J Hacha De Zola
J Hacha De Zola | “UNPOPULAR” EP / Icaro NouVEAU LP | CABALLO NEGRO
ABOUT:
J Hacha De Zola on the “UnPOPular” EP (Fall 2019):
“A few years ago, I covered an Ariana Grande tune, ‘Bad Decisions,’ as an experiment. It’s a dance-pop tune which I wanted to make sound like a J Hacha De Zola song. Ya know, make it sound ‘creepy and dark.’
Musically or lyrically speaking, that song is very different from what I do. It couldn’t be any more different and was quite challenging for me, especially vocally. Obviously Ariana Grande is an ultra-amazing vocalist - a real song bird - and then there’s me!
I had a lot of fun turning that song into a ‘Tom Waits-esq barroom roar’ as Cover Me put it. Fast forward almost three years later and I’ve decided to keep experimenting and pushing the boundaries of what I do by covering some more pop tunes. However, interestingly enough, this time things are a bit different.
During my Icaro Nouveau recording sessions, I recorded what I thought would be another one-off pop cover, ‘Writer In The Dark’ by Lorde. It has a dark, moody, and almost even slightly ‘dangerous’ feeling.
I have always admired Lorde’s songwriting prowess. There has always been something cynical and maybe even a bit dark about her songs and ‘Writer In The Dark’ is no different. I was able to really connect to the darker overtones of the lyrics. I could totally relate to that whole ‘scary love’ vibe.
The version on her album was pretty stripped down. I didn’t play with the tempo very much on my version, but wanted to make it a bit of a party when the listener least expected it. Adding some Cumbia vibes, Farfisa, and Saxophones picked things up a bit without taking away from the darkness of the song.
I was quite happy with this cover and put it under my hat for a bit, hoping for the right moment to release it. Suddenly, some new pop artists emerged with even more tunes that I felt like I could relate to.
A friend of mine passed this song along to me – ‘Bury A Friend’ by Billie Eilish – who I didn’t know about at the time. As he passed it along he said ‘You should do this song! This could be a legit J Hacha De Zola tune!’ When I finally put some ears to it, I couldn’t agree more.
Billie is truly making some moves that ya just don’t see very often for a pop star nowadays. This song is an exploration of the darker side of songwriting. The instruments on the original tune are electronic, so we decided to have a go at it and put my brand of creepiness on using some interesting folk instruments like a Kaval, Gadulka, and Banjo. Also that’s an Upright acoustic Bass thumping away on there! It almost feels like a strange Balkan Bluegrass folk-music type of thing. I hope folks will dig it.
Another tune that came to my attention is ‘Nightmare’ by Halsey. I try to stay ‘current’ on things, and I asked my friend’s little sister ‘Hey what are you listening to? What do the kids think is cool today?’ This kid gave me a laundry list of pop artists that she really liked and from this list, I found ‘Nightmare,’ another song which I could relate to. It is a song of coming into one's own power and owning up to what one is. It's about self -acceptance despite one’s imperfections. It is a song of liberation. I love it!
Production wise, we took the tune into a different direction. It’s got this strange mix of a Latin – 80’s Christopher Cross – ‘Kokomo’ thing going on complete with Bass Sax, Latin Piano, palm muted Guitars and Clarinets.
We had a lot of fun making this EP. I have developed a big admiration for all the artists I have covered over the last few years, especially these ladies! They are all incredible vocalists and performers. I can’t sing anywhere near as good as they do, so it was very challenging for me to even try to do what they do!
Why is the title of the record ‘UnPOPular’? Well, we had a lot of fun with these, trying to apply my own filter to these wildly popular and accessible songs, just to see if I could make them sound like J Hacha De Zola. In drawing out their own inherent ‘darkness’ or ‘creepiness,’ adding my style of croonin’, and applying ‘old timey’ sounds using instruments, I think in some ways maybe what I’ve done is take hits and made them LESS accessible!
Bio (SPRING 2019):
“This is an Urban Junkyard record.”
It’s a descriptor that J Hacha De Zola – previously described by UTNE as “the kind of alluring character found in old children’s books,” and by PASTE as simply, “a wild man” – has been casually using over the course of three album releases. With the upcoming full–length Icaro Nouveau (out March 29th), the Rahway, New Jersey–based musician defines the genre in detail.
What is “Urban Junkyard?” Download an in-depth doc by J Hacha De Zola here.
Produced by iconic engineer John Agnello, a career–long cohort of another “J” – J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr, and most recently the man behind albums by Waxahatchee, the new Hacha De Zola songs are described by the artist as full of “villains, spells, desires, romance, danger, redemption, and revelations.”
He adds, “and a eulogy,” referring to “Ode To Ralph Carney,” about the late, legendary saxophone sideman of Tom Waits (and many others), who served not only as a player, but more importantly, as a spiritual guide for Hacha De Zola over the course of the latter’s young career.
“My heart aches,” Hacha De Zola says about the man he calls “Johnny Marinara” on the tune, directly lifting Waits’ own nickname for Carney, as called out following a particularly gnarly solo during a late–80s appearance on “Late Night with David Letterman”. The “Icaro” of the new album’s title speaks to that aching; the word refers to “language taught through other worldly sources intended to heal those who hear it.”
Indeed, Carney was Hacha De Zola’s compatriot in developing the Urban Junkyard sound that now has a life of its own on Icaro Nouveau.
“He was an integral part of this sound. He was my secret weapon,” Hacha De Zola says. “His horns were ever–present, as was his input. Not having him around for Icaro Nouveau was unsettling for me.”
Fortunately, Carney’s spirit was still in the room, and helped Hacha De Zola get in touch with his creativity in a new way, with greater depth. More specifically, the “Nouveau” portion that completes the new album’s title.
“I’ve been developing my own new language, through the elements that are most familiar to me,” Hacha De Zola explains. “My neighborhood – ‘mi barrio’ – where I’m from, and the diversity of cultures and vibes there.”
“Environment is everything,” he continues, “There’s power in the intent behind words and in their delivery. You might not even understand a certain language, but can get a sense of the intent when it’s spoken.”
You can feel it in the Urban Junkyard.
Hacha De Zola’s day job is as a biochemist, and as such, he wrote what amounts to a dissertation on the origins behind the meaning of Urban Junkyard. In abbreviated form, he states the following:
“Urban Junkyard is my hand grenade to explode accepted forms of existing music. It is a deconstructionist approach to music composition, and not only of music, but also of poetry and lyricism, drawn from the past. I blow them up, and the resulting fragments are allowed to reform to create my own musical universe. It’s an acquired taste, with strong spices, and an underlying chaos.”
He continues, “This music works in the service of the mind, as opposed to being intended to only please the ear. I want to dismantle any excessive loyalty to any particular musical idea and look for the more fundamental or primal aspects that might lie below the surface. I never wanted to be committed to one thing. I’m more interested in musical ideas than musical genres.”
Hacha De Zola offers the song “El Chucho (Hooko)” from Icaro Nouveau as an example of this.
A standout track from Icaro Nouveau, “El Chucho (Hooko)” is a “bit of a marching band type thing,” according to Hacha De Zola. “An urban folk tale about a villain, the kind of guy who would cheat you, steal your girl, and stab you in the back. He’s also a silver–tongued charmer. Every neighborhood barrio has a guy like this.” The song is a smart follow–up to the album’s opener and lead single “Anarchy,” which swaggers in like a Cab Calloway number, complete with a sauntering trumpet accompaniment.
Beyond Hacha De Zola’s Urban Junkyard philosophy that dictates his approach, there is the approach itself. His methods of writing music and lyrics, to production and packaging are documented in the unedited, thoughtful analysis of the genre. Scroll down to read it in full.
As an artist who rejects genres, while also offering a definition for one at the same time, it is notable that Hacha De Zola also rejects his own. The most current Hacha De Zola release is the four–song “Syn Illusión” EP which is comprised of all–Spanish language, 80s–era, synth–driven songs in the vein of Berlin or “Flashdance”. The Urban Junkyard found in “Blade Runner,” perhaps?
Icaro Nouveau contains its diversions, as well.
“I feel the pressure to actually write a ‘song’ sometimes,” Hacha De Zola says. “Even just for myself. It’s a challenging endeavor and sometimes maybe I do it just to hear a love song.”
Some of the tunes on Icaro Nouveau ARE love songs in the traditional sense, including upcoming single “Super Squeaky,” described as “a song of penitence and compunction.” In other words “guilt,” – so it MUST be a love song! Other tunes were performed and written on the spot (“Hollow Trees,” “Hacha’s Lament”), and some are just party songs, intended to be fun, not challenging.
One thing that Hacha De Zola does describe as both fun and challenging was working with producer Agnello for the first time.
“He would really push me, but I was amazed at the attention he paid to every detail. He produced so many records that were important to me as a developing artist, and we had lots of fun recording all kinds of instruments,” Hacha De Zola exclaims, before beginning to run down a small list including “Tubas, Vietnamese Moon Lute, the Bulgarian folk instrument called a Gaida, also known as the ‘inflatable goat,’” and then suddenly reminding us, “This is an Urban Junkyard record.”
Icaro Nouveau, the latest album by J Hacha De Zola arrives on March 29th, 2019.
News:
Press Quotes:
“The kind of alluring character found in old children’s books.”
“A wild man in the vein of such fire breathing artists like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Captain Beefheart.”
“Dangerously delightful, whirling, and rhythmic.”
“J Hacha De Zola sings a song of unrequited love with ‘Syn Illusión’. As songs on the matter go, this is one that’s bound to light the way forward and inspire a legion of imitators.”
“Beckoning listeners somewhere exciting and unfamiliar where menace looms heavy in the air. ”
“Going crazy on stage is what J Hacha De Zola does best.”
“The main influence is that of Tom Waits. But if Zola has influences, he also has talent.”
“We could throw comparisons out to other artists/bands/genres around at this point, but firmly believe J Hacha De Zola sits at his own, most likely oddly shaped table.”
“Should brighten or darken your mood depending on your state of mind.”
“Falls so far out of the box, for good or bad, there’s no one around left to hit him with any sort of healthy competition.”
“J Hacha De Zola usually breaths fire on his records, a garage-rockin’ Latin bluesman in the style of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. ”
“A dark and swinging blend of jagged jazz, back alley blues and deliciously demented carnival stomp. Hacha De Zola might very well be one of the most important and singular artists making music today.”
“It’s as if the late Michael Hutchence decided to partner with Joy Division and create a driving, emotional opus.”
“To say that De Zola’s creative process and musical style are unique is an understatement.”
“A large, spinning rock ‘n’ roll affair as enticing as it is distant and strange.”
“Cranks and curdles and clomps around his slithery croon tunes.”
“A swaying barroom roll somewhere between Tom Waits and the Pogues.”
“A twisted, dystopian narrative straight from the mind of John Carpenter.”
“Possibly the wildest record I’ve heard all year. A compelling all-over-the-map collision of jazz, blues, show tunes, garage rock, and Latino flavors. At points, hypnotic, cinematic, lush, and dissonant—but there’s no question that it is also a challenging, at times daunting, listen.”
“Mutant blues rock.”
“A fantastic power that is as carnival-like and playful as it is possessed and cacophonic.”
“‘Icaro Nouveau’ is a dark tango, a gothic circus, a dirty, melodic cacophony you just have to love.”
“Mixes voodoo psychedelia with acid jazz and pulsating dark rock into one outrageous concoction... A sermon being performed in the world of ‘The Big Lebowski.’”
“J Hacha de Zola might be the closest thing we have to a modern day Frank Zappa.”
“Want great songs? This record’s got ‘em. Yes, ‘Icaro Nouveau’ is mostly a jazz record, but that is only one of the genres... He is less a descendant of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins or Tom Waits (in the mold of ‘Small Change’ or even ‘Rain Dogs’) than he is a kind of sonic chameleon – think Andrew Bird in his ‘Bowl of Fire’ days, mixed with the manic energy of Mike Patton fronting Mr. Bungle.”
PRESS RELEASES:
SOCIALS:
LISTEN:
Bandcamp: jhachadezola.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2PnnUJw
Apple: https://apple.co/3vncV2i
ARCHIVE:
Assets:
J Hacha De Zola as John Denver as photographed by Christopher Welby. Click for hi-res.
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Robin Souma. Click for hi-res.
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Robin Souma. Click for hi-res.
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Robin Souma. Click for hi-res.
J Hacha De Zola as photographed by Robin Souma. Click for hi-res.
J Hacha De Zola’s Greatest Hits cover art. Click for hi-res.
Icaro Nouveau cover art. Click for hi-res.
“UnPOPular” EP cover art. Click for hi-res.