Common Dream

Common Dream is one of few Polish bands making use of synthesizers and computers; also one of literally few trying themselves in electro-synth-pop music. The band struggling for years with the unbelieveably crude Polish reality, aspired to record a debut album maintained in the electro-synth-pop style, so popular in the West and America. The musicians and their compositions are present in foreign magazines more often than in Polish ones.

Such a situation lasts still even a few days before the album premiere date. Officially the name Common Dream has existed since April, 1996. The earlier years passed under the name Oxygene and it was used only at a few Depeche Mode fans' conventions in Poland. Oxygene played mainly DM covers, but also some of their own compositions. The name was changed because of the associations with J. M. Jarre's records. Three young guys from Tarnow, fascinated with electronic sound start the band. The members are Konrad Niedojadlo, Tomasz Rozowski, Dawid Niedojadlo. Their music activity commences very dynamically. On 8th June 1996, they play as a support at the concert in Cracow with the bands Dance Or Die and Static Icon from German Machinery Records. At the end of this year the group passes through a crisis, Konrad leaves the band. Bad times end at the beginning of 1997 and the band gets in touch with David Lin from American record label Strangers Thoughts (now Synthphony Records). After receiving demo tape he decides to include 'World of Your dreams' into the compilation CD 'Synthpop: the Next Genaration' together with such bands like: Neuropa, Red Sector One and Agnes Poetry. 1998 is a year of a hard work on a new material and cooperation with the German magazine Synthetics offering the distribution of Common Dream demo CD in Germany. In the first issue of Synthetics the review of that demo tape appears. Finally the first demo CD entiltled 'Electroskies' is being relesead in 1999 and in March the CD is being sent to different magazines and record labels in Germany, United States, Finland and Sweden. Some complimentary reviews of 'Electroskies' appear in different European music magazines: Prospective, E-lectric, Synthetics. The last one in its March issue places the review with Common Dream, and additionaly in the December issue there is a CD compilation with the band's new song 'Taken Aback'. Another song 'Hate & Love' is released in Germany on Modern Entertainment Sampler Volume II together with songs of Psyche, Dynamic Monsters or Equatronic. The year 2000 boys start with work on a Depeche Mode cover "If You Want" and s new version of "With Might and Main" for the compilation CD of Polish independent artists "MODE.IN.POLAND". Besides recording, the band gives some concerts in Poland. September sees the release of the first full length demo CD-R ?Virgo?. The CD contains 11 songs and 5 remixes made by different independent Polish musicians. Good reviews of the CD appear in different music magazines and net zines as E-lectric, Re-flexion, Prospective. At the end of that year Common Dream prepares to sign a record contract with Polish independent record label Black Flames from Poznan. It is a very productive step, because in December Common Dream are recording in Ziyo Spectrum Studio a cover of The Cure's song ?Bloodflowers? for upcomming Polish The Cure Tribute - 'A Tribute to The Cure' (Black Flames Rec). Still before the release of the tribut, on 1st March Common Dream sign a record contract with Polish label Black Flames Records for two albums and singles.
The group is being noted in Poland. Among the concerts played at that time there is also the one in Bolk?w during the Castle Party. This festival gathers such fames as Das Ich, Endraum or Legendary Pink Dots.
The works on the debut single and album are preceded by the videoclip recording in Cracow in July of 2001. It's directed by Patryk J. and Wojtek Z., members of My Favourite Eye (group). Then, the musicians get to the Ziyo Spectrum Studio in Tarn?w and despite a momentary problems with health of Konrad, they record single song Someone Could. And before the end of the year, the title song lands up on remix consoles of the European lead of synthpop scene: No Comment, Colony 5, Obsc(y)re and the alternative pop legend - at that time, polish-canadian duet Psyche. In December Common Dream come off on two gigs in Germany to accompany German band Melotron and project Wave in Head. The year 2002 is started by the next concerts with Melotron, but this time in Poland (L?dY i Cracow) - during these performances the band presents already a new material. On March the works on the single and album Gravity are brought to the close. They are produced by Kris Krupa. For the following year the premiere dates of both single and album are being postponed. Finally, the Black Flames Label releases Someone Could in Poland in January of 2003. In addition to seven versions of the title song and 'Bloodflowers' one can find a multimedia stream with the videoclip and band's promo photos on the CD. The breakthrougg of April and May, the single has its European premiere. The distribution is handled by the German Indigo engaged in releases of Wolfsheim, De/Vision, Deine Lakaien, or Distain!. The album Gravity containing 11 compositions maintained in electro-pop style sees the daylight in June of 2003. The European distribution is in hands of mentioned Indigo, and in America in hands of one of the biggest synth-electro-pop music supervisor - A Different Drum Records!

Tomasz Fijalkowski, 2003