates will do, the Transatlantyk ship is still sailing. Navigated for the last three years by Zambon out of Berlin, ultimately avoiding the shallow waters of the generic and constantly patrolling the seas in search of exciting sounds. After all that sailing the label just had to replenish its ranks with some fresh faces - those still capable of voyaging into the unknown.
Joining the crew is a young gun TAMTEN, who by day serves as a vinyl pusher in Warsaw's finest Side One record store. What he does by night is not the matter of this short text, but we are sure he does a lot of it. Hence his love for all things distant - from subaquatic pads and floating riffs, to new-age-y siren voices, otherworldly effects and percussion drenched in reverb.Â
There is a lot of similarly distant, sun-bleached material on this five tracker, full of a druggy and hippy Balearic feel.
Beautiful ambient jam 'Przebudzenie' is the stand out track, but 'Znaki Czasu' is equally as good with its simple, yet memorable melody, reminding of dawns and sunsets on some God forsaken beach. Sultry deepness of 'Nieznajoma' is followed by enchanting digital exotica of 'Wyrocznia' and wavey trip-hop cut 'Po Burzy'.
Overall its one of the strongest EPs that Transatlantyk managed to co-opt into its growing catalogue. Definitely one for the dreamers. More

With his new release the polish Transatlantyk sails into - as yet uncharted - waters of the 'lol- fi' breakbeat house scene to bring you the debut of DJ Stoner Dad. Not much is known about the man behind the nickname, except that he is a DJ, a dad and that he likes getting his hits from the bong on during the infamously long Warsaw afterparties. The "Raw Romantics EP" showcases his own take on the deeply saturated, smokey and breakbeat-infused house genre. 'Fake Strings' is a certified banger alluring the dancefloor with a great combo of rolling bass, squashed kicks and hats, grimy, atmospheric pads and a bits of spoken word thrown in. 'Magic Phunk' brings THAT break again and for a good measure. Drums are floating over an ocean worth of blazing pads, liquid synths, acid riffs, pillowy, yet dirty chords and whatever else DJ Stoner Dad could lay his hands on at the time. 'IV' is a full frontal ambient jam, with little bits of wandering drums coming into the picture at the very end.
Finally 'V' brings cinematic influences over slightly uneasy slow groove. More

A brand new instalment in the Trans Afryka series, that is loosely inspired by the sounds of the black continent and devoted to club-oriented Afro-House. Riding the waves of success with sold out volume 1, Zambon employed three talented producers to bring more goods to the table.
Transatlantyk regulars like DJ Dook and Universo are joined by a newcomer Tamten and together deliver a bomb of an EP! Aptly titled 'Afro Acid' by DJ Dook is exactly what it says on the sleeve - raw DJ tool with squelchy samples, mantra-like vocal loop and focused vibe. Think of an soundtrack to a futuristic version of Apocalypse Now. Just the perfect peaktime beats to heat the party a little bit more. 'Praise Song' by Universo is built on a wandering bassline reminiscent of Malian blues with tribal chants, penny whistles and various sorts of percussions on top. This beautiful groove rolls and rolls without end, like an endless summer. 'Ukukhnaya' by Tamten is the most atmospheric out of the three, fusing New Age midi sounds with the vibes of South African deep house. More

Brand new Transatlantyk release contains elusive synth works of Sasha Zakrevska aka Poly Chain.She likes to call herself a 'Ukrainian ambient chavette' and the title of her debut album is a tongue-in-cheek spin on Eno's classic. 'Music For Candy Shops' is much more sticky and syrupy than its famous predecessor though. In every track on this record Poly Chain's rich and warm synth textures are glazed with another layer of radioactive sweeting.
From atonal melodies on top to occasional spicing in form of odd reverbs, delays and drum sounds - it's all there. Let me tell you straight up: this candy shop serves some weird sort of sweets, inducing hallucinations, anxious feelings of omniscience and transcendency. Use with caution!
Available as a 200 copies only vinyl LP More

Brand new addition to the ever growing Transatlantyk catalogue. After an excursion into the hot, equatorial waters of Transafryka, the fleet went back up north to visit Europe's busiest port and meet with Freux. He comes from the same creative crew from Poznan that brought you such talents as Selvy and Newborn Jr. Nowadays this young graphic designer spends his days in Rotterdam's district of Delfshaven, after which this EP is named. A mix of 90's deep House influences, strong sense of humour and unusual musical sensibility guarantees a sure shot winner. The strong groove of 'Bernie' is build on a scatting vocal loop, soon joined by ethereal synths and funky slap bass. Borderline cheesy sax line completes the picture, which is like an ocean in the sunny, windy afternoon - soothing but never sleepy. Coming up next is 'GHT', inspired equally by 1990's New York and 2016's Vancouver sounds. Ambient soundscapes and chilly melodies are set off to pumping drums and looped basslines.
The club mix of 'Step' offers a similar sound palette, enriched by mallet percussion. A fantastic soundtrack to any leisure activities. The ambient mix takes the original idea into one of Rotterdam's coffeeshops, the one where they show a surf movie in slow-mo on a constant loop.
Jump and wave. More

Transatlantyk return with a double header informed by the Dark Continent Label regular Universo (architect of their best EP no less) cooks up a splendid slice of culturally appropriated, campfire heat. It's Graceland era Paul Simon fed through some expertly assembled 21st century software. On the flip Ryan R (Reynolds maybe ?) offers up Umqondo. As Western Poland's answer to Awesome Tapes From Africa, we'd say he knows from whence he takes. It's a groove so thick even Dr Livingstone would have trouble hacking through it, an immersive ride though to be sure, and one which will make infinitely more sense at 4am Sunday morning than it does at midday on a Tuesday... More

After a string of 12's released on Studio Barnhus, Father And Son Records And Tapes and Transatlantyk, Polish producer Naphta returns to the latter with his debut LP. '7th Expedition' is an immersive exploration through Jazz and Afrobeat influences, cleverly touched by seductive house and warming hip-hop elements. This spaced out and eerie musical narrative is wrapped in a concept album - a captivating tale told in collaboration with guest musicians from all over the world. Along with the amazing artwork by Natalia Labedz, '7th Expedition' truly becomes an exciting journey into the uncharted soundscapes.
Available as a 200 copies only vinyl LP More

One of the most charismatic and respected DJs in Poland, Eltron (aka Eltron John) presents what is probably the most expressely club-oriented record in Transatlantyk history. His four track offering sounds much like his sets - ferocious and subtle, raw and sophisticated at the same time. The main mix of 'B&S' blends druggy deepness inspired by the vibe of 90s Tribal America with UK Funky riddims, creating the sort of pneumatic house groove that never fails to get the party rocking. This simple, yet meticulously produced tune has already been road-tested and received enthusiastic feedback from a number of jocks around Europe, and the vinyl version seems destined to strengthen its deserved banger-with-a-message status. The dub version of fuses layers of darker, industrial bleeps with a classic break and a rather healthy dose of echo. Trippy and rough, yet exhilarating - it is exactly the kind of track you want to hear in a dark warehouse. Switch to the B-side for 'The Light', where sampled vocals, pitched-down drums and fuzzy pads are combined to form a unique specimen of lo-fi R'n'B, Eltron-style. This hazy groove is guaranteed to guide dancers ever-so-gently into the light of the morning. Finally, 'Reprise' exposes the bare bones of the original. With its dubby, in-your-face quality, it is one for the track heads, definitely. More

Transatlantyk delivers more deep dancefloor heat straight from the Polish house underground. This time Zambon has recruited two duets from the opposite corners of the country, hence the name of the sampler (Polnoc/Poludnie = North/South). The result is one of the most diverse and playful Transatlantyk releases yet. Jazxing are two youngsters from Gdansk, who cut their teeth playing drums, keys and bass in local reggae and new wave bands. Fusing their musicianship with an ear for classic American house production, they are delivering two fresh and charming tracks. 'KS Gruv' is the road tested crowd favourite, never failing to move the dancefloor into the jacking direction. 'The Coast' is a slower, more seductive and deeper affair. Its phased strings and swinging bassline form a perfect soundtrack for a late night or early morning at the Loft. Unitrax come from Cracow. These two seasoned DJs share mutual affirmation of all good things in life. They also share their love of dusty samples and analogue machinery. Here they showcase the sound of deep, mystic, meditative house with a hint of medicine overdose. 'Oasis (Water Of Love)' is filled with druggy and sultry atmosphere (and some really nice synth action as well). This beautiful jam will definitely keep your happiness level high in a different situations. 'Another Feeling' sounds more sedative, like a post-coital cigarette in the early morning light. Buy on sight, play it in your local opium den and you won't be disappointed. More

More abstract, forward thinking house music courtesy of Transatlantyk. 'Mondo Hehe' is the fifth EP in a growing catalogue of the label and is one of its most adventurous offerings yet. Lutto Lento (real name Lubomir Grzelak) is an experimental musician from Warsaw, Poland, who specialises in dark, spooky, uneasy music that's hard to categorise. Apart from running two experimental cassette only labels (Sangoplasmo and DUNNO Recordings), Lutto Lento records music for contemporary theatre and forward thinking European labels like FTD and Where To Now? He is equally inspired by avant-garde and surreal sounds from the bygone eras as well as raw house and techno music of today. His music tends to absorb the listener into a parallel, imaginary world, where sounds of a lamenting cry of a trumpet (B2) and a voice counting numbers on top of the rolling exotica style bongos (A2) are as important as jacking Chicago house drums (B1) and energetic basslines (A3). From the jumping beats of the title track, to the late night deep roller 'Casino', the 'Mondo Hehe EP' is a superb collection of non-generic House music that sounds as good at a club, as it does at home. More

From the land of Roman Polanski, Anja Rubik and - plumbers comes Polo House, an umbrella term for the rich homegrown house music scene of Poland.
This double LP is a first attempt to present high quality underground dance music coming from the country. Curated by Zambon, the boss of both Transatlantyk and The Very Polish Cut-Outs, this compilation showcases the brightest and most talented house producers from Poland on 2 slabs of black wax. A combination of underground heroes and some of the most talented rookies brings you nine versatile high quality house tracks. From great tropical adventures of Selvy & Naphta, through the summer breeze of the Baltic Beat served here by The Phantom, to some raw dusty warehouse grooves provided by Lutto Lento and deep sea expeditions of Universo - it's all there, and much more Like the epic Balearic house cut 'Loft Version' by Newborn Jr. If you didn't fall in love with the sound of Transatlantyk until now after hearing this - you will for sure. More