Las Vegas based producer Zaiaku isn’t just an electronic producer: he’s also a classically trained pianist and metal musician, toggling between all these disciplines with a composition style that often leaves fans of all three genres reeling. Dark, complex and almost unbearably intense, Zaiaku’s work has pushed the boundaries of neurofunk for nearly a decade, releasing only on the most underground labels like VALE, A.M.C’s Titan Records and Close 2 Death.
Most recently, Zaiaku has caught the ears of German champs of undergound bass music, SATURATE!, with five releases on the imprint since last year. This partnership is clearly working for both artist and label, as Zaiaku’s next single is also forthcoming on SATURATE! on their all-bass sister label, their Sound Museum. ‘Torch Bearers’ drops tomorrow and combines many of his passions: metal, classical music and heavy D&B in one track.
In his recent releases, Zaiaku has cultiavted a sound that’s been coined ‘neurogaze’, which is likely to catch on as it’s a perfect description of the melodic, dreamy side of neurofunk. With ‘Torch Bearers’, Zaiaku punches up this melodic, almost ambient style with an extra glitchy and modern approach to neurofunk that makes it stand out even more than his usual heavy bangers. The track opens with a literal symphony of sound: a main synth melody over a separate gothic organ line before a sort of string harmony swells in. This peaceful mildly gothic staff full of music is suddenly punctuated by an aggressive, repetitive vocal fading in before proverbial floor drops out, plunging the listener into a metallic oubliette of neuro. The break brings in even more layers, with an amen loop both grounding and enhancing the space as the music swells again. It’s a roller coaster of a track, both emotionally and technically, and so expertly composed that the audience will feel every twist and curve.