No Fun by Piernikowski

Blocks of flats remember everything. Each word written on the walls, every drop of blood, sweat or tears dripping onto the asphalt, and each concrete-biting sound. These walls know all too well the memories, dilemmas and secrets of their inhabitants. They know well how it was in the local discos in the 1990s and how it is today at a nearby liquor store. They know very well what has changed and what has stayed the same, unperturbed. All they need is a voice so they can share that knowledge. In the silence they are waiting for the chroniclers of their fate; those who can repeat after them – ‚tomorrow will be different’.

„No Fun” is the second solo album by Robert Piernikowski, the Polish rapper known from Napszykłat and SYNY, his live performances with Adam Gołębiewski and the theatre music for director Jan Klata. Piernikowski uses rap music to express his inter-esthetic urges, love for experimentation, and his taste for laconic storytelling. Hip hop is where he started, and its spirit is always present in his output, albeit filtered through his new musical and life experiences.

And it is no different on his latest album, evoking the oeuvre of Dean Blunt. It’s a multi-threaded tale in which stories heard at a local liquor store entwine with his memories of the 1990s, discos in his hometown, and emotions which rap music usually keeps at bay. There is no place for detachment at „No Fun”, no place for safety, and no place for fun. Snares pierce the air, the synthesizer follows the meandering of his memories, and even those Peruvians dressed up as Indians, playing flutes on the boardwalk, seem to be soaked in sadness and melancholy. It’s heavy. It’s a critical weight that’s worth tackling. As tomorrow – as has already been said – will be different.

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