Mathmatrix is back, and Victor Popescu serves up a third full-length treat—a meticulously crafted IDM dessert bursting with fresh energy and inventive flavor.
Mathmatrix returns with electrifying precision
So, I hope you all have your homework done—especially your maths! Otherwise, no dessert! Today we have a special treat from Victor Popescu, who has returned with his third full-length outing as Mathmatrix. Brazda lui Novac arrives with a fresh and energetic feel that defines the album.
I had the pleasure of reviewing the first Mathmatrix album released on Touched Music, a fantastic record by an artist I first discovered through his Dizzy album on the Germany-based label Raumklang, operated by the talented and personable Dirk Geiger. To round out a bit more background, Victor has released music under various names—including BLN, Brazda Lui Novac, Victor Popescu, and Mathmatrix—and his output is consistently high quality, deserving the attention of any serious IDM or electronic-music fan.
Brazda lui Novac spans a nice diverse set of soundscapes from the opening etherealness of “Resonance,” which is a warm wash of synth goodness. Like the first sip of a hat cup of tea or coffee on a cold winter morning. But not long after it fades we’re hot with a conversely discordant and arpeggiated opening for the track “Surge Of Power,” with strong rhythmics which evoke and remind of the connections to more industrial sounds, mixed with acid, layered synths creating a busy and engaging composition.
Innovative IDM flourishes under Mathmatrix ::
As the album continues it wanders into different territories whilst maintaining its own core identity of strong rhythmic elements juxtaposed with softer synths to generate evolving tracks. “A New Place,” “Vortix,” and “Exit” all gave me Orbital (Snivilisation) vibes, so fans of that albums should enjoy this journey too. Springing synths, jumping rhythms, and strong synth-scapes at times highlighted with vocal melodies or abstracts. There’s fairly strong pinches of Plaid like moments intermixed here too. There are some almost cinematic moments like track 11 “Dreamscape.”
This is a truly great album, with engaging melodies and rhythms, and it keeps building its own unique persona as the listener explores each track. Each song seems to complement the ones around it, elevating the overall value of the album as a cohesive body of work in its own right.
Perfect for fans of IDM and industrial music that leans toward more experimental, IDM-influenced styles. Listeners who enjoy labels such as early Warp Records, Raumklang, Ai Records, Tympanik, Touched Music, Pulse State, or Hymen/Ant-Zen will feel right at home. If you like this album, be sure to check out the self-titled Mathmatrix album from 2022 and the strong follow-up, Fractal Harmonies, from 2023. Together they form a lovely trilogy. Fractal Harmonies also includes several great Mathmatrix remixes of other tracks, as well as an excellent Roel Funcken remix of “Bound” from the first album.
“I’ve been creating electronica/IDM music since 1997, and many of you may know me as Brazda lui Novac (BLN). In 2021 I changed the name of the project to Mathmatrix, which sometimes led to confusion — but with this album, I’m embracing my roots and bringing back the original sound of Brazda lui Novac, enriched with the experience I’ve gained over the years and the new tools of 2025.” ~Victor Popescu
Brazda lui Novac contains 16 tracks, including a collaboration with the incredible French IDM artist Syl Kougaï and “Silent Call” featuring the beautiful voice of Raluca Staicu.
Brazda lui Novac is available on Bandcamp.
