Dr Zolo blends avant-garde electronics, jazz improvisation, and punk energy. A raw, organic sound performed live without edits. Music full of tension, contrast,and unpredictable turns – emotional, intense, and unmistakably original.

Dr Zolo was founded in 2023 by Maciek Dymek. Although his musical education was rooted in the classical piano tradition, he was always drawn to other genres: rock, metal, jazz, and folk. These diverse influences sparked the need to create a project that would allow him to fully express his musical identity – without compromises or limitations.

The first step toward this new form of expression was composing three pieces: Ego, Superego, and Id – their titles referencing Freud’s personality structure, hinting at the personal, introspective nature of the project. Dymek invited drummer Paweł Kowalski to collaborate, whom he had previously played with in the band Administratorr Electro. Interestingly, in that group Dymek played drums and Kowalski played synthesizers. In Dr Zolo, they decided to switch roles. This idea of reversing functions and classic musical roles reflects the core of the band’s approach – creativity rooted in freedom and rejection of routine.

Dr Zolo emerged from a long process of searching for the right set of instruments that would enable full physical and emotional expression. After earlier experiments with his solo project Volarek, Dymek realized that while semi-modular synthesizers and piano offered rich sonic textures, they lacked the spontaneity and freedom he craved. A major limitation was the absence of presets in modular synthesizers – every sound change required careful planning and recreation of knobs and connections, killing the spark of live interaction.

The inspiration for a new approach came from Ray Manzarek of The Doors – a musician who could play basslines with his left hand and create melodies with his right on the organ. Dymek built his own setup in a similar spirit: using his left hand to play a Moog synthesizer whose massive sound fills the low-frequency spectrum, and his right hand to play melodies on the mellotron and electric piano. The mellotron became an endless source of inspiring timbres – not just the classic ones listeners might expect. The electric piano, in turn, brings warmth, and when processed with effects (delay, phaser, distortion), it adds depth and grit – an essential component of Dr Zolo’s sound.

As a duo, Dymek and Kowalski released the EP Ex Machina in 2024, which they presented live at the 2Koła motorcycle club in Warsaw. The concept behind the performance was minimalism: two musicians, two instruments, and a third voice – imagined by the listener. While this resulted in an original, raw sound, they felt the need to expand the lineup with another instrumentalist. They considered various options – trumpet, guitar, hurdy-gurdy, even tuba – before Bartosz Smorągiewicz appeared at one of their rehearsals.

Smorągiewicz, a saxophonist and composer, quickly found his place in Dr Zolo’s aesthetic. He brought in a jazz improvisation element and a willingness to process the saxophone sound through effects – opening up new sonic possibilities for the band. In October 2024, the trio performed a well-received concert at the Jazz Jamboree festival, which solidified Smorągiewicz’s position as a permanent member of the group.

In 2025, Dr Zolo recorded material for their first full-length album – Trickster Music. The band opted for a live studio session – no overdubs, no edits – to capture their authentic energy and interaction. They deliberately chose a small room where the effects microphones intended for the saxophone also picked up other instruments. This created a sense of sonic blending and acoustic unity – a core intention of the band from the start. The album fuses catchy riffs reminiscent of Black Sabbath’s aesthetic with the improvisational boldness of John Zorn.

The title Trickster Music refers to the archetype of the trickster – a figure balancing between chaos and intelligence, constantly evading definition. This is the essence of Dr Zolo’s sound – a soundtrack to a non-existent crime or action movie. The band drew inspiration from fictional criminals and bumbling villains – such as the Spy from the Rainy Country (Szpieg z Krainy Deszczowców), the Olsen Gang, or the Pink Panther. The band’s name itself comes from the alias of the main antagonist in the film Romancing the Stone.