If the pandemic was good for anything, it was for producing such fine recordings. As if the compositions had fallen out of time, they simultaneously connote urgency, delicate poetry and answers to questions never asked. That is to say that already in the opener Nachtlied the attitude of the quintet can be heard: Making music together as equals. Listening to each other, taking each other seriously, in order to create, under the leadership of trumpeter Mario Rom, a wonderful form of a contemporary jazz band. Austria has great jazz musicians, no question, and Memplex is one of the best. But superlatives say little, just listen for yourself and immerse yourself in Villains; You will not regret it! – Ernst Mitter
Month: August 2022
“Villains Review in Concerto Magazine
The album begins with a beautiful “Nachtlied” (Night Song/Lullaby) and thus already actually gives hope and relaxation. Memplex are masters of the song, whether it lasts almost nine minutes like the title number or even in short pieces like “Richard”, which finds its end in less than 2 minutes. The compositions are wonderfully structured and provided exclusively by the band members, and that the musicians are masters of their instruments does not need to be mentioned, but that the musicians have already been working together for 10 years and are therefore very well attuned. Long breaks in work, which are caused by the fact that the musicians are also active in other bands, however, increase the joy of playing together, and this can be heard in every phase of the recording. – Christian Bakonyi