Etno Machina

Surprising, mesmerizing music, played entirely on a single instrument.

Etno Machina is an extraordinary solo album by the outstanding pianist and composer Joachim Mencel, who this time swapped the piano for… a hurdy-gurdy. The artist demystifies the archaic, folk sound and brings it straight into the 21st century.

Thanks to the masterful layering of multiple audio tracks (overdubbing), Mencel single-handedly creates a sound reminiscent of a full orchestra. Traditional, trance-like motifs meet modern production, cinematic space, and jazz freedom. It is music that is highly driving, yet deep and meditative.

Who is this album for?

For seekers of new sounds, fans of ethno music, modern-classical, jazz, and anyone who wants to hear how tradition becomes modernity.

BUY HERE:

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

Excerpts of reviews

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