Machinist is the project of Zeno van den Broek, and is described as an experimental noise and drone act from the Netherlands. Its music is presented as mechanised and spatial, with an emphasis on abstraction, sound, art and architecture. The project is associated with styles including grindcore, mathcore, noisecore, mathgrind, experimental, drone, ambient, krautrock, new age, doomnoise and metal.

Style and approach

Machinist focuses on sound as a physical and spatial experience, aiming to move the listener away from the material world into a different mental state. The music is described in terms of melting sound, machines and built environments, with an interest in the relationship between architecture and noise. At different moments it is said to move between pure space and ambient textures, and heavier passages that recall drone and doom-related music.

Live presentation

The project is also defined by its visual presentation, which is described as a significant part of the live experience. The combination of sound and visuals is intended to create an immersive performance environment.

Related descriptions

The name Machinist also appears in other contexts as a technically oriented band from the United States, and as an industrial rock act from Victoria, British Columbia, but the project identified here is Zeno van den Broek’s Dutch experimental work.