ADAM MAJDECKI-JANICKI

"Stoned Gypsy Wanderer" was the second official physical release for A.J. Kaufmann, and, as many reviewers and heads have said before, his best album so far. It was originally released on CD with Kendra Steiner Editions (Texas, USA). This here release is the vinyl one for Australian Ramble Records. The album is soaked in the spirit of the psychedelic 60s, but presents the genre in a modern-thinking and sounding way. Lyrically, in my opinion, with allusions to Artaud, Breton and Baudelaire, it is almost a masterpiece. Musically, it has some weak spots, but this time I won't analyze the album track by track. It's a concept album after all and should be listened to as such without separating the songs. I hear echoes of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Pearls Before Swine, Syd Barrett, Country Joe and the Fish, Chrome, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Robyn Hitchcock - but most of the reviewers already noticed it. What I love about this album is that it's not a collection of inspirations, or a mere 60s revival work. It's original, fresh, and stood well the test of time having been finally presented on vinyl. I'd give it 4 or 5 stars with ease were I to write a review for my own blog or another website. But, as we're on a prog rock website, I will give it 3 stars. The elements that define prog-rock could be here (check out "Wine of Rape" for some prog-pop vibes), but this is not a progressive rock album even being a concept LP, just a psychedelic one - maybe best compared to the spirit of 13th Floor Elevators. As Jerry Kranitz of Aural Innovations wrote back in 2014: "Stoned Gypsy Wanderer is a captivating set of songs which mine the Psychedelic, Folk and Prog realms and are then stamped with A.J.'s own personal touch.". That's it, folks. - Prog Archives.
 

"Adam Majdecki-Janicki offers outstanding music, like an archive noise, an open breath on a film from another era. An experiment that makes sound a landscape, a sound/space continuum. Yuri Morozov is the great inspiration, the clever and resourceful electronics of these studios piercing the solitude of the bands and official orchestras. There is no commemoration in this tribute to the great Russian composer. Perception alone, the memory of a burning film, a stalker in search of a mirrored universe. Adam Majdecki-Janicki makes textures-cassettes, sound worlds buried in the memory of a sky full of stars. Eimi, or the open sound of a walking talent." - Nicolas Tourney.

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"In the depth of winter we are treated to a ray of sunshine with this folk-style album from the eclectic and productive A.J. Kaufmann. The Polish song-writer and poet has created a beautiful album, which begins with a flourish of eastern mysticism in "Globetrotter" - resplendent with flutes and strings harking back to that optimistic feel of the sixties summer of love. That theme continues through some of the other tracks, such as the 'groovy baby' vibe of "Saturation" and the hauntingly alluring "King of Kreuzberg." But it wouldn't be an A.J. Kaufmann album if he didn't mix it up a little, with some tracks inclining towards the softer acoustic style of 'Donovan' (such as "Mighty River" and "Little Whip" which also skillfully amalgamates a little 'Incredible String Band' kind of elegance), then there is the laid back, almost melancholic calmness that was popularised by 'Nick Drake' ("Utopian Fields," "With The Sun In Your Belly" and "Patricia - Gypsy Caravan Rollin'")." - The Uncarved Block.

"At times Kaufmann conjures up the weird acid folk stylings of the likes of Perry Leopold, while at others, he rocks out with a surreal and macabre atmosphere, like Robyn Hitchcock or The Dukes of Stratosphear. " - Keith Hadad, Record Crates United.

"A.J. Kaufmann has a great voice which works so well with his music, and his lyrics are pure poetry. His music really is everything you could ask for in psych rock: groovy tunes, catchy vocals, and deep lyrics." - Fuzzy Cracklins.

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"Stoned Gypsy Wanderer (2014) – 14 songs on Vinyl LP. This LP captures time. Bard’s Woman in the Cool of the Summer Breeze (2023) – 10 songs on Vinyl LP. It’s fun to see the maturity and development of AJ’s music over nine years. A music review of 14 songs in the year 2014 and 10 songs from 2023. Kaufmann is a folk troubadour, minstrel and a harbinger of new sounds and thought. There is a theme that runs through this body of work, a method to his madness. All of these songs are a journey. So take the trip and give a listen. Nobody knows it but AJ Kaufmann is a national treasure of Poland." - David Bixby, Harbinger Magazine.

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"Had I not known the previous (impressive) works of both Jeff Gburek and A.J. Kaufmann, I would have happily believed that this was a lost psychedelic music gem long forgotten about in a basement studio recorded during Soviet times." - Music You Need to Hear.