“Eskilstuna-based reed player and composer Stefan Wistrand newly started group The Electric MZ, draws its inspiration from 70s jazz, funk, experimental prog rock and psychedelia. The bandleader, who himself has his roots both in free jazz, alternative rock and punk since the late 70s, alternates on Silent In The Murmur between bass clarinet and soprano sax.

The musicians in the band have their experiences from bands far beyond jazz like Memento Mori, Brother Daniel, Lolita Pop, Funky Friends, The Domus and others.

The debut album of the sextet accommodates four compositions, each composed by Wistrand, and can be described as repetitive and groove based. But they are also colored with a thoughtfully deep content, full of radiantly, fresh, varied and soulful interplay.

Wistrand plays expressively on both bass clarinet and soprano sax on all four tracks, Peter Olsen and Johan Carlsson doubles effectively on drums and percussion with pulsed timing and are important cogs in the wheel, equally adept guitarist David Lindh, who often take place in the limelight with his diverse personal bushy, slightly edgy and wide chords. When he takes a solo it feels like he's playing inside and outside all genres. Johannes Rytzler embroiders with lyrical solos on Fender Rhodes that both expands and fills the soundscape with high mobility and profile.

Nearly twelve minutes in length Quarter Past One could have been a track from a Soft Machine album with its floating ambient but also organic touch. Zone gives a nod to Miles Davis funky 70's and King Crimson with electric guitarist Lindh in the front line with fuzzy rock riffs that show fine examples of ingenious chord sequences in perfect symbiosis with Mattias Green’s tasty Miles and the band leader's sonorous bass clarinet.

The album's best piece, urban Coasting Along, slips into a more rounded, thoughtful gait and evocative soundscape, which lead the thoughts to Ian Carr's Nucleus.

The dynamics of The Electric MZ is in the repetitive, restrained with flavor and substance entrenched, just like when I heard Wistrand when he worked with improvisational music in successful constellations as Two Sounds Ensemble and Nods Off.”

Patrik Sandberg

Orkesterjournalen 2015 #4 (Sweden)

"This Mälardal-based sextet makes music that moves in a floating zone between rock, jazz and funk, but commendably stays at more than arm's length from fusion music in its more negative meaning.

MZ in the name of the band stands for Memento Zone, which alludes to both the alternative music club Memento and post-punk band Memento Mori, which the leader of the Electric MZ, reedplayer Stefan Wistrand, was a member of in the 80s. The same Wistrand had, moreover, already in the late 70's plunged into the free jazz field and made a duo record with drummer Peter Olsen.

Wistrand has since been chiefly devoted to improvisational music in the constellations Nods Off, Two Sounds Ensemble and Fundamental Form. A couple of years ago, however, he gathered the gang which constitutes the Electric MZ to make the zone free and significantly groove-based music available on this vinyl release in a limited edition.

Of the four compositions here, all written by Wistrand, Zone and to some extent Quarter Past One is moving in the regions of what might bring to mind the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Miles funky 70s. At the same time Wistrand’s bass clarinet (Zone) and soprano (Quarter Past One), Johannes Rytzler’s keyboards, Mattias Green’s trumpet and David Lindh's fiery guitar move in their own directions out of the whipping force of the double percussion from the mentioned Peter Olsen and Johan Carlsson.

The music literally flows, and could well last a good deal longer than the ten minutes that the compositions here fluctuate around without losing sting and substance. This applies in particular to the composition Coasting Along, which is cruising jazz at its best and definitely the most sumptuous feature on the album."

Peter Bornemar

Dig Jazz, March 2015 (Sweden)

"Saxophonist Stefan Wistrand has written the music that is a mixture of ingredients from many different musical pantries. He once started in jazz-rock and free jazz to slide over to punk and then back to free jazz and improvisation. It's beat, rock, funk, jazz and rhythm and with great pressure. Members of the band is Stefan Wistrand, sax and bass clarinet, David Lindh, guitar, Johannes Rytzler, keyboards, Mattias Green, bass, trumpet and flugelhorn, Peter Olsen, drums and Johan Carlsson, drums and percussion. The band plays tight and melodic with a swinging foundation. The music fits a listening audience, but also a dancing one. You can hear a lot in the music of The Electric MZ, but it does not feel right to enumerate all the references and winks offered. Instead, it's just to say that Stefan Wistrand and the band has done something of their own of all commodities and also made it a very enjoyable musical moment for the listener."

Lennart Götesson

Dala-Demokraten, June 2015 (Sweden)

"Straight out of Eskilstuna, Sweden this is a kind of allstar band consisting of the citys finest musicians that has been active on the local scene for decades. I have had the privilege to been able to follow most of them closely for the past 10 years in different bands and formations and know what these cats are able to do with their instruments. The scene for experimental improvisational music, alternative rock and jazz in the city of Eskilstuna is quite unique for a city of that size in Sweden. It’s all based around a small group of people who for many years now have arranged concerts and festivals promoting this kind of music for a growing crowd. Loads of bands have been formed within this community often borrowing members from each other.

This has resulted in a fertile environment for great music. And The Electric MZ is a logical consequence of this. The band is the brainchild of Stefan Wistrand who is one of the veterans on the scene and a true visionary both as a musician and as a promoter. He started out playing the saxophone back in the 70s and has mainly done free jazz stuff in different bands. A few years ago he wanted to put together a band that summarized all the stuff he has done over the years with members from other bands that he had worked closely with over the years. Here you will find David Lindh, guitar, Johannes Rytzler, keyboards, Mattias Green, bass & flugelhorn, Peter Olsen, drums, Johan Carlsson, drums & percussion. The Electric MZ is built upon young and old musicians that has come together to create something that has its roots clearly visible but aims to tread onto new paths for both jazz and rock.

The debut album “Silent in the Murmur” released on Einnicken Records is a collection of four tracks that relies on the groove. First track called “Zone” starts off with a heavy electronic bass that sets off the percussions of Peter Olsen and Johan Carlsson that builds up to the release of the horns courtesy of Wistrand. He has a nice vibe of both Coltrane and Miles in his tone that makes it easy to listen to but always challenges the listener’s ears. Second track “Coasting Along” again builds on the groove. Here Rytzler's Fender Rhodes makes out the glimmering surroundings in the soundscape with Wistrand and Green handling the horns in the most beautiful way. Moving along into the heavy drums of “Quarter past one” witch has a melody that immediately glues itself to your eardrums. On this one you also get a fine example of the guitar works of David Lindh that has a jazzy and progressive style that sometimes reminds me of Frank Zappa's strings. And in the finale on this quartet of tunes, “Alley Seventy-Five”, we are sent off into a dreamlike state of mind as Wistrand's clarinet floats around in the universe of Rytzler's keyboards. The perfect ending.

So where does this leave us? Well you want more of course. And hopefully this is not the last we’ll hear from The Electric MZ but you’ll never know. There might as well be six new bands spawned out of this one knowing what the members are capable of. Hopefully we will get to hear all of them in the future. But I have a good sense of that The Electric MZ is not done in any way. Until we know for sure lets enjoy “Silent in the Murmur” and stand in its shining light getting embraced by its warmth and love."

Magnus Tannergren

The Void, November 2015 (Sweden)

"The Electric MZ: “Silent In The Murmur” (Einnicken): already released this winter, but not in my mailbox until now. Stefan Wistrand, saxophonist, is the brain behind the project, free jazzer who also has a past in the band Memento Mori, but on this record, it is not wailing and screeching in focus, but danceability, there are many rhythm attempts that the listener are happily exposed to and unexpected traditional catchy rock far from fourth world tempo, and Fela-like murmur. Four pieces recorded in 2013, the A side trailing "Coasting Along" are just as self-referential as you can imagine."

Jan-Erik Zandersson

Universum Noll, July 2015 (Sweden)