Paktofonika

Paktofonika
Also known as PFK
Origin Katowice, Poland
Genres hip hop
Years active 1998–2003
Labels Gigant Records
Associated acts Kaliber 44, 3xKlan, Pokahontaz
Past members Magik (1998-2000)
Fokus (1998-2003)
Rahim (1998-2003)

Paktofonika was a Polish hip hop group from Katowice and Mikołów, which debuted with the album Kinematografia in 2000. The name Paktofonika comes from the words pakt (pact) and fonika (phonics), from which derives the idea of "A pact made alongside sounds from a speaker", created by band's founders, Magik and Rahim.

A film inspired by its story, titled Jesteś Bogiem and directed by Leszek Dawid, was released in May 2012. It became a box-office hit and the highest-selling Polish film of the year.[1] It also won several film awards.[2]

Members

History

The portrait of Piotr "Magik" Łuszcz on his gravestone.

Formation (1998-1999)

Paktofonika began when Magik left Kaliber 44 during the recording of their second album, W 63 minuty dookoła świata (1998). Rahim left his group 3xKlan at around the same time, and formed Paktofonika with Magik and Fokus in 1998. Their first songs, written in October 1998, were "Priorytety", "Ja to Ja" and "Gdyby". Two new members joined Paktofonika, DJ Bambus on turntables, and Sot as a beatboxer.

Kinematografia and Magik's death (2000)

In the spring of 2000, the group signed a contract with Gigant Records. In the summer of that year, the group was in Witten, Germany, where they recorded their song "2 Kilo" with German artists. On 18 December 2000, Paktofonika's first album entitled Kinematografia was released. Eight days later, on 26 December at 6.15 a.m., Magik committed suicide by jumping from the window of his ninth-floor apartment.

Aftermath (2001-2003)

After Magik's death, the group continued performing with DJ Bambus and Sot for some time. In concerts, they were using previously recorded material of Magik's vocals. In May 2001, a sample of Paktofonika's song "Ja to Ja", sung by reggae/hip-hop artist Piotr 'Gutek' Gutkowski, was used in an ice-cream commercial without the group members' permission, but with the knowledge of Gigant Records.[3]

In September 2002, Paktofonika's farewell album was released. Archiwum Kinematografii contained studio outtakes from the group's first album, and two songs recorded later without Magik, "Ja to ja 2 (dokuadnie tak!)" and "W peunej gotowości". In December 2002, it was announced that on 21 March 2003 the group would give its last performance under the name Paktofonika in Spodek, Katowice.[4] The concert was recorded and released as Pożegnalny koncert on 26 April 2004 through Universal Music Poland.

Rahim and Fokus continue to work on other projects, such as PFK Company and Pokahontaz.

Legacy

Jesteś Bogiem, a long-awaited film inspired by Paktofonika's story and directed by Leszek Dawid, was released on 7 May 2012. It received critical acclaim and won several awards, including two Polish Film Awards (out of ten nominations) and 6 Złote Lwy awards (out of 7 nominations) at Gdynia Film Festival.[2] The film was also a box-office hit, with 1,366,293 viewers within its first month in theaters, and became the highest-selling Polish film of the year.[1] The film title (You're a God) refers to the title of Paktofonika's most popular song, "Jestem Bogiem" ("I'm a God").

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications
POL
Kinematografia
(Cinematography)
  • Released: 18 December 2000
  • Label: Gigant Records
2[5]
  • 50,000+
Archiwum kinematografii
(The Archives of Cinematography)
  • Released: 25 September 2002
  • Label: Gigant Records
3[7]

Extended plays

Year Album details Peak chart positions
POL
2001 Jestem Bogiem (I'm a God)
  • Released: 7 June 2001
  • Label: Gigant Records
30[8]

Live albums

Year Album details
2004 Pożegnalny koncert (Paktofonika's Farewell Concert)

Other releases

Year Album details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications Notes
POL
2012 Muzyka z filmu Jesteś Bogiem
  • Released: 5 October 2012
  • Label: Universal Music Poland
6[10] Jesteś Bogiem original soundtrack, produced by Fokus and Rahim.
Contains new versions of Paktofonika's songs, instrumental tracks by DJ 5:CET, and versions of songs "Nowiny", "Priorytety" and "Lepiej być nie może" recorded by actors who played group members in the film: Marcin Kowalczyk, Tomasz Schuchardt and Dawid Ogrodnik.

References

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