Electronic artist Marek Kubala has had a diverse career since the release of his debut EP, ‘Awhile’, in 2018. Not one to be pigeonholed, Marek signed to shoegaze label Shore Dive Records, with the project embracing a chameleonic approach to songwriting. Fusing crisp electro with indie guitars and soulful vocals, Marek’s expansive sound has attracted attention from the likes of BBC 6 Music’s Guy Garvey, BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio, Americana UK, GigSoup and many more.
Fast forward to 2024 and Marek has returned, as he prepares to release his forthcoming EP, Peeping Tom. Combining the futuristic soundscapes of NZCA Lines with the ambitious new wave influences of Talk Talk, Peeping Tom encapsulates Marek’s progressive take on electro music. The EP opens with the haunting, ambient, ‘Half The Man (Feat. Leo Abrahams)’. Produced by Leo Abrahams, longtime Brian Eno and Jon Hopkins collaborator and producer of Ghostpoet, the track marries Marek’s vocals with dramatic synth chords, creating a lush melancholic soundscape. Title track ‘Peeping Tom’, merges light with dark, the song building throughout and echoing the slick, brooding sonics of Depeche Mode. ‘Before The Calm’ injects energy into proceedings as Marek’s shimmering vocals undulate, the track blooming into a synth-pop banger. Highlighting Marek’s willingness to experiment with an eclectic range of genres, the EP closes with Polish electronic producer Trauma Phase’ dark wave remix of ‘Peeping Tom’.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Marek about the latest music, AI, dream collabs, and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
This AI thing is getting way out of control. I have students using ChatGPT to write death metal songs about country music…and country songs about being sad. You can feed some Ais a text prompt and create a Hollywood-quality short film. How do you feel about this new wave of technological innovation?
Well I’m a little reluctant to make predictions about technology as it’s so easy to look foolish in 10 or 20 years time. But I have been reading some of the interesting ideas Harari has written on AI and music. For instance, he says that AI will increasingly provide bespoke personalised music specific to only us. So one day in the not-too-distant-future we’ll have the Alexa AI equivalent creating personalised songs for us that it knows pushes our buttons – it will sense what mood we’re in, if we’re feeling happy/sad/worried etc, and create a piece of music with all the chord changes, vocal styles etc that work when we’re in that specific mood. Pretty mind-blowing stuff. But I think ultimately the human urge to create will remain ever-present so we’ll adapt to the availability of this new technology and keep on keeping on.
I know it’s hard…but what’s your favorite song and/or favorite artist of all time? If not favorite, in your top 3?
It’s so tricky… if push comes to shove, I’d have to say something like “Tomorrow Never Knows” for its inventiveness, audacity and just being decades ahead of its time… it took the rest of the world 20 years to catch up to that sound. Plus it still sounds amazing 50 years on. I think “Lady Grinning Soul” by David Bowie, “Angeles” by Elliot Smith and “Lilies” by Bat for Lashes would all have a good chance of making the top 10 too.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific or different with this project? What’s the back story?
My previous EP (Satellite/Ramjam, released in 2023) was a more lo-fi rock sound and I really wanted to go in the other direction and for the next EP to be more produced. The tracks on the “Peeping Tom” EP have a dark 80s synthpop vibe, I use drum machines rather than live drums, and a more polished big sound. But I think the EP still retains some rawness, whether from the vocals or some of the quirky production ideas. British bands from the late 80s/early 90s, like Tears for Fears, Talk Talk and New Order, are all influences of the title track, as are Underworld and Andrew Weatherall in his Screamadelica period.
What drives you to create? What keeps you going, especially on the bad days?
For me it’s just the equivalent of the portrait you might slowly work on in your study. I can’t say where the urge comes from but it’s always satisfying to hear a song come together.
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why? Please plug them with a link so readers can check them out.
I collaborated with some amazing musicians on the Peeping Tom EP. Leo Abrahams (collaborator of Brian Eno and Jon Hopkins, producer of Ghostpoet) produces the opening track ‘Half The Man’ and plays guitar on another song. Steve Pretty from the Hackney Colliery Band plays trumpet on Peeping Tom. We all live a couple of miles within each other. I’m not sure about a dream collaborator but I would have loved to have been in the studio with David Bowie when he was making ‘Station from Station’ (1976). I hear he was really on it at those sessions…
Where is the best place to stay connected with You?
I usually update what I’m doing with my music on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/marekxkubala)
I appreciate Your time. Want to say anything else before we sign off?
Thanks. I’ll mention that there is some limited edition hand-numbered CDs of the ‘Peeping Tom’ EP available from Shore Dive Record Bandcamp page.
