Polish duo Skalpel channeled the influence of their homeland's rich jazz traditions into their own contemporary electronic sound. DJs/producers Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudlo first teamed in Wroclaw, Poland, in 1998. Working in virtual anonymity, Skalpel soon began assembling the first of their Eastern European fusion-inspired cut-and-paste mosaics by sampling classic LPs from artists including Krzysztof Komeda, Tomasz Stanko, and the Novi Sisters, spending months and even years in search of the right sounds [bad word] each individual track. In 2000 Pudlo interviewed Ninja Tune label artist DJ Vadim for the Polish hip-hop magazine Klan. Soon after, Vadim invited Skalpel to tour Poland with [bad word] Percussion ensemble, and after returning to Wroclaw the duo issued their debut CD-R, Polish Jazz. Despite limited distribution, the release was the subject of rapturous acclaim and in 2001 Ninja Tune extended a record deal. Skalpel spent the next three years working on its self-titled debut LP, [bad word] to jazz icons Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock with the end result. Konfusion followed in 2007.
— Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide