Robert Brylewski facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Brylewski
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| Born |
Robert Maksymilian Brylewski
25 May 1961 |
| Died | 3 June 2018 (aged 57) |
| Occupation | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Partner(s) | Vivian Quarcoo |
| Children | Sara Brylewska Ewa Brylewska |
| Musical career | |
| Also known as | Afa, Robi Goldroker |
| Genres | Punk rock, reggae, new wave |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, keyboards |
| Years active | 1978–2018 |
| Labels | Polton, Pronit, Arston, Phonex, Gold Rock, W Moich Oczach, Lemon Records |
| Associated acts | Kryzys, Brygada Kryzys, Izrael, Armia |
Robert Maksymilian Brylewski (May 25, 1961 – June 3, 2018) was a famous Polish musician and songwriter. People also knew him as Afa and Robin Goldroker. He helped start several important bands like Kryzys, Brygada Kryzys, Izrael, and Armia.
In May 2012, Robert Brylewski's life story was published in a book called "Kryzys w Babilonie" (Crisis in Babylon). The book was based on many conversations between Brylewski and a Polish journalist, Rafał Księżyk. It shared details about his childhood, teenage years, music, and personal life.
Contents
Robert's Early Life
Robert Brylewski's father, Waldemar, was from Czeladź, and his mother, Hanna, was from Warsaw. They met in the 1950s while dancing for the well-known Śląsk Song and Dance Ensemble. Robert was their only child. Even though he was born in Warsaw, he spent most of his childhood in a castle in Koszęcin. This is where all the members of the dance group lived.
In the early 1970s, Robert moved back to Warsaw with his mother. His parents divorced when he was 13. Robert shared that he had a lot of freedom as a teenager. His mother often traveled for her dancing and singing, and his father stayed in Koszęcin. Robert went to Warsaw's 11th High School. However, he decided not to finish school or go to college. He wanted to become a musician instead.
As a teenager, Robert played football and was part of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association. Later, he became very interested in rock music. In the early 1970s, his father brought several music records from the United States. Robert often went to rock concerts at Warsaw's Congress Hall. He also attended the Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw.
Starting New Bands (1978-1982)
In the late 1970s, Robert Brylewski read about the British punk rock movement in a newspaper. He was very impressed by bands like The Clash and Sex Pistols. He went to the first punk rock concert in Poland in April 1978. After this show, he decided to start his own band. He teamed up with Kamil Stoor and Paweł "Kelner" Rozwadowski. They called their band The Boors.
After Kamil Stoor moved away, the band changed its name to Kryzys (Crisis) in May 1979. Thanks to their manager, Jacek Olechowski, Kryzys toured Poland from 1979 to 1981. They played with popular bands like Kombi and Turbo. Robert Brylewski wrote the music for Kryzys, and the band's drummer wrote the lyrics. In 1981, they performed at the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole.
Kryzys stopped playing together in July 1981. In August 1981, Brylewski met Tomasz "Frantz" Lipiński. Lipiński's band, Tilt, had also recently broken up. The two musicians quickly decided to start a new band. Their manager wanted to keep the name Kryzys, so Lipiński suggested adding "Brygada." This is how Brygada Kryzys (Crisis Brigade) was formed.
The band leaders called their music "punkadelic." Their first show was in September 1981 in Warsaw. This concert was recorded and later released in Great Britain. In November 1981, Brygada Kryzys toured Poland with a British band. Robert Brylewski faced some difficulties during this tour. In December 1981, the band traveled to Belgrade for a cultural event. They were welcomed as important musicians there.
Brygada Kryzys chose not to play at government-sponsored shows. They recorded their first album in early 1982. People called it the Black Album because of its cover. In the autumn of 1982, Tomasz Lipiński decided to leave the band. Brygada Kryzys then stopped playing together. Robert later said he understood why Tomasz felt frustrated.
Exploring Reggae Music (1983-1985)
After Brygada Kryzys, Brylewski briefly played in a band called Anarchia. In early 1983, he started a new reggae band called Izrael with Paweł "Kelner" Rozwadowski. Robert came up with the name Izrael in March 1983. He had enjoyed ska music and bands like The Specials. He also liked The Clash. Robert found that reggae was an independent culture. It wasn't controlled by the government or big businesses.
He started wearing dreadlocks, but he never called himself a rastaman. During this time, Robert read different religious books. He was also impressed by Pope John Paul II. He felt that reggae music had a lot of energy and spirituality. It was about social and mental changes, not just entertainment.
Izrael was founded in March 1983. In May, they recorded their first album, Biada, Biada, Biada. This was the first album by a Polish reggae band, but it wasn't released until 1985. Brylewski wrote songs for it with Rozwadowski. Soon after recording, Izrael toured Poland with the band Misty in Roots.
During a show in Kraków, Brylewski met Vivian Quarcoo. She was a Polish-African singer in a jazz band and later became his wife. Vivian began singing with Izrael. Their first daughter, Sara, was born in 1986, and their second daughter, Ewa, in 1990. From 1984 to 1986, Izrael played at many festivals, including Jarocin Festival. In 1985, Brylewski started working with Dariusz Malejonek, who had his own reggae band called Kultura. Eventually, the two bands joined together and kept the name Izrael.
In the summer of 1985, Izrael recorded their second album, Nabij faję (Fill up the pipe). Robert Brylewski wrote almost all the songs and designed the album cover. He also helped produce a music collection called Fala. He described those times as "full of innocence," with people united.
Creating Armia (1985-1990)
At the Jarocin Festival in 1984, two bands, Izrael and Siekiera, performed. After Siekiera's show, Brylewski talked to the band members. He later invited Siekiera to a festival in Warsaw. Brylewski noticed that Siekiera's leaders, Tomasz Adamski and Tomasz Budzyński, didn't get along well. At one point, Budzyński suggested starting a band with Brylewski.
This led to the creation of Armia (sometimes called Antiarmia). Other members included Sławomir Gołaszewski, Brygada Kryzys drummer Janusz Rołt, and Izrael's bass players. Robert Brylewski felt that Armia was a fresh idea and a return to his musical roots. He said their music was free from typical styles. He described their sound as a "thick, concrete wall" with lots of energy. They avoided guitar solos, moving away from traditional rock.
Robert Brylewski and Tomasz Budzyński were inspired by the film Aguirre, the Wrath of God. This film influenced Armia's song lyrics. They were also interested in books by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Native American culture, and Christianity. Robert said that Armia quickly created its own unique sound, like Izrael had. He called their music "a fairy tale music" and connected it to forces of nature. Indian symbols often appeared in their designs.
In 1987, Armia recorded their first album, Aguirre, in a private studio in Rzeszów. Since Izrael also recorded there, Brylewski spent two months in Rzeszów. Besides Aguirre, he recorded another Izrael album, Duchowa rewolucja, working closely with Dariusz Malejonek.
Throughout most of the 1980s, all of Brylewski's bands practiced at the Hybrydy Student Culture Center in Warsaw. In 1983, this club started an annual event called the Róbrege Festival. Brylewski helped choose the bands for this festival. He said that punk rock bands played on the first day, reggae on the second, and other music on the third. They found new bands at festivals like Jarocin.
In the mid-1980s, Brylewski opened his own recording studio called Złota Skała (Gold Rock). He released Armia's first tapes in 1986. Many underground bands in Poland couldn't get their music released by official companies. So, Brylewski decided to help them record and publish their work. At the same time, he created a music project called T-34 with Rozwadowski, named after a famous Soviet tank.
In 1988, Brylewski went to London to see the city and buy a good guitar. He worked at a construction site for two months. After returning to Poland, he moved with his family to a village called Stanclewo in Masuria. There, he opened the Gold Rock studio with other musicians. He lived in Stanclewo for two years (1988–1990). He eventually returned to Warsaw as it became harder to work with his band from the village.
Robert's Passing
In 2018, Robert Brylewski was seriously injured and fell into a coma. He passed away on June 3, 2018, at the age of 57.
