Pop is back! And it hasn’t sounded as fresh as this for very long time. Forget overwrought production artistics or aimless journeys through electronic rhythms and pointless lyrics. ZEBRA DOTS’ infectious Vintage Pop is a sophisticated and enticing blend of a broad range of musical influences that puts its very own spin on the very definition of Pop.
The story of ZEBRA DOTS began with a coincidental encounter of two talented and established musicians from Slovenia and Croatia. The internationally recognized producer and beat master Koolade (Masta Ace, Ghostface Killah, Das Efx, EMC …) and the versatile drummer Ivo Rimc (Leeloojamais, Demolition Group, etc.) met in a studio during a recording session for another musical project. Playing one song was enough for them to feel that their creative chemistry and musical influences were very much alike. They met at a point in their lives when they were both trying to figure out how to infuse their talent and experience into a musical force that would stop the world in its track, at least for a moment.
After only a couple of sessions in the studio, their first ideas were transformed into vibrant music that had been waiting a long time for the right moment to dazzle its audiences. Soon they invited Jernej Kržič (bass) and Erik Marenče (keyboards) to join them. Together they combined their influences, ranging from hip hop, funk, fusion and pop, into an incredibly vivid and organic sound. When Andraž Mazi (guitar) and Sasha Alexandra Danilova (vocal) joined this enthusiastic group of musicians, the space between Ljubljana and Zagreb was suddenly filled with a positive flow of creative energy. The members enriched this creative flow with their own personalities as well as their individual artistic expressions and captured it masterfully in 13 songs that now form the musical body of their debut album. These 13 songs send a message to the musical world: Pop music can still surprise you and define new dimensions.
The songs of ZEBRA DOTS are not only fresh and dynamic; they have a sense of urgency underlying their infectious melodies. Sasha, the singer, and Koolade write the lyrics that range from worldly to thematically-diverse and critical. They are brimful with sincere emotions which stand against the harshness of everyday life and talk about smiles that go hand in hand with tears as well anger and helplessness which become fertile grounds for rebellion and a heartbeat that sounds deep, genuine and international.
The spontaneity of their songs gets you right from the start. After hearing these songs for a couple of times, it becomes more and more clear that they deliver complex and, at the same time, clear and accomplished songs, which are rooted in a universally comprehensible and very accessible musical genre.
“Our name is synonymous for our music,” says Koolade, the singer and the producer of the group. “ZEBRA DOTS is something new, something that has not existed yet and came into existence with our band. It represents our spontaneous path, our friendship and unique creative process. All that is reflected in our melodies, lyrics and, of course, in our live performances.”
ZEBRA DOTS:
Sasha Alexandra Danilova - Vocals
Koolade - Vocals
Ivo Rimc - Drums
Andraž Mazi - Guitar
Erik Marenče - Keys
Jernej Kržič – Bass
