Artist Spotlight - Kolin Zein
Please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background.
I'm Kolin Zein, a guitarist and composer, mainly working in the Ambient, Drone, Noise, Experimental, Avant-Garde, and Free Jazz fields.
Where are you located?
Miami, FL
What is your artist's name?
Kolin Zein
How long have you been writing music?
33 years and counting
What inspired you to start playing and making music?
Back in the day, it was a great shortcut to become really popular in my local public school - and it worked wonders, haha. Later, I realized how powerful a good piece of music can be and how it can touch people you'll never meet in person on the other side of the globe.
What were the driving forces or pivotal moments that inspired you to pursue music?
Several key moments shaped my musical journey:
- My parents playing Classical Russian composers to put me to sleep every night was absolutely pivotal.
- Discovering The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Black Sabbath on my own made a huge impact.
- Attending a Laibach show in the 90s, knowing nothing about Industrial music, and having a conversation with Ivan Novak after the show about the role of philosophy in music left a significant mark.
- Meeting Thurston Moore, and later Glenn Branca, Elliott Sharp, and Martin Bisi finalized this long process of becoming who I am today.
How would you describe your style of music?
Guitar-based Expressionism. Ambient/Experimental is also close enough.
How is your personality reflected in your work?
My personality is probably not in the notes themselves but in the spaces between. Notes are what I know. In between is who I am. Together they seem to work pretty well.
Describe your creative process when you write new music.
Forgetting I'm here to "create music" and becoming a huge antenna in the form of a human with a 6-stringed piece of wood.
What is the name of your latest release?
"10 Ness See"
What was the inspiration for that release?
It was an exercise in absolutely removing my ego from the piece of music to let it "write itself" rather than being an obstacle. To do so, I had to follow, not initiate - react, not act on my own. Furthermore, I had to remove my playing style since playing guitar is also a kind of ego display - the instrument demands it.
I chose to go to the top of Smoky Mountain in Tennessee at 2 AM and record an improv, listening to wind, insects, and falling tree branches while not touching a single string - just changing the position of my guitar towards an overdriven amp. Essentially, it's a guitar feedback album. I find guitar feedback really inspiring (hello, baby Kolin discovering Metal Machine Music in the late 80s), expressive, and - in these circumstances - haunting.
What challenges or unexpected moments did you encounter during the writing/recording process?
At some point, there was quite an unsettling noise of cracking tree branches like something was there. Worst case scenario, it could've been a hungry bear, elk, or maybe a coyote. Thankfully, the sound of guitar feedback that drew them in the first place also kept them away from my spot.
What strategies do you find most effective for promoting your music?
Using GetMusic, of course!
How do you engage with your fans online and offline?
Through Bandcamp, Reddit, or other forms of social media like YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram - @kolinzein
What upcoming promotional activities or releases are you most excited about?
I'm recording a big drone symphony as we speak.
How can folks contact you (socials/email/websites etc.)?
https://kolinzein.bandcamp.com/
