Lotto

The trio Lotto consists of: Łukasz Rychlicki (Kristen), Mike Majkowski (Hailu Mergia Trio, Oren Ambarchi Hubris) and Paweł Szpura (Hera, Wovoka). By publishing two completely different materials at the same time, they can cause considerable embarrassment to listeners and journalists or bloggers willing to pigeonhole and define them.

The basic tracks for the Axolotl album were recorded at the end of September 2021 in Szczecin, and the recording engineer was Adam Sołtysik (Dynasonic). During the session, the band decided to go for a radical sound. The album basically does not feature the musicians' primary instruments. The basis for the whole is electronic instruments. There is no bass guitar or double bass at all, electric guitar only appears in one moment, and the drums are either processed or replaced by a drum machine. It was important this time to capture a sound detached from their own habits and not entirely associated with Lotto, which required a lot of imagination from the musicians. The session itself came at a rather difficult time for the band, which was fresh from a grueling, ill-fated tour. Fatigue and a kind of resignation, or apocalyptic atmosphere can be heard in the recorded music.

Voices appear on the album, which is also unusual. In 'Dogs in the Distance,' Lazy Dolphin sings, while in 'South of the Sun,' it's Antonina Nowacka, and in a few moments the voice of Mike Majkowski, who also contributes on recorder, can be heard. Emil Pietrzyk appears on the Japanese shakuhachi flute. The album was mixed by Paweł Szpura. Joe Talia, who lives in Australia and is known for his cooperation with, among others, musicians such as Oren Ambarchi and Jim O'Rourke, is responsible for mastering.