Zeb Wayne & Ziwi’s Debut Album is the Perfect De-Stress Tonic

Need to de-stress? Zeb Wayne & Ziwi’s debut album This Playlist is Private is more relaxing than a candlelit bath. The 11-track longplayer languidly meanders through a haze of ethereal pop, modern R&B and electronica, making nods to FKA Twigs and Kučka along the way.  

Zeb Wayne is a musician, DJ and producer currently based in London. On this longplayer, he reunites with Moroccan-born singer-songwriter Ziwi after their 2017 Wulfman EP. This Playlist is Private walks the line between considered electronica and pop sensibilities. Throughout, Ziwi’s vocals drift and swirl around Wayne’s deft production.

Simple and Complex

“The album was written over a matter of weeks but finished over a matter of years,” said Zeb. “The music offers a reflection of both that journey and life as a whole. There are moments of simplicity and complexity, light and darkness, joy and sorrow.

Across the LP, all the tracks blend live musicianship, synthesised jams and delicate vocals. “The sound is a blend of live musicians and laptop beats, unplanned synth jams and fully scored string arrangements, demo vocal recordings and crafted vocal harmonies. It is an amalgamation of a lot of thought and no thought at all.”

Standout

Prisms is our standout track from the album – Ziwi’s gossamer vocals floating atop stripped back beats and cinematic atmospherics.

Meanwhile, Love Spillover wouldn’t be out of place on a Saint Etienne album.

Pyramids of Mars

Radio Slave – aka Matt Edwards – has re-ignited his Pyramids of Mars label with Zeb Wayne & Ziwi’s This Playlist is Private album. Which should tell you all you need to know.

Edwards originally launched Pyramids of Mars in 2012 as an outlet for his Quiet Village output with Joel Martin. The imprint has also released tracks and remixes from Joe Claussell, Vince I. Watson, François K, Rouge Mécanique and more. Out now, This Playlist Is Private ​is a worthy edition to the label’s catalogue. Slip it on and take your foot off the gas.

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