by Alexandra Mrozowska
– Sr. Columnist —
Having recorded both as a solo artist and under a moniker of TACE – the international project The Andrzej Citowicz Experience – Andrzej Citowicz goes solo again. His new album In Time is going to see the light of day on September the 12th 2016, a result of his collaboration with his longtime consigliere Dirk Arnicke and former TACE bandmate Patryk Szymanski. Hardrock Haven caught up with the three musicians who contributed to the release to find out more.
Hardrock Haven: It’s not the first time that the three of you have joined forces in artistic terms. Some time ago all of you were a part of the international project TACE (The Andrzej Citowicz Experience). Why did it disband and why have you decided to continue your collaboration?
Andrzej Citowicz: To be honest, it was me who decided to leave TACE. At some point, this project became nothing than but a disappointment, yet – I was never disappointed by Dirk or Patryk. So I decided to reset everything that I make under the moniker of TACE and I returned to playing… let’s say… solo. But I always have to admit one thing, that without those two guys I would have never reached the point where I am today.
Dirk Arnicke: For me, personally the project lost its easy, natural flow. All good things should end, as long as they are good. And well… let the dead rest in peace.
Patryk Szymanski: That’s a good question. There was some invisible tension, some bad blood, but nothing personal… We knew that our trio will work together again, but in the different formula. Now that everything is clear, we understand each other. There’s no any pressure or anything like that.
Hardrock Haven: What do you think each of you brought into the recording process of In Time?
Andrzej Citowicz: Actually, each of us has brought something into this album. We may live far away from one another, yet – there is an unspoken understanding and chemistry between us that makes everything so easy. The love of music brought us together and then it all started to take shape. A note from here, an idea from there and the result is where we are now. We owe it to our different tastes and visions in music that together we create momentous music tunes.
Dirk Arnicke: Andrzej had stuff for a new solo album he wanted to do and he asked me for help. Because it is his album, I tried to not bring in too much of my personal ideas but support his creations the best that I could.
Patryk Szymanski: I’ve tried to do my job the best I could. I hope that I did it pretty well!
Hardrock Haven: What kind of experience the recording process of In Time was for each of you? Do you think it was important in terms of personal and artistic development?
Andrzej Citowicz: In Time for me is a new beginning: a bridge between the past and the present and a path towards the future… The beginning of composing In Time was rough but later all songs and ideas just started to flow and all I had to do was to sit and start recording… I could say that it is a picture of me these days… my musical depiction of myself.
Dirk Arnicke: After the TACE period I completely changed the production platform and upgraded my home studio. I was very happy that I had the chance to work on Andrzej’s album with all the new stuff, so yes … it helped me to develop and broaden my experience in music production.
Patryk Szymanski: It was a real pleasure. Because of my personal duties I didn’t have much time for recording, but when I finally started laying down the bass lines, the recording process was like a breath of fresh air. In Time is another great experience within my musical journey and I really enjoyed every moment of working on every second of this material.
Hardrock Haven: Obviously, it’s technology that still plays a substantial role in the recording process. Was it any different than when you were recording the Jack Of Hearts EP under the moniker of TACE?
Andrzej Citowicz: Yes, of course. In Time represents a leap in terms of sound, theme, equipment and vision. Someone told me that they would recognize my guitar style between a million of others (laughs). It is flattering of course, but today I could honestly say that this time, it was the use of acoustic guitar that exerted a different impact over my music and really made a difference. I learn each day, each day I get inspired by everything that goes on around me and all this affected the way I composed In Time.
Dirk Arnicke: Yes, my studio equipment has been five times more expensive, but my knowledge wasn’t five times bigger (laughs).
Patryk Szymanski: I used the same gear.
Hardrock Haven: Now let’s focus on the album. Those who followed Andrzej Citowicz as well as TACE since the very start must’ve already noticed them – but what do you think are the differences between this album and the previous recordings?
Andrzej Citowicz: Well.. maybe not everybody knows that, but I returned to playing the guitar after more than a decade. It was rather a long break. 2012 represents my actual return to the music world. Relentlessly, I spent hours practicing and even more, hours recording to get back in shape. As I have mentioned before – with each day that passes and each moment of practice you go to a higher level and you learn more. Of course, there’s always a room for improvement… This new album is more organic, more raw in some moments. Finally, I added the acoustic guitar to my instrumentation, thus adding a certain richness to the sound. It is still Melodic Rock, but with a little taste of progressive mood too… Working on this album was a real pleasure.
Dirk Arnicke: Andrzej made a massive progress in both guitar skills and composing. The new songs are very different in style and some are more progressive.
Patryk Szymanski: This record is more advanced technically. Andrzej’s guitar skills are still improving and you can hear it. Moreover, there’s a lot of emotions engraved into this album. Just look at the titles of the songs! Andrzej’s music is a story – a beautiful story about his life. I believe in these songs.
Hardrock Haven: It can be said that the new album gravitates less towards Melodic Rock than its predecessors, although there are certain ‘80s flavors to a few songs on it. What’s made this change of approach?
Andrzej Citowicz: Honestly, it wasn’t really planned (laughs). While I was writing the new material, every song took its shape on its own and led us to its direction. Dirk did a brilliant drum work as usual, which has given these songs their special groove, while Patryk added his amazing bass tracks to the songs and again all pieces fell into place like it was pre-planned – but actually never was. Again, it all came naturally. My plan for this album was no plans… just me and my guitars.
Patryk Szymanski: I believe that we all are still getting better as musicians. Also, we’re listening to different music than just only ‘80s rock, and that is the main reason for these changes. In Time is simply the new Citowicz I guess (laughs).
Hardrock Haven: In Time is quite diverse stylistically. What’s inspired you throughout the process of making the album? Did you attempt to cross some borders genre-wise?
Andrzej Citowicz: While I was recording this album I listened to Rush from the mid-‘80s… plus a lot of acoustic songs, lots of country (true story!), a lot of Def Leppard’s last album too… I guess this all got into my head and opened my mind to new worlds and new categories. I guess it is a natural course of events and I just wonder where it is gonna lead me to next.
Hardrock Haven: In Time is a collection of eleven tracks, each of them having a certain cinematographic vibe to it – I can easily imagine myself the album becoming a movie soundtrack. Were the tracks written with any specific story, or stories, in mind?
Andrzej Citowicz: Can anyone imagine a song without a story behind it? I don’t think so. Some tracks are inspired by the true stories and life events… and yes, while recording I imagined some tracks as soundtracks as I would love to compose soundtracks for movies. For me, every track is an untold story about something or someone. I always try to envision someone’s agony, passion, and struggle and translate it into the pieces of music that may see the light and inspire the others.
Hardrock Haven: What do you think are the album’s highlights? Any favorite songs?
Andrzej Citowicz: Although I am very critical of myself while listening to my own playing, I hold my music very dear to my heart. One of my favorite songs is “Silver Sail”. I started writing this song when I was only 16 and it remained a work in progress since then. Then the process of adding to it and editing it started and lasted until it took its final shape.
Dirk Arnicke: “In Time”, “King Of The Crossroads” and “Bruadarach..
Patryk Szymanski: “Fade Away”, “Blaze of Hope”, “Solitude”, “King Of The Crossroads” and “Silver Sail”… I love all songs but in my opinion, these are highlights of this album!
Hardrock Haven: There’s plenty of acoustically-driven moments on the new album, culminating in the enchanting ballad you’ve just mentioned, “Silver Sail”. Have you ever thought of recording the entire album in the ‘unplugged’ mode?
Andrzej Citowicz: (laughs) There’s always a plan for unplugged modes! Are you trying to make me reveal my future plans (laughs)? Many months ago I had an idea for an album with songs that represent a soundtrack to my life. As some of you may know I turned 40 a few months ago, and this is a good moment to stop and take a look back at one’s past (laughs). But maybe – just maybe – this project will have an unplugged sequel one day. We’ll see what the future brings.
Hardrock Haven: What do you think are the differences between playing acoustic and electric in terms of the artistic expression? As we can find both on In Time, which do you personally prefer?
Andrzej Citowicz: Personally, I never separate these two modes or ways of artistic expression. Both of them are the same, it all depends on what you have to emphasize. You can play soft on electric, and very heavy on acoustic. It is all in your hands. When it comes to purity of sound, the acoustic guitar does it for me. There’s nothing in between – only you and the six strings. The electric guitar is a whole army in one, a monster in action. Sometimes it brings you peace, while sometimes it takes no prisoners (laughs).
Hardrock Haven: I also have to ask about the references to Scottish folklore within the album’s very last track. What was the inspiration for “Bruadarach”?
Andrzej Citowicz: This one is also very special to my heart and one of the fastest compositions that I ever did. I have always been fascinated by Scottish folklore, but I never had the courage to step into this world. One day Kathy (Dirk Arnicke’s wife) posted something on her Facebook wall with the word “Brudarach” and what happened next is unexplainable! I sent the music to Dirk and he applied his magic to it and the result was phenomenal. I was thrilled by the result and we dedicated it to someone very special to our hearts.
Hardrock Haven: In Time was released independently from any record label. Do you think the days of major labels and their dictatorship are long gone now?
Andrzej Citowicz: Well… let me be honest. What we do is a non-commercial work. It’s out of a pure passion that we put our money into this. It’s not for fame, or egos. It’s us and our passion on the line… Of course, there’s a limit. I had a chance to learn something about the two sides of the coin, so to speak, as I have had the pleasure to start with the Down Boys Records. Erik Turner witnessed my debut and has been supportive ever since. But in general record labels, these days do not take the risks they used to take before – taking a chance on an artist and going all the way is hard now. The music industry has changed so much that it gets very difficult to know what do the fans want anymore and it leaves little room for people like us.
Dirk Arnicke: At least musicians don’t need them anymore.
Hardrock Haven: What kind of promo campaign do you plan for In Time? Will it become available via iTunes or streaming platforms?
Andrzej Citowicz: So far we’ve decided that all songs will be available on YouTube and several songs will be downloadable on Soundcloud. The whole album will be on iTunes. So far we focus on social media promo campaign and our fans that have been the greatest support to us and the best promo ever. What the future holds for us is still unknown but we truly hope that our music will reach everyone everywhere.
Hardrock Haven: Having been so busy as you were with writing and recording process for In Time – Andrzej, is there anything else you were up to recently?
Andrzej Citowicz: Music is endless, music is life and as long as we are alive and breathing there will always be new projects in the making. We aim at pleasing our fans by offering them our music, heart, and souls. Currently, I am working on some new material but that’s just another story (laughs).
Hardrock Haven: Any last words? Something for our readers perhaps?
Andrzej Citowicz: As an artist, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to Hardrock Haven for their constant support. I remember myself being a teenager who longed to be noticed and recognized and today HRH helped make this dream come true. Interviews like this help me – and us – reach more people and discuss music. The Internet can be a curse, but also a blessing – especially for independent artists. Thanks again for everything and always and forever… The best is yet to come.
Dirk Arnicke: Just a suggestion – music worth listening is music worth buying.
Visit Andrzej Citowicz online: https://www.facebook.com/citowiczandrzej/
The echoes of Van Halen …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3EPRaEC8hI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEHIVTuJgk0