The Polish Ambassador returns to Spokane with Superchill Goats
The Polish Ambassador, aka David Sugalski, only played and visited Spokane once but he enjoyed the vibe. “It was around 2014 and I liked what I saw,” Sugalski said. “I’m not a big city guy. I like what a smaller town brings.”
Sugalski, who will appear Sunday at the Knitting Factory, isn’t blowing smoke. A decade ago the charismatic DJ left Oakland for Nevada City, which has a population of just over 3,000 and is 150 miles northeast of San Francisco.
“The move changed my life and my music,” Sugalski said. “It’s about quality of life and I have plenty of it here.”
Sugalski lives on a 20-acre farm with an orchard that features 60 fruit trees. The community activist had seven goats and seven sheep, until recently. Now that Sugalski is on tour, he had to find a home for his animals. But since his music was impacted by his furry friends, Sugalski has dubbed his next album, “Superchill Goats,” a tip of the hat to his longtime companions.
“I love those guys,” Sugalski said. “They inspired me.”
The latest collection of tunes from Sugalski includes a number of electronic bangers. “I have fun with those types of songs,” Sugalski said. “But I also have some mellower tracks.”
These include the chill but melodic “Let the Rhythm Just,” which broke Sugalski in 2015 and has more than 4 million streams. But Sugalski is an eclectic DJ/producer.
“I get bored pretty easily so I tend to jump around,” Sugalski said. “But when I look at my favorite musicians, they’re the same way. Radiohead jumps around with every album they do. I admire how they explore and are always trying something new. In the electronic world I don’t see many other artists doing what I do, which is to explore.”
Making sonic changes can alienate a fan base but that doesn’t bother Sugalski. “I don’t care if I lose fans if I alter what I’m doing,” Sugalski said. “If I lose fans, I’ll gain new fans. I can’t worry about what I can’t control. What I can control is what I create and it’s exciting to have the liberty to express yourself like I have.”
The drawback about hitting the road is that Sugalski will miss his farm. “I love growing my own food and then there are the goats,” Sugalski said. “The thing I’ve enjoyed doing is giving people food from my farm, such as fruit from my trees and goat milk. It’s about giving back.”
About a decade ago Sugalski alternated performance days with what he dubbed “action days.” On those occasions, he would invite fans to join him in taking part in ecological events, ranging from working with community gardens to building systems to collect and reuse rainwater.
“I try to do as much good as possible,” Sugalski said. “It’s about all of us. However, that activism slowed in 2018 which is when I purchased the farm. Life changed for me and I’ve tried to make a difference on the farm.”
If it weren’t for his career, Sugalski wouldn’t have his beloved farm. “It’s been a wild trip,” Sugalski said. “I never predicted this career, this life would have happened.”
Sugalski dabbled in music while majoring in marketing at the University of Colorado at Boulder. “It all started when I was at college,” Sugalski said. “The first thing that happened after I started making music was that I was called the Polish Ambassador as a joke. Who would have guessed that name would have stuck and I would have this career? And now I’m off to Spokane?”
Sugalski wonders how much of an audience he’ll attract. “I had no idea how I would do playing Missoula (in 2022) and more than 700 people came out,” Sugalski said. “The same for Phoenix. I did a New Year’s show (in 2022) and 1,500 people came out to party. So I hope a lot of people come out to party in Spokane. From what I recall, it’s my kind of town. It’s not big but it’s big enough.”
Sugalski will be easy to spot in town if he sports his bright yellow jumpsuit. “I think I’ll be dressing down on and off stage,” Sugalski said. “I think I’ll keep it to a cool, flowery shirt. I’ll just let the music be loud.”