In this interview, we chat with zenxienz about influences, the new project, and more.
Full Q&A, links, and a stream of Orbit below.
https://soundcloud.com/zenxienz/orbit
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
It’s really been a long road of ever shifting influences. Back in 2015, I remember listening to The Epic by Kamasi Washington for the first time, and that absolutely blew my mind, and from there, I emerged myself in as much jazz as I could. I feel that getting into any one genre too much is so very limiting. Jazz has always been a very forward-thinking genre, and I think in combination with the possibilities and innovations in electronic and experimental music, a lot of changes will be taking place that will start to spill over into more mainstream music.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
I first started writing music back in 2010, when I was still in middle school. There was something I really loved about that, and from there I went on to form a band that same year, Paradox Lockdown. We produced four EPs until we amicably broke up early in 2016. It’s been an ever changing road the whole time as we grew up together. After the band, I knew that I still wanted to push forward with sharing my music with the world. After a few months of soul searching, the pieces fell into place, and zenxienz was born.
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
Every aspect of my music has different inspirations. I’m hugely inspired by Flying Lotus’ arrangements and synth sounds, Thundercat’s amazing bass abilities, Pink Floyd’s way of building tension just enough to keep your interest through longer songs, and probably a million other details I’ve picked up from all the artists I’ve been inspired by over the years. I listen to at least one new album every day.
I’m motivated to keep going because music is one of the most powerful ways to open people’s minds and really tell the story I want to convey. It’s just so inspiring to hear even one single story of your song touching someone’s heart or helping them through bad times, or helping them kick back during the good. It’s such a universal medium.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
I was really trying to test the idea of recording straight through the whole song for each part of it. I’m not a fan of just using loops in my music. I love hearing slight variances throughout a piece of music.
What was the last song you listened to?
Journey In Satchidananda by Alice Coltrane.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
MP3, all the way. It is absolutely amazing being able to have access to so much music on the go!
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I heard about Spotify the moment it came to the US back in 2011, so I’ve been loyal to them ever since. That service blew my mind! I remember adding entire albums to playlists I made, having over 2000 songs. I don’t have time to do that anymore.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
It’s really tough to get people to care and become invested in artists. There’s just so much music available for consumption nowadays, which, don’t get me wrong, is a great thing, but it makes it tough to really stand out from the sea of noise. Making a living from your music has become challenging, too. You really have to think outside the box and be constantly looking to jump into new media and revenue.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
As of right now, I don’t play live. I’ve been too busy creating the music to think about how I’d pull it off yet. But when I do start out, I’ll be playing gigs around LA, most likely. Fans can check out my website, zenxienz.com, to get all the latest info.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
I always make an effort to reply to any fan who reaches out to me! You can find me on all social media, just under the name zenxienz. I’m most active on Instagram. You can also sign up for my mailing list to get free downloads and sneak peaks at new songs at zenxienz.com/transcend
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
Be open to your mistakes, both in making music and just life in general, because our brains have a wonderful habit of forming new ideas from the unexpected.
