Mozo Mozo is the Austrian free jazz and noise quartet that was formed in 2018 and features guitarist potzblitz!brak (aka Felix Linhart, who replaced founding member Moritz Haberkorn); sax player Sir Sax-a-lot (aka Michael Masen); bassist Iggi D’Agostino (aka Christoph Kirmaier)  and drummer Toyboy 28 (aka Lukas Wöber). The band uses itsss own tool, the Mozo Maschine, to conduct them through their live and studio performances. The live performances of Mozo Mozo are considered legendary, complex, performative and highly intense.

Mozo Mozo (モゾモゾ) means in Japanese something cozy or to snuggle up to someone, but it is difficult to imagine the cuddly ways that can be achieved with the music of this band. But in Spanish Mozo Mozo means awaiter or young man, so it can make some sense. Mascines is the second album of Mozo Mozo, following the self-titled album (Epileptic Media, 2020), and clearly inspired by such seminal bands like John Zorn’s Naked City (and Sir Sax-a-lot is well-versed with all of Zorn’s sonic tricks but also in Peter Brötzmann legacy), the Italian trio Zu, or Weasel Walter’s The Flying Luttenbachers.

Mozo Mozo refuses to follow any genre conventions and its high-octane and anarchist kind of Circus Mozimus music (as the opening piece is titled) is open to many interpretations. Mozo Mozo like to play fast and loud and its wild rollercoaster ride kicks out anything that on its way to a cathartic climax. The longer pieces – «Angry Buddha», «Tamer», «Transcendential Timelayers» and «Seelenreise» – capture best Mozo Mozo, and cooks its raw and manic, uncompromising and irresistible stew with many hot and colorful spices.

Eyal Hareuveni

Iggi D’Agostino (bass), Mozo Maschine (conductor), Toyboy 28 (drums), potzblitz!brak (guitar), Sir Sax-a-lot (saxophone)