“People were excited about it!” – said Oki a year ago when he left the stage after the Red Bull SoundClash duel with Kukon. Then he had to acknowledge the superiority of his opponent, who – although clearly surprised by the final result – later confessed to us: “It was awesome. I would say it was the most interesting concert I have ever played.” If we go back even more years, similarly enthusiastic words about the formula of this event were also expressed by, among others: Grubson, Tymek and Fisz Emade, who also won the Red Bull SoundClash. This year, White 2115 joined this group, defeating the Kacperczyk brothers in the fifth Polish Red Bull SoundClash duel. But one step at a time.
Watch the replay of the Red Bull SoundClash match
The end of the world generation is having a great time
“What makes you stand out? That we are brothers, we stick together all the time,” said Maciek and Paweł Kacperczyk before entering the stage at COS Torwar. One of two stages, because each team plays on its own stage during the Red Bull SoundClash. Rapper White 2115 was placed on the second floor – for the needs of this show, reinforced by a live band. “What makes me different? Positive energy!” – these were his words, which he did not have to convince his fans to accept. However, if someone has not seen him live before, they felt this energy from the first minutes of the event. “We play six rounds, after five we measure your noise. In the sixth, the winner plays his final number – DJs Noz and Naro introduced us nicely to the course of Red Bull SoundClash at the start. Even earlier, when COS Torwar was filled to capacity, the party warm-up was led by the Patoszał duo. Felipe and Janigunz – two club brawlers who won the first edition of Red Bull Turn It Up in Poland in February. We were about to find out who would win the next Red Bull SoundClash.
Red Bull SoundClash: Kacperczyk vs. White 2115
© Łukasz Nazdraczew
“I’ve never seen so many falling stars / Don’t think about your wishes, they will all come true anyway,” the Kacperczyk brothers were the first to begin with their number “The End of the World Generation.” It seemed like a quiet warm-up, because the first round – The Warm Up – was mainly about introducing ourselves to the audience and playing numbers without any special requirements. But this year’s edition of Red Bull SoundClash was completely different from the previous ones. We saw this in the second number performed by the Kacperczyks – “Brejdaki” – in which the band was joined, to the great surprise of the audience, by the brothers… Golec. What does White 2115 say about this? He responded strongly, although (yet) without any similar surprises. After Kacperczyk played one more song, “We’ll See”, he greeted the audience with “Morgan” and two songs that he especially loves performing live. The record-breaking popularity of “California” and “I Might Die Today.” In the latter, shouting into the microphone: “Little one, dance today, I don’t count how much I spend on the bar today / Little one, have fun as if the world was falling asleep soon.” No one at Torwar needed special persuasion. When White played, the dances also took place in front of the Kacperczyk stage. And vice versa.
Red Bull SoundClash: Kacperczyk vs. White 2115
© Łukasz Nazdraczew
Like a repeat of your best vacation
But although the start was already strong, the best was yet to come. Red Bull SoundClash duels, although their rules are known and unchanged, surprise in their own way every time. They are a mix of musical surprises, stage twists and guest appearances that can turn the tide of the entire fight. The first round, which already indicates this, is The Cover – the one in which White 2115 and Kacperczyk performed their own version of the famous hit “Notorious Fiancé” by Lady Pank. A great choice, especially remembering Kacperczyk’s “My Best Years” and the lyrics: “It’s not punk, it’s not lady, it’s a pop song, baby.” Even better when it turned out that when White 2115 performed the number, Jan Borysewicz joined his band. This Jan Borysewicz. This is Lady Pank.
Red Bull SoundClash: Kacperczyk vs. White 2115
© Adam Słaboń
There was rap, there was pop, there was rock. From number to number, from round to round, the duel became more and more intense on the two stages and between them. By playing “Afterparty” – a number from White’s 2115, which was played in the next round of The Takeover – the musicians treated us, according to the lyrics of the song, to something like a repeat of the best holidays. When you enjoy music in good company and forget about everything else. And the one at Red Bull SoundClash is largely played only here and now. Most of the songs are performed in arrangements specially prepared for this occasion, and there is no second opportunity to hear them live in this form. Just like in the aforementioned The Takeover round, where teams exchange and take over each other’s songs. In Warsaw, we had the opportunity to see how White’s hip-hop repertoire – “Afterparty” and “Oh oh (lalala)” – would be played by Kacperczyk, who knows how to play alternative music, and how the brothers’ rock numbers – “I got up with my left foot” and “Like I ate Mentos and drank eats Coke” – the rapper and his crew will do live.
Red Bull SoundClash: Kacperczyk vs. White 2115
© Dominik Czerny
You are beautiful like RiRi, I mean RiRi like you!
“If fun is a crime, please convict me,” sings White 2115 in “For Those Who Can’t.” He also sang it during Red Bull SoundClash live, but in a different version than on the album, because again – this time in The Clash round – he and Kacperczyk had to try their hand at the musical stylists given to them. The rapper’s hip-hop hit “RiRi” in a rock version? And “Come on, together we’ll die for a while” by Kacperczyk in tropical climates? This kind of stuff only on Red Bull SoundClash. In the setlist of this round, we also heard “See you later”, “18” and “Artist from the Academy of Fine Arts”, in which Kacperczyk “played White”, freestyling in his style and in which the words were particularly loud: “This is a city of many pearls “. Yes, we saw them all having fun at COS Torwar that evening.
And in the last round before the big vote counting and the final – The Wildcard – even more were added. During Red Bull SoundClash, artists could invite anyone they wanted, as long as their friendly artists helped them gather as much noise as possible in the final stretch. Before the start of the fight, you could predict who it would be. The bets were won by those who bet that Chivas would perform with White (they performed “Death Note” together) and Kacperczyki Mrózu (“Free Spirits” and “Millions of Coins” were played live). But did anyone bet that Bambi would perform “Sebiksy” and “Mille Walky” with his brothers, and “Simple Facts” with White… Bedoes 2115, Kuqe 2115, Flexxy 2115, Blacha 2115?!
Red Bull SoundClash: Kacperczyk vs. White 2115
© Miko Marczuk
Red Bull SoundClash = a dream come true
“A beautiful evening, beautiful emotions. It was my dream come true!” – he said hotly after winning White 2115. “And the opportunity to perform on one stage with Janek Borysewicz is something amazing.” The Kacperczyk brothers, although defeated, also did not hide their satisfaction: “Great evening! We prepared the song arrangements for two months and we are very pleased with the effect. White’s songs were also nice to listen to. We treated it more as a friendly meeting than a serious competition, but we would like to thank the fans for such great support,” said Maciek Kacperczyk.
We would like to thank everyone for every decibel during this match. You made a beautiful noise!
Event partners: Snipes, Red Bull Mobile
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Red Bull SoundClash 2024
Red Bull SoundClash: Kacperczyk vs. White 2115. Watch the replay of the duel of musical opposites!
