King George Island’s Admiralty Bay on the outermost edge of Antarctica’s horn is home to year-round research facility Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station, where-in eight scientists reside full-time. The “winter group”, as they are called, is responsible for overseeing perennial scientific data collection through the coldest months of the year.

“The research we do is part of our interdisciplinary programs on issues such as the variability of polar ecosystems, evolution, structure, and dynamics of biodiversity, things of that nature”, describes Dr. Steven Flack, a 35-year-old Kelso, Washington climatologist who arrived at the facility via a fellowship from Jagiellonian University in Krakow. “To be honest, there isn’t much to do here. We spend most of our time waiting for test results. During those waiting periods, I have been making beats and mixing records.”

Just south of the station lie Copacabana Camp and Demay Refuge, and for one summer one of the researchers set up an ad hoc bar called ‘Copacabana Bar’ in (nearby) Lenie Base, thinking he would provide entertainment to the science tourists that visit us through the warmer months. “We actually get quite a few tourists every year,” Flack explains. “The bar was really quite lovely. He set up a small cabin of maybe 80 square meters and what made this space special was it’s sound system. I mean, for such a tiny space It was a very powerful system!” Steven describes the system with a reticent chuckle and a hint of pride . “You could probably hear the sound across the bay. But there were only ever maybe thirty of us here at it’s very busiest. It was a bit much if you ask me.”

But after the short summer and very long winter, the creator of Copacabana Bar decided to leave the Island, the bar, and it's sound system behind. “When we learned he was leaving, The Arctowski facility bought the entire rig from him with leftover funds from the station’s improvement grant. After that, we began having dance parties at the base.” The researchers gave the makeshift dancehall the cheeky name of “Bass Base”. “Tourists were coming in from all over the island to party with us. People from Frei, and Bellingshausen,” recalls Flack referring to two other stations on the island. “Our biggest party had 150 people outside dancing in the grass”. “The Needs” was among the most popular and danceable recordings made over that long arctic winter, according to Flack, and is made available for the first time courtesy of Hunt & Gather Music Company of Seattle, USA with a remix by local City Transportation Planner Mark Lippert under nom de plume “Lipps.”

“This track was recorded last July in the coldest part of the year. We were trapped in the station during the two-week long storm. It was rough, but we made it.”