Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
Kris: I started with classical piano and then went on to write and produce pop and film music. Being around a lot of acoustic music has left me with a definite preference for those kinds of arrangements. I tend to always prefer real instruments over sampled ones. My studio AudioPlanet was built around that need. We have a lot of acoustic keyboard instruments available.
Piotr: From an early age I was surrounded by a variety of music, mainly thanks to my parents who had diverse musical tastes. The house was always full of sounds of various genres, from classical to jazz, which certainly influenced my musical path. At home, I was never forced to learn to play an instrument, on the contrary, I preferred spending time with friends playing children’s games. Back then, an hour of exercise before the lesson was enough. The situation changed when I was already a teenager. The music would absorb me for hours. I was mainly occupied with classical music. I liked it very much.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Peter Krepec & Kris Gorski”?
Piotr: Thank you for this question. It’s difficult for me. Because I have always been focused only on music. The creative process occupied all of my attention (and, in fact, it still does). I grew up in an era where the ethos of an artist was to create CD albums. I have become very immersed in it and now in the times of Spotify, playlists, singles, reels, Insta and Tiktok, it is difficult for me to find my place. Of course, I understand how the world works today, or at least I try to keep up with understanding. However, daily Insta rolls are not my way.
Therefore, for those who are just discovering “Piotr Krępeć and Kris Górski”, answering the second part of the question, I would like to say that our music is not only sounds, but above all emotions, being “here and now”, a journey through various aspects of our experience . So listen to this album in its entirety from start to finish, it’s very important. Only then will you have a chance to understand the meaning of this album. I hope this music will be a source of inspiration, reflection and beauty for you. Thank you for being here 🙂
Kris: We invite the listeners to a world of improvised music that opens up doors to fragility and intimacy that we hope this music conveys. We’ve started working with professionals in PR to help our music reach a broader audience. We are also planning a series of concerts.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
Kris: I don’t listen that much to other music, but composers like Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm and Hans Zimmer, as well as many pop rock artists had a lot of impact on me over the years.
Piotr: I’m sorry to say it again, but I don’t need inspiration anywhere else than in music itself. Music is inspiring enough for me. When we play together with Kris, there is enough inspiration in our sounds, and sometimes even too much of it. All you have to do is listen! The music is so rich that it doesn’t need any additional inspiration. For me, the most inspiring artists I knew were painters Tadeusz Pfeiffer and Andrzej Cisowski. These two artists taught me a lot about music. In this sense, the work of my wife Malwina is fascinating to me. Her painting always accompanies me (when I play).:)
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the album, “Impromptu Session 1.”?
Piotr: In recent years, my artistic path has clearly changed its course. After many years of playing finger style, I finally found an amazing, extraordinary, powerful creative force that became my obsession :). I trust its implicitly now, feeling that I found what I’ve been looking for for many years. This album was created that way. We immersed ourselves in the sounds with Kris and this album was born.
Kris: We sat down to a recording of what ended up being a 6 hour long improvised session. Our main intention was to come with an open mind and let ourselves explore those areas of music that were new to us. Out of that came all the tracks on the album, with no editing or re-recording.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
Kris: Organic
Piotr: Gently
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording the album?
Piotr: For me, the process of creating music itself is a challenge. But when everything goes well, then playing is very easy. It doesn’t require any effort. The music plays itself. The sounds are arranged as they should. Let me draw your attention to one thing. The challenge may be to maintain this state for a long time. A recording session such as the one for Impromptu Session 1 lasted several hours, so there were certainly moments when this powerful mental concentration was lacking.
Kris: I enjoyed the process of recording immensely. It took us 4 days to choose from the material we recorded, and all in all it wasn’t that long. However, playing the first concert was quite a challenge for me, as the whole album is improvised, with unobvious structures.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
Kris: I guess we will continue working on getting the album to a wider audience and plan our concerts. Impromptu Sessions started out as a very spontaneous idea, and it will probably evolve as we continue working on it. Piotr and I already have plans for next projects.
Piotr: My goal is to bring beauty to the world. I listen and play. I don’t think about whether anyone likes this music or how to sell it. Such questions have always been completely unimportant to me as an artist. When I create, I try not to disturb the message that comes to me. My goal is to reach the sources of creativity and be in this state. Being in a state where you touch the “secret of creativity” is something absolutely fascinating for me. It has taken me my entire life to find my way to this “place”, “point” or “state” if you will, and I think this is what best reflects the message of my work. This question requires a more extensive answer, and I hope that I will eventually be able to complete a longer work that completely covers this topic.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
Piotr: To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever had the urge to work with a dream artist. Artists whose work I really appreciate and like always seem to me to be complete, ready, and I don’t feel the need to get involved in their work. Kris and I have been friends for years, and I think that’s where this album came from. One day we spontaneously started playing together, and it turned out that beautiful things were happening. This is the best collaboration I could imagine:)
Kris: I wanted to record with Piotr ever since he recorded his first album in my studio a few years back. Now that this particular dream has been fulfilled, I am yet to decide on the next one :D.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
Kris: Spending time with the instrument, recording oneself, playing to any audience (starting with oneself and family) is always a good thing. Understanding how the present day music market is evolving is important, as it has undergone some fundamental changes from the time I was starting out. Despite this huge amount of music being published online these days, I still have a feeling that if the music is authentic and good, and one puts in the effort into spreading the word around them, creating their own musical tribe, their efforts will be rewarded. Relationships are a vital part of growing one’s network.
Piotr: My advice is this. If you want to make money from music, you better go to some good business studies or learn foreign languages instead of wasting your time on music. This will be to the benefit of everyone. If you dream of being a big music star, you’d better do something else. It’s a waste of your time. It won’t work like that… If you really want to pursue music, look for a place for yourself in it. Get to know yourself well to know which direction to go. Once you find your way, be patient. Be creative and don’t expect great results right away. Be honest with yourself, stay true to the inspiration you have. Don’t trust anyone who would force you to create differently than you want. And the most important thing is to have fun with art. Just have fun with what you create.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
Piotr: Take care of your health, yourself, your loved ones and friends. Go to the dentist twice a year. Buy a pack of 100 bitcoins when they were worth $1. 🙂
Kris: Relax and enjoy the ride 🙂
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