What does Polinski sound like?

Dystopian future sci-fi breakbeat synths from across the galaxy.

The review of Meet Me by the Panamax Barricades by Polinski

Last year Paul Wolinski aka Polinski released the sublime breakneck electronic album ‘Telex From MIDI City‘. It was bombastic, vibrant, tunnel-like and a dystopian neo-future glitchfest. I adored it. Flash forward to 2024 and ‘Meet Me by the Panamax Barricades’ is described as a “comrade/sibling/life-companion” to ‘Telex From MIDI City’. It makes complete sense as the albums both sound like they come from the same ecosphere. If anything, this time around things are more frenetic and driven.

Polinski – Meet Me by the Panamax Barricade cover art

Polinski opens with the chopped-up breakneck drums and synths of ‘The Matte Flex’. The drums are crushed, pounded and distorted into a paste of gravel whilst wirey theremin synths spiral out of control. This album doesn’t hold back and it makes a grand entrance. This leads neatly into the cascading arpeggios and sci-fi synth tension of ‘The Saturn Tape (Rupture Mix V2)’. The best way to describe this track is when a cinematic three-chord string motif keeps growing and swelling in depth and height as you pan out further and further across space. Now take that idea and give it a slightly sinister edge and a throbbing club beat and you have ‘The Saturn Tape’. Throw in a few vocal samples and breakbeats and you are in Polinski’s happy place. He cites shipping containers as a reference for this track and I can see an epic timelapse of the Suez Canal to this track working wonderfully.

This leads us to the raining subsonic booms of ‘Fractal Club, Let’s Go’. Bass boom smash into this track like meteors and as it is so heavy, the rest of the track focuses on higher-pitched trance melodies. The song runs at an almighty BPM and could suit a new Dance Dance Revolution game with its epic melodies and drum and bass boss battle outro. ‘IDEA#3_PANAMAX.WAV’ slows down the tempo but cranks up the oppression. Polinski leans into warped and distorted future sound hues for the first half as a slow crushing beat knocks the twinkle from the synths out to pasture. It is but a momentary pause for breath though. The second half is a barrage of breakbeats, glitching samples and oppressive belly roars of sinewave wanting to break free.

Up until now, Polinski has kept things sounding quite harmonious. There is plenty of texture, but the sound is unified. This all changes with the demonic pulse of ‘FM Diplomacy’. Angry bit-crushed smashes characterise this piece. It is riddled with sawtooth synths writhing in rhythmic rage. The entire song is like a giant machine turning itself on and preparing to kickstart itself into action. It’s incredibly cinematic, like most of the album. This leads us to the epic ten-minute closer ‘Nostalgia Lake is Dying Pt. 1 & 2’. Polinski leans into 90s electronica with a collection of retro samples, beats, synths and noises. He then arranges them like we’re doing a song by 65daysofstatic but for London clubs circa 1991.

Once again Polinski fails to disappoint. This is a head rush, a futuristic story and a half-hour headrush rolled into one. The way Paul Wolinski crafts sound to overwhelm and overtake you is magnificent. Always melodic and constantly evolving, each release is like uncovering a new planet in the Polinski solar system. Long may the discovery continue. There isn’t anyone else out there crafting new musical worlds quite like Polinksi.

Recommended track: The Saturn Tape (Rupture Mix V2)

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