"Rock'n'Roll is the Art of Not Giving a Fuck." (Adam Majdecki-Janicki, 2024).

My life story is funny - if you have read some of the interviews available online, you might have a slight idea of who I am.

But, I wanted to introduce myself and The Strange World of A.J. Kaufmann properly with this acoustic album.

I was born Adam Majdecki-Janicki in Poznań Poland in 1985.
I started writing poetry and music early, in 1998, which was also the year I recorded my first cassettes. Surviving materials from that era are available on the www here: adammajdecki-janicki.bandcamp.com/album/adam-sandosa and here: freeartslab.bandcamp.com/album/monsters-from-the-tape-recorder-1998-2003. They are really bad.

Yes, I couldn't really sing or play, but I had a great passion for music, art, and writing.

I've been recording tapes with simple folk/punk/blues/psychedelic songs, inspired by Syd Barrett, Velvet Underground, Monster Magnet, Woody Guthrie, Sawyer Brown, and Captain Beefheart. Those are the influences I remember today. I was using a pseudonym back then, Adam Sandosa, taken from the first Amon Duul LP, "Psychedelic Underground".

Most of the first songs found on these tapes were later re-recorded properly (and after singing lessons) and included on the Acid Saga of A.J. Kaufmann series of albums available on The Swamp Records.

"Fairyport Convent", my first album for The Swamp Records has all my earliest songwriting efforts on it, and I've heard it's not that bad. I am glad some people dig it, and find an interest in my early, folklore-based work.

I feel I am primarily a folk artist, having strong working man's ethos, and spirituality. I am not at all experimental, or psychedelic, although psychedelic is the word most often associated with me and my work. Oh well, let it be, let it be...

When I started recording songs for my new album (coming December 2024 on The Swamp Records) I realized that the acoustic tracks sounded exactly like my 1998 recordings, only technically better and more mature. I figured out I'll release them independently, on a separate album, and focus on other sounds for the album proper.

So, please treat this album as a bit of a "filler" before the actual album comes out, sort of a bridge between 1998 and 2024.

But, I feel it's not exactly filler material - there are some "classics" of mine, like "Górczyn is Brooklyn", "New Jerusalem", and "Hank" in unexpected renditions, and I feel also the new material is rather strong and, well, experimental.

Maybe I should start a series of albums exploring the different sides of my work? - So, this would be the acoustic (although fuzz and synths appear occasionally) side, volume one, in a simple cover based on a Michalina Łuzińska photo of me circa 2021.

What I would love to release next would be the soundscape/kosmische/space side. I am currently browsing my archives for material and also working on new compositions.

You will surely hear from me soon, as I am working like crazy.

Also, please don't forget to join the Swamp Krewe, and grab my vinyl and CDs while they're still available. I think you know where to find them.

Stay tuna,
A.J.