The Polish Ambassador: So much, it's a super exciting time. I'm getting ready to drop 14 brands new tracks, booking a bunch of festival performances, running Jumpsuit Records, and I just started a non-profit called Action Days, which is attached to almost all TPA performances. We rally support of the fans to get their hands dirty before or after the show, and work on some sort of community service project in their neighborhood. It feels super cool to harness the energy of fans to create community and a lasting impact in the communities and cities I'm performing in.How did you link up with Matisyahu on this new track?
We were racking our brain on who to join TPA at Red Rocks. It's my performance at Red Rocks, so you gotta go big, you know? Someone said Matisyahu, and I was like f**k yea. Luckily, he was available and we got him on board two days later. Awesome dude he is, Matisyahu reached out, and was like, "Polish, if we're going to perform at Red Rocks together, we have to do a track together." We hopped on the phone, talked about life for a few and then got right into the music. I'm stoked to hang with him at Red Rocks. This is our first collaboration track, but I'm not saying it's our last ;)
It just makes the process so much more fun. I put out about 10 albums of solo work, and of course there's joy in seeing how diverse one can make music solo. But my feeling after doing a couple of collaboration records is that not only is the process more fun, but the potential to reach more people is much larger. You make all of these mini-alliances, and the result is that both artists get a boost in their audience. Some Matisyahu fans might hear this song, and go on to explore the rest of the album. That's awesome.What's next for you in the coming months?
Well, I've got about 15 gigs booked for 2016—many of them unannounced. I'm also about to start planting seeds in my garden, and am looking forward to being almost fully fed through our fruit trees and chickens this year. I also run a little 10 acre farm/homestead. Of course, I'm always making more music in the solar powered studio, and setting up as many action days at festivals as we can. I truly feel that we can begin to harness the energy of the millions of people attending music events worldwide, and I'm stoked to be having that conversation with festivals in the US.
With 17 albums dropped under a variety of names and collaborative groups, his beloved galactic jumpsuit (and donation-based label Jumpsuit Records), outspoken community work in environmentalism and permaculture, and an upcoming headline gig at Red Rocks, The Polish Ambassador has become a messiah of good vibes.
The San Francisco-based producer is now gearing up to release an entirely new album on April 15, Dreaming Of an Old Tomorrow, and as usual it features a slew of unique collaborations. This includes a track alongside formally hasidic reggae-rap crooner, Matisyahu, who provides vocals to a spread of steel-drums and subdued bass hits on "Tornado."
Along with a premiere of the new tune, which you can hear below, THUMP caught up with the artist, real name David Sugalski, to hear about his new album, how he linked with Matisyahu, as well as his fruit trees and vegetable garden.
THUMP: What have you been up to lately?
The Polish Ambassador: So much, it's a super exciting time. I'm getting ready to drop 14 brands new tracks, booking a bunch of festival performances, running Jumpsuit Records, and I just started a non-profit called Action Days, which is attached to almost all TPA performances. We rally support of the fans to get their hands dirty before or after the show, and work on some sort of community service project in their neighborhood. It feels super cool to harness the energy of fans to create community and a lasting impact in the communities and cities I'm performing in.
How did you link up with Matisyahu on this new track?
We were racking our brain on who to join TPA at Red Rocks. It's my performance at Red Rocks, so you gotta go big, you know? Someone said Matisyahu, and I was like f**k yea. Luckily, he was available and we got him on board two days later. Awesome dude he is, Matisyahu reached out, and was like, "Polish, if we're going to perform at Red Rocks together, we have to do a track together." We hopped on the phone, talked about life for a few and then got right into the music. I'm stoked to hang with him at Red Rocks. This is our first collaboration track, but I'm not saying it's our last ;)
Nearly every track on the LP features a guest. How important is collaboration to you in your music?
It just makes the process so much more fun. I put out about 10 albums of solo work, and of course there's joy in seeing how diverse one can make music solo. But my feeling after doing a couple of collaboration records is that not only is the process more fun, but the potential to reach more people is much larger. You make all of these mini-alliances, and the result is that both artists get a boost in their audience. Some Matisyahu fans might hear this song, and go on to explore the rest of the album. That's awesome.
What's next for you in the coming months?
Well, I've got about 15 gigs booked for 2016—many of them unannounced. I'm also about to start planting seeds in my garden, and am looking forward to being almost fully fed through our fruit trees and chickens this year. I also run a little 10 acre farm/homestead. Of course, I'm always making more music in the solar powered studio, and setting up as many action days at festivals as we can. I truly feel that we can begin to harness the energy of the millions of people attending music events worldwide, and I'm stoked to be having that conversation with festivals in the US.