Our Off The Record mix series returns with a radio-show like hour long mix from Music From Memory affiliated Berlin based Electronica / Jazz trio The Zenmenn.
The Zenmenn are a genre-blurring trio known for their lush, escapist soundscapes that blend ambient, Balearic, and cosmic funk influences. With a flair for vintage textures and laid-back grooves, their music conjures a sense of timeless serenity—equally suited for sun-drenched afternoons or introspective nights.
The Zenmenn debuted in 2021 with Enter The Zenmenn on Music From Memory, a dreamy blend of ambient textures, soft rock, and global influences. They followed up with Hidden Gem in 2022, a collaborative album with John Moods shaped by loose jam sessions and warm, nostalgic tones. Both releases highlight their signature fusion of cosmic calm and crate-digger sensibility.
Their contribution to the Off The Record mix series showcases their crate-digging sensibilities and deep reverence for global sounds, weaving together a meditative journey that’s both soulful and transportive.
We had a brief chat with the band (fronted through the words of their Keyboardist Magnus) about the mix and about what they had coming up in the rest of 2025.
Hey Zenmenn, thanks so much for joining us! Can you tell us about your mix and what the idea behind it was? (Answered by Magnus, the keyboardist in the Zenmenn)
Its a mix of pleasant and interesting music we just like to tootle around and listen to ourselves. Most of the tracks are from vinyls we picked up the last year, or from artists we’ve been into lately.
What are your preferred methods for finding new music—do you still enjoy digging around in dusty crates, or do you prefer to buy online?
Nothing’s like an old crate filled with fair priced oddities. The surprise finds really stay with you over the years, and you feel a certain ownership over the record. A snazzy crate with new releases priced between 20-30 Bucks is also pretty cool. A crate with Led Zeppelin re-releases and classic records that should be cheap but somehow is very expensive just suck.
Online resources are incredible of course, but mostly its hard to get into the records in the same way as a tape or a vinyl. iTunes used to be my sacred alter back in the days when I would burn CDs, name each track and find and attach the cover art. Somehow I never managed to developed a meaningful relationship to Spotify although its smart, I’ll give it that.
Bandcamp and discogs are wonderful and at times i like to dig around there. Besides more classic stuff we try to stay up to date with friends projects, for instance Sean Armstrong who just put out an amazing tape called Velvet ever After.
What are five records you couldn’t live without?
- The Mississippi records compilation of Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru (her blend of classical piano playing and Ethiopian scales and ornaments is so cool and original, Ive been trying to steal some of her moves over the years but I don’t really get her magic.)
- Jon Goin – Waltz at big sky (Music that makes you feel like you are a cop living on a house boat)
- Hosono – Paraiso (Hosono has so many great albums but I always seem to come back to this one. Its packed with great tunes and weird instrumentation.)
- Herbie Hancock – Thrust (I’m not really addicted to funk, but sometimes you just gotta give it up.)
- Thelonious Monk – Plays Duke Ellington (Monk really makes these amazing tunes fly)
What has been one of your most memorable sets over your career?
We sometimes do Zenmenn live karaoke gigs where anyone to come up and sing a karaoke tune and we do our best to play the song. The atmosphere is always really special at this event but our finest moment was probably outside Passenger cafe in Kreuzberg Berlin about a year ago where everyone just killed it on the mic and there seemed to be a shared feeling of being high with the crowd. Somehow the stars just aligned that day.
What do you have up your sleeve for 2025?
We are putting the finishing touches on our third album, and working on different weird recordings on the side. I just released an album with friend of the Zenmenn N Kramer called Pastoral Blend. We’ll do a bunch of Zenmenn gigs around Europe and we have a couple of gigs featuring the whistling diva Molly Lewis. Besides we’re excited to move into the age of aquarius and we’ll be keeping our chakras open for divine inspiration.
