First, I did once indeed catch ZAS text on the dance floor at Ladies 80s and called him out! It was funny.

Second, all these people complaining about their reviews might want to rethink their position. Some buddys of mine got, shall we say "mixed reviews" a few months back. The took their lump like men but really they were just happy to get the attention, and then subsequently had a huge CD release show and had a nice bump in web activity from it.

I think ZAS gets that too... as a matter of fact sometimes I think ZAS and Petric are in kahoots...

Conspiracy Theorys... GO!

All I will say is...back, and to the left. Back, and to the left.

Ha ha!

I'll have to watch JFK again over the weekend.

this thread needs some polar bears to go with its flashbacks.

Is that a Lost reference? I never watched that show.

ZAS,

i am currently listening to your new music... the music is much improved from last time, but honestly my main issue is your sound palette and high-hat sequencing... your vocals sound much better than on earlier records (they are much lower in the mix). my advice is save some money and either buy some of the equipment from the time period you are attempting to recreate (roland jupiter 4, korg mono/poly, SC prophet 5 and a pre-1980s string machine (arp, crumar, elka, siel) and a you should probably go ahead and buy an 808 (honestly it will be worth every penny of the $2000 that it will run you). stop using ableton live or fruity loops or whatever it is you are currently using... also get a stand alone reverb unit (if you want it to sound like new order (it sure sounds like it) then get an early 80s digital reverb unit, not plate, or spring) also stop programing the drums like an early 90s house song, and try and make them sound like disco drum (that is what all the bands you like did, programed a primative drum machine to sound like disco, less chicago, more new york...)

also, your lyrics are weird, make them weirder... maybe you should write some songs about being on a beach, or driving expensive cars. outerspace is usually a good subject, maybe a song attempting to describe sex in outerspace, or sex with a creature from another solar system. film noir motifs are also a tried and true early electro subject matter, maybe write a song about being a spy, a sexy spy, or a private eye. a love song written from the perspective of a piece of technology (cell phone, synthesizer, drum machine, TiVo unit, GPS unit, laptop, smartphone). also you should write a song about doing your hair, girls love to dance to songs they can relate to and i don't think there has ever been a song about doing your hair.

other things that could help you become an overnight sensation...

move to europe
move to japan
become gay (it worked for the guy from judas priest)
become a pedophile (it worked for gary glitter)
claim to be from outerspace (it worked for roky erikson)
claim to not be from outerspace
get a sex change (it worked for amanda lepore)
design a sports car and make your website only about the car, not your music (it worked for georgio moroder)
get long braided hair that has the same effect as dreadlocks (it worked for sylvester)


i look forward to you implementing these ideas into your blossoming career.

your friend,
mike


...

The short answer is "Yes." The long answer is also "Yes."

Wtf? Where am I?

Aaaand we're back.
At any rate, nominated.

This thread is amazing. ZAS, Chris Deville, John Petric, JFK and Lost all under one roof and then... NUKED! I don't think the backlash against Deville was merited though. I mean, he did call you guys visionaries and plugged your show.

ha ha nice try deville

next time try harder with a fake account

ha ha ha

i just turned the table

Wow. You recognized my no-talent-hack, high-school-fluff, "local"-corporate, brainless-dining-guide style of power abusing the written word from those THREE SENTENCES?!

this thread is starting to get boring again. More drama, please!

I am not a fan of ZAS' music, but I will give him credit for his moxie and his ability to promote. From the tracks I've heard, it sounds like a lot of the sounds are not synced up to the beats correctly, which for dance music doesn't really work. At all. It ends up sounding sloppy but not in a good way.

Also, while I am not that much of a stickler for perfect singing pitch all of the time if it's done well, I think you need to find a more comfortable range for your vocals or something.

As much as I hate to suggest this because I can't stand them* there are other alternatives...

What needs to happen is a ZAS remix competition. Everyone and their grandma is vocal about easily envisioning a way to make his music better, so in the name of music LET THOSE PEOPLE MAKE THE MUSIC BETTER.

Zach, I bet you could turn such a competition into a big press write up. There are tons of electronic music aficionados and DJs in town that would jump on it, and probably want to spin their own version of 'No Texting on the Dancefloor' at all the hippest 'nights'.

Just pick one or two songs and make the raw tracks available for download, promote the event, decide on a deadline and prize for the winner and sit back and bath in the attention.

I'm sure a few of the usual jackholes would use it as a way to make fun of you (after that Petric review there is not much place to go other than up). But, I know for sure that at least a dozen of the entries would be REALLY bangin reinterpretations of your songs.

You don't even have to admit that there is anything wrong with your music, it is good for the people who like it. Silence the haters. Give the people what they want. Give them...

THE ZAS REMIX COMPETITION

The difference between Zach and David is that Zach is proud of being called "a tone-deaf visionary" and David isn't. Being called a "tone-deaf visionary" is the equivalent of being referred to as a Mark Madsen (sorry for you non NBA fans out there). I.e.: You have a vision, you have passion, but you have no ability. Good hustle, kid!

I already realize that the distance between my taste and most people on this board's taste is a few fucking fathoms....but if ZAS is getting more positive attention from you than Wolf Ram Heart.....I think maybe your taste in some serious question.

I have already done this by turning it off.

This strikes me as an odd generalization to make. I can't tell whether it exudes pretentiousness or insecurity. Please clarify.


Suggesting to an artist that he let someone else make his art for him isn't really positive attention. I really do think that the RoVeys, Moxys and Shapeshifters out there could turn his totally lame and inaccessible music into at least a tolerable cultural meme.

I'm not familiar with Wolf Ram Heart, but they must kick fucking ass if there are enough time vampires in the world that think a sentence-long, lighthearted zinger (that is used to encourage people to go see the band live), deserves a four page, alternative biography on the journalist as a rebuttal.


BITCH I TASTE LIKE A GODDAMN BARNYARD BUSTER

It's pretty easy to throw those words out there isn't it?

My musical tastes are different than most people here. Get it? It's pretty simple. Snoop around the board a bit.



Oh, Zach has gotten plenty of positive attention. Just go to his myspace and look.

Wolf Ram Heart is a good band with a couple fistfuls more talent than most. They don't belong in the same catagory as Zach at all. David isn't tone-deaf, he's definitely not the worst singer in Columbus, and his band does kick ass. These are easy things to see to anyone paying attention.



Going in or coming out?

It seems that in reacting to an overreaction to criticism, I have overly reacted to a critical reaction against my poor taste.

Lets just be friends.

Back to ZAS.... Zach, what say you about an organized remix contest? Are you too offended by the notion to see how much it would benefit your cause?

Sorry, I've been at work a lot. Other people remixing my songs doesn't offend me at all, why would it? People ask to remix my stuff all the time, I've just not had the time to make the master tracks available because they are all on a Roland 808 machine and I would have to transfer all the individual tracks for each song to a computer to convert them, which takes time.

Every question I answer will simply lead to another question.