New projects are always new beginnings. New musical projects are always an opportunity to present to listeners their new vision of music. However, new musical projects, in which the artist reveals their long-hidden alter ego, presents it in a completely different visual style, and also shows where contemporary electronic music should really be heading, are something that doesn’t happen too often in the domestic market.
When on January 23rd of this year, the first mysterious post appeared on the tacet.music Instagram account with the content “02.02.2024”, depicting a character of a blocky boy, and also revealing a short fragment of the first video clip, it was clear that something big was in the making. After such an intriguing start, the stage of anticipation for the entire track along with the clip began, which promised to be truly interesting.
Since the word itself sounds very familiar, I decided it was worth googling a bit about it. On the icm.edu.pl website, I found the following definition: “Tacet – a musical term indicating that a given instrument/voice/group of instruments does not participate in the performance of a particular part of the composition, meaning they remain silent, representing unrealized potential.” You have to admit, I think it couldn’t have been described better.
Returning to our musical friend, in line with the announced premiere on February 2nd on the Dyspensa Records channel, a video titled “TACET – Flare” directed by Henryk Brzeski (Dollar Moda) was released. The track, which at first glance seems to be perfectly produced, with each sound meticulously crafted to the limit, is actually balanced by its unique aesthetics, where the non-traditionally arranged percussion intertwines with the driving bass. The whole thing just sounds different, which only increases the repeat value of this track.
After the well-received first single, it was time for the second one, which, without such a spectacular video, didn’t garner as many views as the first. However, focusing solely on the music, it’s easy to conclude that the material is very coherent and well-balanced. In “2001”, hard kicks and sharp hi-hats dominate, and the whole piece transports the listener to a place where a slightly dirtier atmosphere is a bargaining chip to appeal to those who still believe that the dirtier and more street-like, the better. Here, it comes naturally, but perhaps the best comment here would be a quote from Robert Anton Wilson’s book “The Eye in the Pyramid” – “People must get out of their own minds to come to their senses.”
After a few weeks’ break, TACET returned with “Yearning”, which only confirmed to me that the producer truly put his whole self into this project. It’s also worth noting that “Yearning” is probably another episode in the author’s own story about longing for the people he’s crossed paths with and about the most beautiful moments he’s experienced.
While such statements may still be far-fetched, it’s certainly worth considering that when it comes to electronic music, TACET project and its latest singles could be a true Magnum Opus in Wojtek Urbański’s career. The artist has been involved in electronic music almost since the beginning of his career, but it’s only in the latest material that you can feel Wojtek leaving behind all the baggage of various experiences, learned techniques, and fears of people’s opinions when entering the studio, and creating material that fully showcases his musical inclinations. You can feel the sleepless nights and the mass of dedicated time to ensure that every element sounds exactly as the author envisioned. Additionally, each track is arranged so progressively that I have often felt guilty when I had to pause it halfway through.
Wojtek Urbański creates music in almost every genre, and his productions can be heard in movies, games, or TV series, with his name often mentioned alongside artists like Tymek, Julia Wieniawa, or even Kwiat Jabłoni. However, I can’t imagine his career without him occasionally delving into his often highly curated sounds of analog or modular synthesizers and creating tracks that unequivocally belong to the electronic music scene. He’s a person who, although he does almost everything, never forgets what sparked his love for making music a long time ago.
After listening to all the tracks released under the TACET label so far, I’ve often wondered whether the TACET project for the Polish electronic music scene is beginning to resemble what Paul “Muad’Dib” Atreides was to the world of Dune in Frank Herbert’s series of books. I leave that for everyone to judge for themselves.