Genre/Influences: IDM, industrial-techno, experimental.

Background/Info: Last year I discovered the Polish duo Mazut by their excellent “Atlas”-album, which sounds like a fusion between techno, IDM and industrial music. Michał Turowski and Paweł Starzec have already been active for a couple of years now and are progressively gaining some recognition leading them to perform in different European cities. This new opus has been released on their own label Positive Regression.  

Content: The work is somewhat different from the “Atlas”-album. You still easily recognize the mix between different influences but “Promien” definitely became more experimental and even abstract. There is still a solid techno and even groovy flavor running through the songs, which has been merged with intelligent sound treatments, but it sometimes becomes a little bit chaotic.

+ + + : One thing is for sure, Mazut is a project with a very own approach where techno music only seems a little element that has been joined by darker and more experimental influences. I’m more into the sophistication of cuts such as “New Primitivism” and “Eternal Caretaker”, but I also like the dark, groovy “Punishment”. The opening cuts are also interesting for the sampled vocal effects transposed into sequences.

– – – : I’m less fascinated by the few repetitive loops without a real climax.

Conclusion: I personally preferred the “Atlas”-album, but Mazut remains an interesting discovery and an antidote to average techno music!

Best songs: “Eternal Caretaker”, “New Primitivism”, “Punishment”, “Good Grief”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/mazutnoise

Label: www.facebook.com/positiveregression