Liquideep’s Ziyon has taken the leap and released his debut solo album
Ziyon is the kind of child your mother would have been happy for you to play with. He is gentle, softly-spoken and, while he attempts to crack a joke here and there, he does so in a considered way. During the first few minutes of our interview, he reminds me of a deer tentatively approaching a lake, not quite sure if it’s safe to have a drink.
“I have always been that way. My friends can say otherwise, say things like I talk too much. I love to observe. I am all about peace and don’t want to be over the top. There is a place for that. When I get on the stage I just let go and express myself,” said the one half of the very popular group, Liquideep.
As I turned on my cellphone’s recorder, the action surprisingly sparked a conversation about the modern nature of music.
“I am happy with the era of smartphones because I can just record ideas on the device on the go. That’s what happens to me with songs as that’s my quickest way of getting my thoughts down. I don’t get to write much because musical ideas come at crazy times so I when I get into the studio I am sorted,” he said.
Perhaps this was the catalyst behind Audio Alchemy, Ziyon’s experimental solo album.
“I’m feeling relieved. Anytime you release something that you have been holding onto for a while, you can’t wait to let go and feel some sort of relief. This album made me feel that way. I feel excited as well. I am also curious about the future,” he said.
BIRTH OF THE SOLO IDEA
WHILE we know Ziyon as the voice of the house outfit Liquideep, prior to forming the group, the man had been harbouring other musical ideas.
“To release a solo album was always the plan. It is something Ryzor (the other half of Liquideep) had asked me to do before. The thing is, I had been making music and had enough material to last me an album.
“It was 14 tracks, but I wasn’t confident enough to release. So Liquideep got me comfortable with releasing my own material. I got to refine my material,” he revealed.
The success of Liquideep provided the necessary training ground the singer needed to fly solo, but it was not without incident.
“This project took four to six months. I started in January and then was involved in a cycling accident and I broke my hand. It was really small, but my knuckle on my pinky finger was out of position and was pointing away from the rest of the palm. Only after two days did I get it checked and they said I should go to the hospital. So I was making beats with my left hand and it took me three four months of physiotherapy to get back into using it correctly. Then after that came Clash Of The Choirs which I was supposed to be a part of. So that was taxing and I had to take a break until around June/July when I finished the project and released it right after.”
FACING THE MUSIC
Please note that this will not be a typical house album because Ziyon wasn’t prepared to play it safe.
“Sonically, things have changed. The subject matter hasn’t really changed because I have always written from a place of motivation. I look a lot into love, whether having it or not. I enjoy getting people moving. The music is different, it’s not house music. On some tracks I rap and on others it’s just straight up R&B soul. We really have only one dance song on the album. Some people are happy that I didn’t give them what they were expecting. I think it would have been too easy and yet, pass or fail, I wanted to take the risk.”
This move has no doubt given birth to mixed feelings from the fans, radio and industry gurus who all had different expectations.
“Everybody will have their own opinions about the album. Some people felt like it wasn’t what they had expected and I get it because it was not the usual sound they know me from, in Liquideep. Then are some people who say this sounds like my name. They say they now understand what I have been trying to do all along. They feel it fits me well and is what they wanted to hear. It is great to hear that because I was so scared to release it.”
WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN
“I have a track called All Night which features Ma-E, which was the second single off the album,” he said.
“Radio has been really loving it and it is doing well. The first one, One In A Million, took some time to catch on, but once again, people were worried. The critics loved it, but radio took its time. It’s almost like the same way Liquideep started out. It took time to catch on. It wasn’t until they caught on to Fairytale that they caught on to the rest of the album,” he explained.
Although house music has been good to him, Ziyon wants to step away from the Liquideep formula on Audio Alchemy.
“I won’t say I have divorced from the sound but I am divorced from the formula. With art, the creative part of me doesn’t allow me to stick to one formula. It’s like an artist with a canvas and all the colours on their palette; they can decide to paint with only black and yellow, that’s up to them. It’s me with music. I don’t want to be involved in trends or factory music. I feel it’s better for me and more therapeutic to give more music that I am feeling. It’s always worth it to grow and expand yourself,” he said.
“For some that’s about how much you have made, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is you went out there to do it. I think people should learn to live in that mindset where you are free enough to take a risk. It is something we are rarely taught.”
LIQUEFYING LIQUIDEEP
As painful as it sounds to the house music lover, Liquideep has been put on hold indefinitely.
“Liquideep has kind of taken a hiatus. I call it a ‘hiatus’ because you never know. I don’t see anything in the foreseeable future because we are both on different paths and doing well. Ryzor has an IT company that is doing well and his heart has always been in that.
“When my album came out he was one of the first people to text me and congratulate me. The limelight wasn’t his thing so it was a good move on his side.”