On the 1st March, Scottish artist Zildjianpinky added to his already impressive back catalogue with a new release called 'Lo-Zi'. Think electronic music, mixed with Lo-Fi vibes and diverse soundscapes. You then might be close to understanding the sound that makes up 'Lo-Zi' . There is, however, only one way to understand the grandeur of this E.P., and that is to experience it. Elevate have been given the privilege to review this great piece of work, so have a look at our thoughts and listen to some of the music below.
Lo-Zi: The Albvm
As mentioned above 'Lo-Zi' is the latest collection of songs by the Scottish artist known as Zildjianpinky. The E.P. comprises of 5 tracks, a running time of around 20 minutes, lots of emotion, varying levels of energy and a very positive and upbeat character. We absolutely loved the first collection of music he released in 2020 and these soundscapes join this group; they truly are some of the best soundscapes we have heard to date.
The E.P. begins with 'Soak' and this song literally soaks the listener with a warm, deep serenading melody, complemented by a distant, almost haunting, vocal sample. Behind what sounds like running water is some quite beautiful piano and synth playing. This song has an almost effervescent character and the ever changing dynamic from floating piano notes, to violin sounds and a catchy drum and bass line in the second half of the song, makes this something special. A song that while demonstrating an incredible production value and music creation, also illustrates there is never any monotony in Zildjianpink number; it is always growing and developing.
The second track on the album, '2am' , can be summed up in one word: beautiful. While we would argue the sound is closer to what we would associate with an early morning song (rather than the sound of 2am), we cannot deny the soft melody, entwined with a simple drum beat is relaxing, touching and simply captivating. The opening 50 seconds may feel like something you would hear in a Spa, but the inclusion of the guitar helps to transform this song into a refreshing, dynamic production that will simply make you feel great. We love the inclusion of a vocal sample apologising for the delay as if you were on hold to your internet provider. It fits perfectly with the general feel, but this track is far too good to be used as waiting tune while you are on hold. Use it relax, enjoy and feel positive!
'Snooze' begins with crackling and the sounds of birds. It then builds up to a prevalent beat and greater synth and guitar sounds. You could argue this build is similar to waking up, or reaching for that proverbial snooze button, but after this build the track comes to life. It has a more prominent drum beat, a slightly higher tempo and a more electronic sound than '2am'. There are dream like synth sounds closer to the end of the 2 minute and 40 second track, but the vocal sample and beat gives it an overall less bubbly feel good character than the previous track. It is almost like Zildjianpinky is slowly transitioning the listener from '2am' to 'Cosmologistofit' using 'Snooze'. Do not get us wrong, it is an excellent song in it's own right (with dynamism and the perfect balance of drums, samples and synths), but given it's slightly shorter length and similarities to '2am' and 'Cosmologistofit' we feel it acts as the perfect bridging song.
'Cosmologistofit' is probably our favourite track from this E.P. Aptly named, this song has illusions to cosmology as not only are there samples of Carl Sagan, but the international language of space, Russian, can be heard behind the soundscape. We loved how the delicate piano playing, the kick, hi-hat, snare and intricate sparkling / crackling sounds fused with the Russian samples behind the melody. We also welcomed the resonating, reverb filled vocal sample (similar to the one we heard in the E.P.'s opening track). Together these elements created an interesting sound which we felt could easily fit into a musical playlist related to cosmology (if such a playlist exists). The build around the 2 minute and 19 second mark, with a low base sound perforating through, was incredible and we loved the resonating notes that closed off this song. All of Zildjianpinky's song have a theme and a story and this song demonstrates how good this artist is at creating a sound that fits an idea or a topic perfectly.
Lo-Fi feels are prevalent throughout the entire E.P. but we would argue that 'Lit' probably embodies the greatest Lo-Fi character of all the 5 tracks. It is a song that samples the almost ironic idea that doctors smoke and suggest which cigarette you should try. Behind these samples is a electric, deep and evocative soundscape that will have any fan of electronic music and Lo-Fi intoxicated in seconds. Starting with light, soft sounds this song builds until a methodical beat, with perfectly timed chords, takes over. The dynamic character of this song is constantly changing between piano chords, resonating synth sounds and slightly softer solo notes. The beat and tempo never changes and this ensures the Lo-Fi quality remains intact throughout. 'Lit' is another song that demonstrates the production value of Zildjianpinky's work; it is perfectly balanced and does what all good Lo-Fi songs do: maintain the shape and feel of it's atmosphere. An excellent ending to an E.P. that is befitting of the name 'Lo-Zi'.
Lo-Zi: The Verdict
We can safely say that Zildjianpinky has produced something worthy of listening to in 'Lo-Zi'. It is an E.P. that offers 5 diverse soundscapes, all shrouded with good feeling and positive vibes. Everything from 'Soak' to 'Lit' embraces emotions and utilises vocal samples, synth sounds, piano playing and percussion to perfection. It is sometimes forgotten that electronic music often requires perfect timing as a single sample in the wrong place could be disastrous. To our ears, this E.P. is perfect in both composition and production and we think any fan of Lo-Fi will love it. Furthermore, we would recommend anyone who enjoys music with an upbeat character, something with the power to relax, create positive vibes and fill your speakers with beautiful music to try this E.P. now! Both the E.P. and the individual tracks delivered what we were expecting and having listen to this artist's previous work and we have not doubt his future work will be just as good. The only exception to the latter is '2am'. This reminded us more of 6am . This does not take anything away from the fact that '2am' is musically brilliant and is as perfect as the other tracks on 'Lo-Zi'.
Zildjianpinky: The Producer
Zildjianpinky is an electronic artist, who has great mastery when it comes to production. An artist who transitioned from drumming to piano playing and production during the 2020 lockdown. He has transfused his new piano skills and an excellent sample collection with his ear for exquisitely fusing multiple genres into a variety of soundscapes. A solo project that is becoming a ever growing part of the Scottish Music Scene. He hit the airwaves with six impressive and diverse songs in 2020. These included the well received 'Berlin' and the epic soundscape 'Pollen'. He know follows these up with 'Lo-Zi' and it is a brilliant sequel to the previous tracks. If you have not had the chance to listen to this artist, then you have been missing out on something good. Follow Zildjianpinky on the social media sites below and do not forget to check out his music.
https://www.facebook.com/zildjianpinky
https://twitter.com/zildjianpinky
https://www.instagram.com/zildjianpinky/
https://zildjianpinky.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2uKeTeGcN7W1YyGFZzF3hz?si=RFciHrmaShSHQY4wc33LSQ