Etno Machina

I decided to record a new solo album for hurdy-gurdy because… there was simply a need for it. After concerts, I was increasingly asked about music in this format — about the hurdy-gurdy on its own, without a band, without additional instruments. This album is a response to those conversations. I realized that I could create unique, new music on such an unusual and distinctive instrument. My search for an innovative sound required the use of electronics.

The album was recorded using an overdubbing method, layer by layer. All the sounds featured on it come exclusively from the hurdy-gurdy — although in many places they are electronically processed, expanding the instrument’s sound beyond its traditional boundaries.

The album consists entirely of my original compositions. It is a personal, solo statement in which the hurdy-gurdy becomes not only an acoustic instrument, but also a source of rhythmic structures, textures, and sonic spaces. Tradition meets modernity here, and a single instrument builds an entire musical world.

This album was created out of curiosity, necessity, and conversations with listeners of my music — and it is dedicated to them.

BUY HERE:

 https://joachimmencel.bandcamp.com/album/etno-machina

Fragmenty recenzji płyty

I listen with great enthusiasm to each new recording presented by Joachim Mencel — an unquestionable master of the hurdy-gurdy — showcasing both virtuoso technique and artistic vision. With Etno Machina, perhaps his most personal and authorial album to date, he confirms the originality of his ideas, the impeccable eloquence of his playing, and — in the context of the folk repertoire he explores — an exceptionally expansive artistic expression.

Dionizy Piątowski ERA JAZZU

 

Twelve compositions by Joachim Mencel — a deeply spiritual artist, a man who has something to say and expresses it through notes — astonish with their magnetism and quality… Art with a capital A.

Piotr Iwicki, Niedziela, nr 16/19.04.2026, s. 53

 

…this is a superbly produced album where the music simply floats in the air, creating an extraordinary space for contemplation.

Robert Bajkowski, AUDIOFEEZOWANIE

 

Joachim Mencel proves that, with subtle technological support, this archaic instrument can generate an almost infinite palette of sounds. The rhythmic layer is particularly surprising — one rarely expects such dense pulsation from an instrument typically associated with melody and drone.

Kaśka Paluch, ETNOSYSTEM

 

Joachim Mencel invites the listener into an encounter with sound that is thoughtful, rooted in tradition, yet boldly contemporary. This is an album that doesn’t impose itself, but lingers in the memory — like a well-spoken sentence you want to return to. If enthusiasm can have class, Etno Machina is a perfect example.

Robert Majewski, W KULTURALNY SPOSÓB

 

The album sounds magnificent — truly impressive. My untrained ear, unfamiliar with the sound of the hurdy-gurdy, was transfixed from the very first bar. This music captivates the mind — I slip into another dimension and don’t want to return. The hurdy-gurdy enchants with its seemingly endless tone, yet so many other wonders unfold alongside it (…) For what he does with this historical instrument, Mencel deserves a monument — not only for keeping the hurdy-gurdy alive in the memory of future generations, but above all for bringing it into such modern soundscapes and boldly shaping its voice through electronics.

Robert Kozubal, JAZZDA