Hafez Nazeri Existence: Life (2014)
After making a name for himself in contemporary performance art—including gigs at prestigious institutions like Tate Modern, Camden Arts Centre and Galerie Molitor—Polish artist Wojciech Kosma began producing avant-pop music under the moniker spalarnia. Following a handful of releases on Polish labels, his latest album Paradoks was jointly released in late 2024 by Turin-based label Gang of Ducks and Präsens Editionen from Lucerne, Switzerland.
The titular paradox of the album lies in its ability to be both soft and intense. Incessant, hypnotic rhythms and massive synths are woven into a state of constant becoming—perpetually tense, yet deeply earnest. Amidst these at times sparse, at times grandiose soundscapes, spalarnia’s voice oscillates between singing and speaking, seemingly calm and warm, yet shadowy—like an underwater cave on a summer day where secrets can be shared.
In his Polish lyrics, spalarnia explores themes of love, pleasure and desire, along with the fears, abandonments and emancipations that accompany them. He crafts a world that is deeply personal and intimate, yet also communal, euphoric and hopeful. Like all sincere emotional landscapes, it is a paradoxical world.
In spring 2025, spalarnia embarked on a tour, joined by The Rest’s co-editor-in-chief Remo Bitzi (one of the driving forces behind Präsens Editionen) among others.
At one stop on the tour, Remo hosted an interview with Wojciech and Raudie McLeod (aka River Y), another artist who joined the tour for some shows, on Milan’s Radio Raheem. When asked to suggest a song to play during the show, Wojciech chose Hafez Nazeri’s “Existence: Life”.
He explained that he discovered the piece through a show by Laurens Otto on Mutant Radio, which “was made during the breakup of a marriage—the final moments of a ten-year union…” The mix is accordingly heavy and heartfelt, featuring everything from experimental organ music by Kali Malone to a track by Travis Scott, Yung Lean and Dave Chappelle. It also includes an a cappella version of Wojciech’s song “Nie Szkoda Mi” and opens with a striking piece by Kurdish Iranian musician and singer Shahram Nazeri.
Finding pleasure in Nazeri’s work, Wojciech started digging. Being the curious person that he is, Wojciech didn’t stop at Shahram’s work—he also explored the catalogue of Shahram’s son, Hafez Nazeri, where he discovered the utterly powerful “Existence: Life”, which is his current track crush.
Start the conversation
Become a paid member of The Rest to gain access to the comments section.