“Ninja Episkopat is the bastard child of the pandemic, social media and the all-encompassing boredom we experienced in 2021” They self-describe their sound as “a fusion of electronica, contemporary and improvised music.”
I wanted to be ambushed. My senses infiltrated, besieged. The room in Krakow’s underground alternative music venue Baza was suitably steamy and packed – a hot sultry August night adding to the sense of anticipation. Ninja Episkopat are Patrycja “Paczi” Wybrańczyk – drums, Mojżesz “Moses” Tworzydło – guitar, and Alex Clov – tenor saxophone. The Ninjas (忍者, aka shinobi, meaning “those who act in stealth”) on stage belied their name somewhat, with their full frontal sound drawing everyone immediately in, but Ninja also implies unorthodoxy, going against the grain – which they certainly accomplish, their sound interspersed with curious radio samples, odd sound scrapings, bass loops, angular rhythmic guitar, funk/free jazz sax and rolling fills of mesmerizing percussion. It’s a curious double barrel name and the unlikeliest of collocations. They use the Polish spelling of the English word episcopat which can mean a diocese or the rank/terms of a bishop. There’s plenty of subterfuge in Church circles and I remain convinced of the clergy’s ability to be ninja-like in making ruthless self-serving decisions to hold onto power. Being Irish – I’m probably reading into it too much. The implicit irreverence to organized religion not withstanding, Alex is more succinct when he talks of the genesis of the band without directly referencing the initially joke-name that in the end became a vehicle for story-telling, “Ninja Episkopat is the bastard child of the pandemic, social media and the all-encompassing boredom we experienced in 2021” They self-describe their sound as “a fusion of electronica, contemporary and improvised music.”
All photos by Adelina Krupski Photography
for Kraków Music and Ninja Episkopat.
Their debut 4 track epic “God Save the Queer” (I wonder if they are Sex Pistols’ fans?), which this gig heralded, presents forth a great diaphragm rupturing opening number imaginatively called “introduction” which almost could be the soundtrack for some Ridley Scott-inspired dystopian sci-fi flick – the change of the chorus comes as a great release, almost with orgasmic intensity, the jazzy tenor sax sitting very nicely into the sonic space between the rumbling bass and Tworzydło’s crunchy Dave Navarro-esque guitar. “Behind the Green Door” is a continuation of the theme and a rich, dense amalgamation of electronica, jazz, somehow sounding both improvised but also meticulously rehearsed.
I am enthralled by the wonderful drumming of Miss Wybrańczyk, who sounds like she was born with a drum stick in her hand. Fluid and natural, there’s a great bounce and verve to her hitting, powerful, precise, and yet moderated where needed. “Die Jung” has an avant-garde intro that could be the twisted soundtrack to a 21st century version of Borrough’s Naked Lunch. When it kicks in, there’s plenty of deep bottom end; the drums are again, pivotal, with the spiky staccato tenor of the sax adding a demented immediacy to things. I’ve seen Tworzydło in lots of other projects and he’s a very accomplished guitar player, here he takes a step to the side, there’s fun and joy in his playing – surely the sign of a true musician, sacrificing glory for the sake of the song and the greater mood. “Jpeg Godmode” is a train rumbling through the wild African Congo, passing isolated villages as it climbs out of valleys, the ghost of Konrad’s Kurtz sitting in one of the carriages by himself, divine status long since lapsed, seething with self-loathing and all that could have been.
Therein lies the pith and core of Ninja Episkopat. The band explain it in unequivocal terms where their disparate musical experiences have “borne fruit in which both subtlety and primitivism coexist. In this apparent contradiction, they see the primal urge that begets all jazz music.” When you glance at their musical influences, you start to get a clearer picture of where they have come from and where they want to go: John Hopkins, The Comet is Coming, Lounge Lizards, John Zorn, Rage against the Machine, Acoustic Ladyland, Jaga Jazzist, The Thing. Where sophistication and simplicity overlap, at the intersection of these, the band inhabit their musical zone comfortably and unselfconsciously, moving about this space instinctively, free from convention, and always elaborating on their specific sound. Throwing stars and sharpened swords are at the ready for any listeners willing to underestimate them.
Sign up to the Kraków Music Newsletter to receive updates on concerts, promotions, articles, new music and more.
