One of the most rewarding parts of running this site over the years has been connecting with so many talented artists, most of whom started as “internet friends,” with a few turning into real-life ones along the way.
A.J. Kaufmann, based in Poznań, Poland, has become one of my closest online collaborators and friends. I’ve interviewed him before and covered several of his records, and his work never fails to surprise and evolve.
A.J. is a Polish genre-bender whose music drifts between folk, noise, and psychedelia, conjuring what he calls a “Strange World” of sound. Whether he’s dealing in fuzzed-out riffs or cosmic soundscapes, albums like Stoned Gypsy Wanderer showcase his knack for exploring the outer edges of music and poetry. In short, he’s exactly the kind of artist The Third Eye loves.
We recently caught up with A.J. to hear about his latest musical explorations, including a new project tied to his work at a wine and record shop that’s just launched its own net label.
Interview with A.J. Kaufmann
Third Eye: How have you been? What’s going on in Poland?
A.J. Kaufmann: I’ve been good, composing, improvising, recording, and writing poetry. Also got back to publishing poetry, in a magazine called Edge of Humanity. My first publishing credit in 10 years, I believe.
I had my 40th birthday earlier this year, and we had a big party at Kołorking Muzyczny, with an obligatory jam session and some Simon wine from the Wino & Winyle wine and record store. There’s not much going on here in Poland. I still live in Poznań, which is an average Polish city between Berlin and Warsaw. I live a quiet life and hardly watch the news. I don’t even have a TV.
We have a new president, we are still very Catholic, and most people here are die-hard conservatives. But then there are guys like me who pump up the weird volume to 11.
Third Eye: Tell me about Wino and Winyle net label and record store. You have been working at the record store for a few years, right?
A.J.: Yeah, it’s been a few years already. The Wino & Winyle wine and record store started in 2019 thanks to Igor, a vinyl and wine enthusiast. He wanted to have a place to unfold his vision onto the people, sort of a projection of his wine and vinyl passion. His friend, Jozsef Simon, makes great wine down in Eger in Hungary, and we sell almost exclusively his wines. So, the store has been around for quite some time. But the net label is a different story – it was my idea to start it, and release some music by friends and interesting artists from all around the world. With Igor’s blessing, of course.
We are waiting for an exclusive Herby Records (Austin, TX) compilation for us at the moment. We have released a TIBProd. Italy compilation earlier this year and are looking forward to highlighting more labels. We started only 2 months ago or so and recently celebrated our first Bandcamp Friday. We had lots of fun, and didn’t expect such a high level of interest and support.
Third Eye: Is the net label accepting music and demos? What type of stuff is the label looking for, and how should artists and bands submit?
A.J.: Of course, we are accepting music. We are looking mostly for psych/noise/kraut-rock, free improv/free jazz, ambient/drone, leftfield electronica, instrumental hip-hop, folk, and non-mainstream music. We released some music from our regular clients, which is very interesting to see local artists and music producers visit our brick and mortar store, buy some stuff, discuss music and art with me, and then share their work on our net label. It’s the real power of the local scene. I think we have 2 or 3 releases that happened just like this.
For acts outside of Poznań, Poland, submitting is easy – you just have to contact me via email, send your music with google drive or we.transfer and wait for the answer. I always reply, I am not like 99% of labels on the market. We also want to release some super-rare forgotten vinyl, but the only problem is copyright. The stuff on really small labels from weird countries is not that popular, and it deserves a new spotlight, but being an artist I respect copyright and am not looking for trouble.
We tried to track down one Indonesian singer, but to no avail, so for now it’s all only in the plans. We don’t want to steal anyone’s money. But if you have some cool super-rare vinyl rips from Eastern Europe, you are welcome to send them as well. We will see what we can do.
Third Eye: Do you have a lot of rare vinyl at the record store? What’s the best thing you’ve found there so far?
A.J.: We have lots of weird vinyl – I wouldn’t say “rare”, but I’d say “weird” – stuff that’s normally not available in Poland. There’s lots of this stuff in Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, or London, but not in Poznań, Poland.
Speaking of rare, I once found “Electric Sound for Dancing” by The Chaparall Electric Sound Inc. Maybe not super-rare, but really cool and not that obvious. Once we had a cool Jimi Hendrix compilation album with Salvador Dali-inspired album artwork, which was also very cool. Last year I found this great album by Bractwo Kurkowe – “Polskie Dzwony”, a Polish psych-folk classic.
Speaking of Polish stuff, the legendary “Mrowisko” by Klan. Also, we had two professional salsa dancers come visit us recently, and they found lots of salsa records in our folk/world section. We have a pretty cool selection of folk/world, classical, and jazz. We have some shellac. Sometimes some Niemen.
We have a selection of Guerssen reissues, which is our best offer at the moment. DOM – Edge of Time is a bestseller. I really like the stuff that Guerssen puts out, so it’s an honor being the only store in Poznań to have a regular Guerssen offer on our shelves.
Third Eye: What’s something else going on in the Polish music scene you can tell us about, especially where you are in Poznań?
A.J.: I don’t know much about the Polish music scene – I’m somewhere between the underground and mainstream, and not really a part of either, because my singles failed in 2011, and the underground laughs at my “rockstar” mentality being probably just jealous of more success that they can dream of, even with me not joining the corporate devil.
I don’t keep an ear out for new Polish releases. I don’t care. I’ve heard it all before. Poznań is my birthplace and favorite city in Poland, but I know more about Lech Poznań, our Greater Poland pride and best football team, than I know about the local music scene. Those people ignore me, so I return the favor, smiling sadly but with confidence. Simple as that.
Third Eye: It’s hard to believe we are halfway through 2025! What else are you looking forward to for the remainder of this year?
A.J.: Yeah, time sure flies. It’s crazy. I have been playing with Bezkwit since April 2024. I am looking forward to more jams and recordings with them. I am a lazy fellow, so recently I only use my voice and carry a microphone around. Guitars are too heavy. Looking forward to growing the Wino & Winyle net label as well. I think there’s a bright future in art, music, and writing. And wine, of course!
Support A.J.’s new Wino & Winyle Records by finding them on Bandcamp, their official blog, or Soundcloud
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