Lines by Mentz

Mentz is Stephan Raab, a jazz fanatic and music collector from the Netherlands making (small) musical collages for many years now. With roots in the early days of internet music (member of "tracker scene" groups like tokyodawn records and others), he developed a love for the limited possibilities of sample based music production. This concept is still the foundation for Mentz music. Building layers of found sound, recording other musicians and using these recordings as individual sample resources, he creates strange compositions with a unique warm sound.

The Lines EP features four dreamy collages mostly produced and recorded in the summer before Mentz moved to Switzerland where he lives now. Main instrument on this EP is the trumpet played by Krisztián Ákos Muhari from Hungary, who studied at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague where he and Mentz became friends. Other musicians from earlier recording sessions featured on this EP are Wouter Suren (clarinet) and Bart Knol (rhodes).

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Review by Vincent in Ziklibrenbib:
Excellente découverte avec ce « Lines » de Mentz, projet musical du néérlandais Stephan Raab. Musicalement, Mentz nous embarque dans une fusion jazz et electro ambient, avec quelques sonorités nous rappelant au passage le travail du trompettiste Nils Petter Moelvar. Cet  EP est paru sur le netlabel néerlandais Esc.rec, une nouvelle source à explorer assurément!

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Review by KN in Yeah I Know It Sucks:
Mentz  is a production of jazz collector Stephan Raab. Together with the help of trumpet player  Krisztián Ákos Muhar, Wouter Suren on the Clarinet and Bart Knol (who plays the Rhodes), he delivered a free must have pretty micro record, on the always surprising Esc.rec. record label.

Mentz’s ‘Lines’ listens away as a nice relaxing dream where all bad vibes are excluded. You can hear a great knowledge and love for a wide variety of jazz molded into something that captures only the pretty and dreamy essence. At times my ears get reminded of the softer sides of acts like Soft Machine, Chet baker, Coltrane, but my mind simply keeps dreaming away to calm summer days while these warm compositions float around. The record just may consist of just 4 short tracks, but they are so full and beautiful that they could be played on repeat forever.

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Review by Drizzi in NetMusic Life:
Neanche dieci minuti di musica. Un piccolo e squisito assaggio che ha inizio con una breve introduzione situata tra il free-jazz e il soundtrack che piacerebbe molto a Cagey House. Mentz lavora con i sample in un modo molto umano, e con la collaborazione di alcuni strumentisti (Krisztián Ákos Muhari/Trumpet, Wouter Suren/Clarinet, Bart Knol/Rhodes) propone quattro tracce di jazz sognante, etereo e sfuggente. Ricercati sample in loop impegnati a infondere un effetto ipnotico e onirico, perfetto per lente scene in bianco e nero di film indipendenti europei d'autore. Leggeri soffi, l'aria che si sposta sinuosamente, un sottile strato di fumo aleggia in una tiepida stanza in penombra. Accenni, sguardi che timidamente si evitano per sfuggire a brusche emozioni ed inquietanti cambiamenti di rotta. Paure nascoste dietro a maschere di sicurezza acquisita da lunghi e faticosi anni di esperienza. Ma tutto si riduce a un suono, ad un feeling che vive solo nel presente e alla capacità di lasciare aperte le nostre porte della sensibilità.

Esc.rec. is a small, critically acclaimed record label for adventurous music, founded in 2004 by Harco Rutgers in Deventer, NL.

escrec.com