Bakshish (band)
Bakshish | |
|---|---|
Bakshish performing at the Ostróda Reggae Festival (2025) | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Bakszysz |
| Origin | Kluczbork, Poland |
| Genres | Reggae, dub |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Website | www |
Bakshish (also known as Bakszysz) is a Polish reggae band formed in Kluczbork in 1982.[1] The group has been described by Polish Radio as among Poland's early reggae/dub acts.[2]
History
Bakshish was founded in 1982 in Kluczbork by vocalist Jarosław "Jarex" Kowalczyk; until 1994 the band performed under the name Bakszysz before adopting the spelling Bakshish.[1] In its early period, the band's sound was described as situated between punk rock, ska and new wave with emerging reggae elements.[1]
In the first half of the 1980s the group performed at major Polish festivals. It reached the final of Polish Radio Program III's contest Kto najlepszy w tym Rocku? and won an award at the 1983 Jarocin rock festival (contest section); in 1984 it returned to Jarocin as one of the festival's featured acts.[1] The band's track “Czarna droga” appeared on the Polish compilation album Fala (Polton, 1985).[3]
The band documented the 1980s period with a demo recorded at Polish Radio's Opole studio (1989) and a cassette release Open Your Heart, followed by concerts abroad (including Germany in 1991).[1] The debut studio album One Love was released in 1993.[4] In 1994 the band released Eye, produced by Felix Wolter (leader of the German band The Vision).[1]
In 1996 the group significantly reduced its activity due to Kowalczyk's serious illness; during this period he also initiated a techno-dub project Tabu Duby.[1] After returning to regular concert activity, the band recorded the album B 3 in 2000 (promoted by the single “Jak łzy”).[1][4]
In 2009, Polish media reported the release of the archival double album Back-Szysz – Jeden czas, documenting the band's early years and live recordings from the 1980s and early 1990s.[5]
Polish Radio noted that the band continued releasing new material in later decades, including the album 4 I-ver and subsequent releases/performances; the band's 40th anniversary was marked by the album Ego, premiered at the 2022 Ostróda Reggae Festival.[6][2]
Discography
Studio albums
Archival releases
- Back-Szysz – Jeden czas (2009)[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Bakshish (Bakszysz) – opis zespołu" [Bakshish (Bakszysz) – band profile]. Cyfrowa Biblioteka Polskiej Piosenki (in Polish). Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ a b c "Bakshish z płytą "Ego". "Powiew świeżości i powrót do korzeni"" [Bakshish with the album "Ego": "A breath of fresh air and a return to roots"]. Polskie Radio – Czwórka (in Polish). 26 July 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ Stańczyk, Xawery (2019). "Authenticity and Orientalism: Cultural Appropriations in the Polish Alternative Music Scene in the 1970s and 1980s". In Mazierska, Ewa; Győri, Zsolt (eds.). Eastern European Popular Music in a Transnational Context: Beyond the Borders. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-17031-4_4.
- ^ a b c d "BAKSHISH — "B 3"". Onet Kultura (in Polish). 12 December 2000. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Premiera archiwów grupy Bakshish przesunięta" [Premiere of Bakshish archives postponed]. Onet Kultura (in Polish). 1 July 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Bakshish, Earl Jacob & Zbóje, CGB w Ostródzie" [Bakshish, Earl Jacob & Zbóje, CGB in Ostróda]. Polskie Radio – Czwórka (in Polish). 27 April 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
External links
- Media related to Bakshish at Wikimedia Commons