Republika

Republika was a Polish new wave band from the 1980s. The group formed in Toruń, Poland, in 1979 as Res Publica and began playing Jethro Tull-style prog rock. This type of music proved to be unpopular with fans, so the original leader, Jan Castor, quit the band. In 1981, Grzegorz Ciechowski, taking over the as the new head, moved the group's sound from prog rock closer to New Wave and rechristened the band Republika. He did not, however, completely abandon the band's roots; rather, he adapted Ian Anderson's "heavy-metal flute" into a "New-Wave flute" which featured prominently in such early tracks as Nowe Sytuacje and Kombinat. The group disbanded in 2001, following Ciechowski's death (cardiac aneurysm).