zakè is an American ambient composer and sound artist. His genre-spanning approach to ambient results in work seemingly still; glimmering with texture and artifacts, yet anchored by a driving, gravitational pull. Recognized as a pioneer of slow-evolving minimal drone, he utilizes archaic synths, sound manipulation, and tape machines to create solemn, drifting soundscapes for deep listening. Interested in music as a method of processing lived experience, zakè approaches each record as a marker of time—a relation gestured in the name Past Inside The Present, the ambient/drone label he founded in 2018. zakè has released his works through: Past Inside the Present, Azure Vista Records, THESIS, Polar Seas Recordings, Dunk!Records, Aural Canyon, Healing Sound Propagandist, Complex Holiday, Rusted Tone Recordings, Low Versions, and Zakè Drone Recordings; an imprint used to publish his own material along with collaborative projects.
Compilation appearances include: El Muelle Records, Stereoscenic, Mailbox, Elm Records, Tiny Drones for Lovers, Headphone Commute, and Giraffe Tapes.
zakè has collaborated/worked with these prominent ambient artists: 36, The Sight Below, Benoit Pioulard, bvdub, ASC, Warmth, Innesti, Tyresta, Isaac Helsen, marine eyes, awakened souls, Rafael Anton Irisarri, T.R Jordan, Patricia Wolf, Ossa, City of Dawn, Slow Dancing Society, Black Swan, Grandbruit, Christina Giannone, From Overseas, Wayne Robert Thomas, Ai Yamamoto, worriedaboutsatan, Poemme, Hotel Neon, Andrew J Klimek, Pausal, Polar Moon, Lucy Gooch, Low Howl, James Bernard, Joachim Spieth, Black Brunswicker, Matthew Prokop, Akkad The Orphic Priest, Marc Ertel, Markus Guentner, Color of Time, Jonas Munk, Cat Tyson Hughes, Robert Farrugia, Belly Full of Stars, anthéne, Georgeson, Keep The Orange Sun, Fax, Coppice Halifax, Aural Imbalance & more.
zakè has appeared on compilations with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Claire Deak, Emilie Levienaise, Rachel Grimes, Aisha Burns, Sachi Kobayashi, Anna Phoebe, Julianna Barwick, Simon Scott, Olivia Belli, Hollie Kenniff, Goldmund, Heather Woods Broderick, Rose Riebl, Helios, Taylor Deupree, Andrew Tasselmyer, r beny, Stephen Vitiello, Corey Fuller, Bruno Sanfilippo, SVLBRD, Sven Laux, Shuta Hiraki, Pepo Galán, Karen Vogt, Carlos Ferreira, Ausklang, Amble, wøunds, Ecovillage, Olan Mill, Hilyard, Purl, Good Weather for an Airstrike, Scott Campbell, Slow Clinic, KMRU, Stijn Hüwels, Halftribe, Innesti, & more.
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“Thoughtful ambient music, right when many of us need it most.”
Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork
“Perfect listening at low volume, zakè’s output serve as a perfect escapist tool from our current surreal predicament.”
Headphone Commute
“Perfect calm listening, the antidote to fear in these troubled times.”
pinpod, Quiet Space
“zakè’s music represents a personal longing for others to feel content with switching off, for self-reflection and stillness.”
Ari Delaney, Bandcamp, Inc.
“zakè‘s music evolves slowly, like water gently trickling from a glacier, drawing the listener in to get lost in its subtly epic scope.”
All Things Loud
“If you are a fan of the purer form of drone music, then zakè will be right up your alley.”
Drifting, Almost Falling
“Thoughtful and immersive ambient of exceptionally high quality.”
Headphone Commute
"Warm, calm, slow music that encourages you to “settle in, open up, and let the experience unfold."
ambientblog.net
"The most gorgeous, gossamer ambient music, breathy and sparkling."
Norman Records
Compilation appearances include: El Muelle Records, Stereoscenic, Mailbox, Elm Records, Tiny Drones for Lovers, Headphone Commute, and Giraffe Tapes.
zakè has collaborated/worked with these prominent ambient artists: 36, The Sight Below, Benoit Pioulard, bvdub, ASC, Warmth, Innesti, Tyresta, Isaac Helsen, marine eyes, awakened souls, Rafael Anton Irisarri, T.R Jordan, Patricia Wolf, Ossa, City of Dawn, Slow Dancing Society, Black Swan, Grandbruit, Christina Giannone, From Overseas, Wayne Robert Thomas, Ai Yamamoto, worriedaboutsatan, Poemme, Hotel Neon, Andrew J Klimek, Pausal, Polar Moon, Lucy Gooch, Low Howl, James Bernard, Joachim Spieth, Black Brunswicker, Matthew Prokop, Akkad The Orphic Priest, Marc Ertel, Markus Guentner, Color of Time, Jonas Munk, Cat Tyson Hughes, Robert Farrugia, Belly Full of Stars, anthéne, Georgeson, Keep The Orange Sun, Fax, Coppice Halifax, Aural Imbalance & more.
zakè has appeared on compilations with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Claire Deak, Emilie Levienaise, Rachel Grimes, Aisha Burns, Sachi Kobayashi, Anna Phoebe, Julianna Barwick, Simon Scott, Olivia Belli, Hollie Kenniff, Goldmund, Heather Woods Broderick, Rose Riebl, Helios, Taylor Deupree, Andrew Tasselmyer, r beny, Stephen Vitiello, Corey Fuller, Bruno Sanfilippo, SVLBRD, Sven Laux, Shuta Hiraki, Pepo Galán, Karen Vogt, Carlos Ferreira, Ausklang, Amble, wøunds, Ecovillage, Olan Mill, Hilyard, Purl, Good Weather for an Airstrike, Scott Campbell, Slow Clinic, KMRU, Stijn Hüwels, Halftribe, Innesti, & more.
-----
“Thoughtful ambient music, right when many of us need it most.”
Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork
“Perfect listening at low volume, zakè’s output serve as a perfect escapist tool from our current surreal predicament.”
Headphone Commute
“Perfect calm listening, the antidote to fear in these troubled times.”
pinpod, Quiet Space
“zakè’s music represents a personal longing for others to feel content with switching off, for self-reflection and stillness.”
Ari Delaney, Bandcamp, Inc.
“zakè‘s music evolves slowly, like water gently trickling from a glacier, drawing the listener in to get lost in its subtly epic scope.”
All Things Loud
“If you are a fan of the purer form of drone music, then zakè will be right up your alley.”
Drifting, Almost Falling
“Thoughtful and immersive ambient of exceptionally high quality.”
Headphone Commute
"Warm, calm, slow music that encourages you to “settle in, open up, and let the experience unfold."
ambientblog.net
"The most gorgeous, gossamer ambient music, breathy and sparkling."
Norman Records