The Gray Zone of Talk’ album is the third entry in the series ‘10 times 10 gives 100’—a project in which, for 10 consecutive years starting in 2024, one album containing 10 tracks is released annually. The album will be available online and on vinyl. The focus track of the release is ‘which’, accompanied by an ambient video by renowned Polish nature photographer Olsza Grochowska.
The Gray Zone of Talk Each album in the series introduces a sonic or musical element that distinguishes it within the cycle. In the case of The Gray Zone of Talk, it is a jazz-inflected guitar, reshaped through granular synthesis, that together with electronically programmed beats creates a singular acoustic environment.
Every album title in the series carries a central thought, further developed on the cover art and through the track titles. Placed one under another, those titles form an aphorism. The current edition bears the name The Gray Zone of Talk—a thought inspired by the philosophy of Henri Bergson and his notion of intuitive understanding, which he set in opposition to intellectual comprehension.
If we assume that humans indeed possess such a faculty, and that it is in some sense intersubjective, then—given the imperfections of language as a tool—shouldn’t we at times rely more on this space of intuitive grasp than on faulty words? Since understanding words is already to interpret, and interpretations inevitably diverge, perhaps silence speaks better of certain matters. Not silence as concealment, but silence as communication. Allowing the gray zone of talk to become a surface of mutual understanding without words.
10 times 10 gives 100, The meaning of this series and its regularity can be read in many ways. On the one hand, it is an attempt to lock into a predictable structure an act of creation usually taken as the outgrowth of free will—precisely that which distinguishes humans from the rest of nature. It is the collision of purposeless creativity with a rhythm recalling the determinism of natural law. An experiment testing where the boundary between those two spheres falls when seen through the lens of human artistic practice.
Perhaps it is also a reflection on the poetry contained in numbers. On the abstract, mathematical concept—possibly nothing more than a convention born by chance, the decimal system exists simply because humans have ten fingers. Yet regardless of cause and effect, numbers can offer aesthetic pleasure. Some more than others. And a world arranged by them may appear a more welcoming place to be.
Ultimately, it may also be a commentary on the human longing for order, for harmony. A struggle against the constant chaos of our inner life, set against the ever-changing outer world. A yearning for predictability and the sense of safety provided by regularity. There are likely still more meanings… It may well be nothing but a joke. A needless display of diligence. In any case, best not to take it too seriously.
The project Rzekomo has been active since autumn 2021. The 2023 EP Spiritual Wastefulness and the first two entries in the series—Inner Life Dilemma (2024) and Everything (2025)—have been supported on major digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and Beatport (notably on the 3.7M-subscriber playlist Brain Food). The releases also gained recognition on international radio stations, such as RNE (Spain), LaRG (France), FriskyRadio (New York), and in Polish media, including K Mag, Going, Radio Nowy Świat, Radio 3/5/7, Kampus Radio, Tuba.fm, among others. Rzekomo’s music has also found its way into film and theatre soundtracks. In recent years, the artist has composed for several short films and stage productions, including It’s Deep, but it’s not That Deep (dir. Beniamin Koc, Festiwal Dowód) and Jednia (dir. Maciej Kowalczyk, Proces Postaci). Work is currently underway on further projects.
Track by Track
‘That’ – The opening piece that sets the tone for the entire narrative, condensing all the musical means that will unfold across the album. It introduces granularly processed jazz guitar, electronics, beat-driven structures, and elements of classical instrumentation.
‘which’ – Perhaps the emotional core of the album, where its overall expressive meaning is most fully realized. Rhythmically inspired by microhouse, it is built around a nostalgic statement carried throughout by a granularly glitched guitar.
‘is not’ – One of the more energetic tracks on the record, driven by a distinctive beat. Melody takes a secondary role, while the narrative is led by harmonic accompaniment, evoking a layered ensemble of guitars and synthesizers. It relies on rhythmic force and cooperation rather than contrast or counterpoint.
‘speakable’ – An ambient breath, offering a moment of calm after the intense opening. Built on an irregular rhythm and a melody that moves steadily forward without returning to its starting point until the very end.
‘shapes unity’ – A contemplative, beat-based track where a granular, textured guitar is joined by Rhodes piano, simultaneously soothing and unsettling.
‘stronger’ – A track with a restrained, inward vibe, rhythmically shaped by a loosely played, “broken” tambourine. It balances calm and tension, eventually resolving into a relieving theme for piano and guitar, surrounded by glitched synths.
‘than that’ – Another piece drawing on a more conventional beat, structured as a two-part narrative. It begins with a withdrawn melody that gradually builds tension, leading into a second section where rhythm and accompaniment merge into a flowing, cohesive atmosphere.
‘which can’ – Returning to microhouse influences, disrupted by a detuned bassline and glitched guitar motifs. The middle section offers the most delicate moment on the album – a quiet dialogue between imperfectly sounding piano and guitar.
‘be spoken’ – A track built on a steadily unfolding dramaturgy, with tension increasing throughout. A loosely played clarinet section appears as a new element, reinforcing this progression and hinting at an approaching resolution.
‘There is no need to talk about everything’ – The longest and most conceptually driven piece. It revolves around a guitar repeating a single motif that has accompanied the entire narrative. This focused repetition symbolises the silence – central to the album’s extra-musical idea. Around it, a quasi-orchestral layer, interrupted by electronics, attempts to express the chaos and dispersion of meaning inherent in verbal communication. Yet this orchestral intensity ultimately fails to disrupt the calm persistence of the guitar; instead, the “chattering orchestra” gradually aligns with the silence, dissolving into it by the end.
The album was developed with the support of ZAiKS as part of the Creative Support Fund (Fundusz Popierania Twórczości).
Purchase the album on vinyl here.
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