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Zoè Zanias

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Zoè Zanias
Zanias performing at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in 2023
Zanias performing at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in 2023
Background information
Birth nameAlison Lewis
Born
Papua New Guinea
OriginLondon, England
Genres
OccupationSinger-songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active2011–present
Labels
  • Fleisch Records
  • Candela Rising
  • Noiztank
  • Dark Entries
Member of
  • Keluar
Formerly ofLinea Aspera

Alison Lewis, known professionally as Zoè Zanias, is an Australian musician, producer, and DJ based in Berlin. Born in Papua New Guinea, she became one half of the electronic duo Linea Aspera after moving to London. The act were considered to be at the forefront of the minimal wave resurgence before their disbanding in 2013.

After a stint in the short-lived band Keluar and a string of EPs, Zanias released her debut solo album, Into the All (2018). She continued releasing solo material through her label Fleisch Records, which she co-founded in 2016. She has collaborated with a number of acts including the likes of Delerium, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and I Hate Models, and has embarked on a number of world tours.

Biography

[edit]

Zanias was born in Papua New Guinea and raised throughout Southeast Asia. She had moved to London to study archeology when she met musician Ryan Ambridge. Together they founded the electronic act Linea Aspera in November 2011.[1] They released their self-titled debut in January 2012 and their first full-length album later that year.[2] The duo had planned to tour North America in late 2012, but had to cancel due to visa issues.[3] Before their breakup in 2013,[4] Linea Aspera had become a major player in the resurgent minimal wave scene,[5] influencing contemporaries such as Boy Harsher.[6]

In 2012, Zanias moved to Berlin and formed the band Keluar with producer Sid Lamar from the techno outfit Schwefelgelb. The band is named after the Indonesian and Malaysian word meaning "to go out" and was meant as a hint to Zanias' upbringing in those countries.[7] Their self-titled debut was released in June 2014 through the label Desire.[8] They released a follow-up EP in 2015 titled Panguna.[9] Her first release as a solo artist was the EP 23.10.14 in 2015.

In September 2016, Zanias released the EP To the Core which featured the song "Follow the Body". The song's music video was directed by Clay Adamczyk and shot in Poland near the Baltic Sea.[10] As of June 2024, the music video has over 1.7 million views on YouTube.[11] At the end of 2018 she released her debut studio album, Into the All, through the label Candela Rising.[12] A year later, she reunited with Ambridge to announce new material for Linea Aspera. Preservation Bias, released in June 2019, featured a number of rare and unused songs from the duo's early years.[13][14] Their second studio album, LP II, featuring all brand new material, was released the following year.[4]

Zanias released her second album, Unearthed in September 2021 through the label Fleisch Records.[15] Fleisch, which she co-founded in 2016,[16] has released works from artists such as Kontravoid,[17] Multiple Man,[18] and Neu-Romancer.[19] In 2023, Flesich partnered with Metropolis Records to release Zanias' third studio album, Chrysalis. Zanias took inspiration for the album's sound from the lush rainforest habitat of Queensland, Australia, where the album was in part produced.[20] According to Zanias, "each of the album’s eight songs were inspired by a series of unfortunate events" and deal with themes such as Capitalism and isolation. She announced a tour in support for the album with Neu-Romancer's Laura Bailey joining her onstage as a live bassist.[21]

Zanias made her first live collaboration as a guest singer for The Jesus and Mary Chain in 2023[22] and joined the band again at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena in 2024.[23] In February that year, she released her fourth album, Ecdysis, composed entirely of instrumental songs.[24] Later that same year she produced a remix for the Delerium single "Remember Love".[25]

Artistry

[edit]

Zanias has cited artists such as Grimes, Zola Jesus, and Light Asylum as early inspirations for her work as a solo artist. "They were completely on their own on stage and [I was] watching them and thinking, 'well, I don’t need a band. I could just do this'".[16] Other artists she has mentioned influences on her work include HTRK, Fever Ray, Dead Can Dance, Current 93, Tool, and Coil.[26]

In an interview with Vice, Zanias described how Berlin's expansive electronic music scene had influenced her style: "You listen to all these sounds, and the DJs at Berghain and other clubs in Berlin put in a real effort to play interesting sounds [...] When people put that effort in, you can get really inspired—even by a single really nice snare. It can make you think about how you'd use that sound in a song".[27]

Personal life

[edit]

In May 2022, Zanias reported on her Instagram that she fell victim to a needle spiking incident at the Berghain nightclub in Berlin. She stated that she lost consciousness and collapsed before being brought backstage by her friends. As she regained consciousness, bouncers removed her and her friends from the premises and refused them reentry. A spokesperson for the Berlin Club Commission stated that they were aware of the situation and agreed that the club did not handle it "in the best way".[28]

Discography

[edit]
Studio albums
  • Into the All (2018)
  • Unearthed (2021)
  • Chrysalis (2023)
  • Ecdysis (2024)
EPs
  • 23.10.14 (2015)
  • To the Core (2016)
  • Harmaline (2020)
  • Extinction (2020)
  • Shackles (with These Hidden Hands) (2021)
Singles
  • "Untethered" (2021)
  • "Unraveled" (2021)
  • "Unseen" (2021)
  • "Simulation" (2023)
  • "Metrics" (2023)
  • "Burial" (2023)
  • "Simulation" (Forces Remix) (2023)
  • "Tryptamine Palace" (2023)
  • "Simulation" (Clouzer Remix) (2023)
  • "Simulation" (Alen Skanner Remix) (2023)
  • "Chrysalis" (Metamorphosis) (2024)
  • "Lovelife" (Remix) (2024)
  • "Burial" (Qual Remix) (2024)
Remix album
  • To the Core Remixes (2017)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Dockery, Kane. "In Conversation: Zanias [Fleisch]". Magnetic Magazine. Magnetic Magazine. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Linea Aspera to launch debut album on Dark Entries label". Sideline Music Magazine. 19 September 2012. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Linea Aspera Cancel North American Tour". Dark Entries Records. 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b Lord, Bruce (11 September 2020). "Linea Aspera, 'LP II'". I Die: You Die. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  5. ^ Simpson, Paul. "Linea Aspera Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  6. ^ Dunlea, Reed (May 26, 2015). "Boy Harsher: Making A "Moving Choker-Collar Muscle Mash" One Room at a Time". Vice. Vice Media. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  7. ^ Eliasson, Tobias. "Interview with Berlin Newcomers Keluar". Release Music Magazine. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  8. ^ Forsberg, Niklas. "Keluar (Review 16 June 2014)". Release Music Magazine. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  9. ^ Schatten, Aleks. "The Best of 2015". Post-Punk.com. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  10. ^ "Track of the Month: Zanias Premieres Her Video for 'Follow the Body'". Post-Punk.com. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  11. ^ Zanias (17 August 2016). "Follow the Body". Retrieved 6 June 2024 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ Lord, Bruce (4 December 2018). "Zanias, 'Into the All'". I Die: You Die. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Preservation Bias: Linea Aspera". Bandcamp. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  14. ^ "Preservation Bias Linea Aspera". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Zanias-Unearthed (Album-Fleisch)". Sideline Music Magazine. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  16. ^ a b "10 Years of Grauzone Festival-A Conversation with Trish Trash and Zanias". Post-Punk.com. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  17. ^ Harriman, Andi (1 October 2021). "Kontravoid Enters the Uncanny with 'Faceless'". Post-Punk.com. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  18. ^ Harriman, Andi (22 March 2019). "EBM Duo Multiple Man Premiere New Track & Album 'High on the Hog'". Post-Punk.com. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  19. ^ Bladh, Krister (20 November 2022). "Neu-Romancer". Record Turnover. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  20. ^ Van Isacker, Bernard (19 July 2023). "Metropolis Records Partners with Fleisch Records to Release New Zanias Album 'Chrysalis' for AMerican Market". Sideline Music Magazine. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  21. ^ Yücel, Ilker (11 August 2023). "Zanias Announces Tour Dates in Support of Latest Album". ReGen Magazine. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  22. ^ Brown, Gavin (12 September 2023). "Interview: Zanias". Echoes and Dust. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  23. ^ Saperstein, Pat (13 May 2024). "Duran Duran and Blondie Bring the Rapture to Cruel World Festival". Variety. Variety Media. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  24. ^ "Zanias: Ecdysis Review-Album of the Week". Louder Than War. 11 February 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  25. ^ Van Isacker, Bernard (22 May 2024). "Delerium Releases Two Singles Feat. Mimi Page". Medium. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  26. ^ Becu, Didier (15 December 2015). "Zoe Zanias (Keluar): Ten Albums That Changed My Life". Peek-A-Boo Magazine. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  27. ^ Brown, Miles (20 February 2014). "Keluar Will Hurt Your Feelings". Vice. Vice News. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  28. ^ Shukla, Anu (13 June 2022). "Needle Spiking Reports on the Rise in Berlin Clubs". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
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