Los Angeles based electronic musician Zhao has just released a smooth new tune titled Car. Zhao says the tune was was written two parts across three cities, soaring through the sky.
“The first idea for this song was written during a quick session with Oli Chang of Animal Feelings while visiting New York. We wrote the song in about 2 hours, and I justloved how conversational it was, and how precise it was emotionally.”
After that first session, the song spent a year in limbo, before Zhao hit another wave of inspiration on a return flight from Thailand.
“I was in Thailand with my family, and on the flight back to LA I hammered out this rough instrumental into my portable synth’s (OP-1) onboard 4-track. I ended up writing a whole new chord progression/beat to the original vocal idea, and that formed the basis for the song’s second life. Then when I got back I passed it onto my friend PJ McManus to help with the mixing and finish it off.”
It’s easy to get lost in the warm, cruisy, uplifting sounds of Car, but once you start taking notice of the story behind the song, a whole new level opens up, and the song takes on a darker tone.
“There’s a lot of dance tracks that coast along on a few phrases for imagery, but I wanted this to hit on something specific –like feeling responsible for the downfall of a relationship. A song where the person actually recognizes they fucked up, and knows the situation is irreparable. There’s no redemption in the end, the only consolation is the memory. We all carry moments like this around with us, and music has always been an outlet for me to ruminate and daydream –about myself, about things I’ve done, about what could have been.” Zhao said.
Zhao is the moniker of Kenny Zhao. Raised in the suburbs of Atlanta by Chinese immigrants, Kenny studied classical piano and composition before moving to Los Angeles.
While his sound is always evolving, the path taken is always a dance-able one, borrowing cues from the likes of Chairlift, Kaytranada, Washed Out, and James Blake.
Take a listen to the new tune.
Source: Media Release
