Žaltys

by Raphael Rogiński

supported by

Nickie Harte Kelly Here is a wonderfully atmospheric offering from a gifted Polish composer/guitarist. The music is very layered and enigmatic, primarily all Raphael, but he is assisted by a fine ethereal female vocalist on two tracks. It’s inspired by the pastoral Suwalki region of northeast Poland, and he has perfectly captured the essence of rolling hills, lakesides, and the deep night skies of the countryside. Favorite track: Šilinis Viržis (feat. Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė).

David Rankin A joy to listen to. Music of great beauty. Haven't been this moved by guitar music since early Durutti Column. Favorite track: Borbašo Gvazdikas.

more...

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.

€8 EUR or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Includes unlimited streaming of Žaltys via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.

ships out within 5 days

Purchasable with gift card

€23 EUR or more
2 Album Deal: Žaltys & Plays John Coltrane and Langston Hughes
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
180gr. gatefold double LP of Plays John Coltrane and Langston Hughes, combined with the 12" LP of Žaltys. Ships on or around October 8. Limited number at this price.

Includes unlimited streaming of Žaltys via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.

Sold Out

1.	Paprastasis Amalas 03:17	info	buy track
2.	Čiobrelis 03:14	info	buy track
3.	Smiltyninis Šlamutis 03:43	info	buy track
4.	Pelkinis Gailis 01:56	lyrics	buy track
Composed by Raphael Rogiński Guitar by Raphael Rogiński Recorded by Piotr Zabrodzki at Studio Pasterka between June and July, 2023 Produced by Raphael Rogiński Mastered by Joe Talia
5.	Borbašo Gvazdikas 03:10	info	buy track
6.	Šilinis Viržis (feat. Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė) 04:01	info	buy track
7.	Tamsialapis Skiautalūpis 03:41	lyrics	buy track
Composed by Raphael Rogiński Guitar by Raphael Rogiński Recorded by Piotr Zabrodzki at Studio Pasterka between June and July, 2023 Produced by Raphael Rogiński Mastered by Joe Talia
8.	Miškinė Plikaplaiskė 03:25	info	buy track
9.	Miškinė Varnalėša 04:11	info	buy track
10.	Raudonoji Gegūnė 02:35	info	buy track
11.	Kalninė Arnika (feat. Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė) 03:57	info	buy track
12.	Miškinė Dirsuolė 04:19	info	buy track

about

The new album by Polish guitarist Raphael Rogiński is named after the grass snake Žaltys, a revered household spirit in Lithuanian folklore, and explores themes of Eastern European mythology and nature. As a conduit of cultural exchange, "Žaltys" connects with Rogińsk’s previous work, most recently his critically acclaimed 2023 album "Talàn".

"Žaltys" is deeply rooted in the rolling hills of the Suwałki region, in the northeast of Poland, where Rogiński spent childhood vacations and became intrigued by the music he heard from nearby Lithuania. Later, it was on the border with Dzūkija in Lithuania that he bought his first electric guitar, recording soundscapes on a four-track recorder in the forests; he returns to those techniques on this album.

Yet while Eastern European folk music is a constant, enigmatic inspiration here—the track titles derive from various Lithuanian plant names—"Žaltys" is (like all of Rogiński’s work) impossible to pin down, drawing on jazz, American primitivism, and a pervasive mysticism. Infused with a specific culture and place, the album contains a sense of memory, time passing, wonder, and loss. The music, Rogiński says, “is a return to the moment when my brother and I laid down in a boat near the Lithuanian border, floating on a lake at night and looking at the stars in the sky, which always seemed closer to us there.”

Working with Warsaw musician and producer Piotr Zabrodzki, Rogiński created what he describes as “guitar piano”. Rogiński and Zabrodzki made the whole studio resonate while recording, to achieve a sound “as if the wind was playing the strings”. He continues, “We connected some low-voltage effects to powerful old amps and a Leslie speaker, and put unusual sets of strings on the guitars.” For the first time on a solo album, Rogiński employs overdubs to create layers on several tracks, while other compositions are pared back, variously stark, harsh or simply beautiful, exploring his deep relationship with his instrument.

Making a guest appearance—including on the first single “Šilinis Viržis”— is musician and singer Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė, a member of Merope, a band which draws more directly on Lithuanian folk forms. The two artists have been friends for years, but had never managed to record together, even though they share similar inspirations (and recently performed live at Unsound and Ephemera). Now Jurgelevičiūtė sings and plays the kanklės—a Lithuanian plucked string instrument or chordophone closely related to the zither—on two songs on the album. Zabrodski also plays piano on “Šilinis Viržis".

Rogiński has turned the mastering over to Joe Talia, a frequent collaborator of Oren Ambarchi who is known for his skills with guitar recordings. The cover is by Marcin Janusz, a Krakow painter who, like Rogiński, finds inspiration in nature and the human body’s relationship with the world.

Following "Žaltys", at the end of September, Unsound will reissue Rogiński's landmark album "Plays John Coltrane and Langston Hughes"—out of print on CD and never before released on vinyl or digitally.

Reviews:

"...this album suits our wildly flowering season as its days slowly shorten, reminding us of the fullness of life and its innate melancholy." Jude Rogers, The Guardian - Folk Album of the Month

"...this is a landmark album... Mostly wordless poetry of the highest order, this is an LP that, in its wanderings, comes near as anything I’ve heard to expressing something of the ineffable all around us." Bernie Brooks, The Quietus - Album of the Week

"Žaltys, named for a Lithuanian snake spirit, encodes that spirit in the recording itself: sidewinding, slithering, shedding its skin at every turn." Philip Sherburne, Futurism Restated - Record of the Week

"Rogiński taps into the mainline of Eastern European mythology and unconsciousness while drawing on inspiration from folk music and American Primitive guitar - reinterpreting these guitar idioms by developing his own vocabulary, fuelled by pancultural visions." Miloš Hroch, The Wire

"Rogiński premiered this material with Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė in 2023 at Unsound. Since then, it has lost none of its mystery and uniqueness. Rogiński's albums are sometimes delicate, and this one is even more delicate; they are also intimate, and this one is intimate to the highest degree." Bartek Chaciński, Polityka 5/6 stars

"Like a mirage at the end of an open road, Raphael Rogiński’s music is pensive, hypnotic, and oftentimes bewildering. Raised in Poland, his twisted and writhing meditations on Eastern European folk music, American primitivism, and fuzzed-out psychedelic rock coalesce into sonic masterpieces... His latest album, Žaltys, draws a direct line from the mystical folk music of his childhood to the improvisational bands of his adulthood, creating a spellbinding sketch of Rogiński’s personal history throughout Eastern Europe." Ben Arthur, Bomb Magazine

"Raphael Rogiński digs into Eastern European mythology on his gorgeous latest full-length, shimmering traces of archaic folk music, American primitive guitar, jazz and ambient forms into a dreamy meditation on memory, wonder and loss. Crucial midnight listening..." - Boomkat

credits

released July 26, 2024

All music composed by Raphael Rogiński, except ‘Miškinė plikaplaiskė’ and ‘Miškinė varnalėša’, which are based on traditional folk songs. Melody and lyrics on ‘Šilinis Viržis’ by Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė.

Guitar by Raphael Rogiński
Voice, kanklės, effects on ‘Šilinis Viržis’ and ‘Kalninė Arnika’ by Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė
Piano on ‘Šilinis Viržis’ by Piotr Zabrodzki

Recorded by Piotr Zabrodzki at Studio Pasterka between June and July 2023
Kanklės and voice recorded by Bert Cools
Produced by Raphael Rogiński
Mastered by Joe Talia
Lacquer cut by Stefan Betke at Scape Mastering
Painting by Marcin Janusz
Layout by Aleksandra Grunholz
Executive Producers: Wannes Cuypers and Mat Schulz
Commissioned by Unsound

UNS008

license

subtotal		USD
taxes calculated at checkout

about

Raphael Rogiński Warsaw, Poland

Guitarist, composer and performer, improviser, animator of culture and researcher of musical folklore. Educated in jazz and classical music, he also expanded his education by musicology and ethnomusicology. The marriage of these two paths is a determinant of the style of his work both in terms of composition and performance. ... more

contact / help

Contact Raphael Rogiński

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Raphael Rogiński, you may also like:

Promises
by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra

supported by 46 fans who also own “Žaltys”

The music does play from this album, it lives. towercard
go to album
Living Torch
by KALI MALONE

supported by 43 fans who also own “Žaltys”

Her best record imo. aquelequeouve
go to album
The Way Out of Easy
by Jeff Parker ETA IVtet

supported by 38 fans who also own “Žaltys”

Trippy , Dreamy , Mesmerizing improvs where each player knows their place and doesn't crowd the others . I can't say a favorite as they are all equally hypnotic . brainscan17
go to album
If I Let The Air In
by Livingdog

Stark, slightly spooky songs from this Asheville musician, with guitars as bare as winter trees and eerie, distant vocals. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 16, 2021
go to album
Earth Glow
by Sarah Louise

Sarah Louise blends glitchy electronics with comfortingly familiar folk guitar on a surprise release imbued with a quiet sense of dignity. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 19, 2020
go to album
Wagtail
by Julius Schwing

Tasmanian guitarist Julius Schwing embraces the visceral sounds of finger playing, incorporating them into his experimental guitar work. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 8, 2022
go to album
Spectral Evolution
by Rafael Toral

supported by 36 fans who also own “Žaltys”

great album, complex, emotional, visionary, inspiring jillobc
go to album