Paktofonika

Paktofonika were a Polish hip-hop group founded in Katowice in 1998 by Magik (Piotr Łuszcz), Fokus (Wojtek Alszer), and Rahim (Sebastian Salbert). The group's sound featured elements of ragga, funk, and jazz, and featured introspective lyrics about personal struggles with an ultimately empowering, positive message. The group started in 1998 when Magik left influential hardcore rap group Kaliber 44, and Rahim left his group 3xKlan. Joining the trio of rappers were turntablist DJ Bambus and beatboxer Sot. Paktofonika signed to Gigant Records in spring of 2000, and released debut full-length Kinematografia toward the end of that year. The album was a success, hitting number two on the Polish charts and being certified gold. Tragically, Magik committed suicide eight days after the album was released. The group continued performing without him, using recordings of his vocals during concerts. The group's second and final album, Archiwum Kinematografii, was released in 2002, and consisted of outtakes from their debut, as well as new songs recorded without Magik. Paktofonika performed their final concert in March of 2003, and the concert was released on DVD as Pożegnalny Koncert in April of 2004. Rahim, Fokus, and DJ Bambus continued making music as Pokahontaz. Jesteś Bogiem, a film about Paktofonika's story, was released in 2012, and became the most successful Polish film of the year, winning several awards and spawning a gold-selling soundtrack. ~ Paul Simpson