New East Digital Archive

Electronic musician Władysław Trejo revives Poland’s 90s skate culture with retro video

23 June 2021

Who: Władysław Trejo, an electronic music artist who made his self-titled debut in 2015, followed by the 2020 heavy metal-influenced Es Una Bestia. Trejo is also part of the duo Slovenska Televiza together with vocalist Lunademayo.

What to expect: Synth punk expressionist electronica and a glimpse into 90s Warsaw skater life via sped up archive footage.

What they say: “‘Tranzyt W’ is an instrumental track inspired by the experience of cruising around modern-day Warsaw. When I was thinking about the production, I wondered what the city would have been like for a teenager in the 90s. Then I found this VHS video from 1991 on Youtube, which made the perfect backdrop to my music. Excited at the idea of using this original footage, I contacted the two guys who feature in the video and got their approval.”

Why you need to listen: Whether it reminds you of Tetris or Windows 95, Władysław Trejo has fully committed himself to reviving the spirit of the 90s. Instead of sounding nostalgic, however, the synths here are light and lively, carrying you through Warsaw as if in a daze. In the video, we meet a host of characters: from skater kids, to a steely woman, to a cheeky guy sticking out his tongue while queuing in a supermarket. Catchy and entrancing, the video feels like a real adventure into the carefree life of teens, with apartment blocks, socialist-era cars, and street flower-sellers as a backdrop.

You can listen to the single on Bandcamp.

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