ZONES

Ugh, I realllly want to describe Derek McKeon‘s ZONES as “White Poppy meets King Tubby.” That would be totally fatuous, but they’ve both got a “y” at the end of their names! I have to do it, it’s too tempting. The video for ZONES’ “OPEN SKY” reminds me of the lo-fi digital excursions of Vinyl Williams, except here we’re traversing through the Toronto act’s rehearsal session as well as a swooping 3D fingerprint.

You can grab the group’s new cassette Real Time on March 13th via Heretical Objects Cooperative, the same date as the album’s release show at Izakaya Sushi House with Lido Pimienta, Mimico and Mas Aya. Pre-order the tape here. Also, check out McKeon’s Flickr page. Some Moebius meets Henry David Thoreau level shit. - Chart Attack

By Alex Hudson
Derek McKeon is a multimedia artist and illustrator, and he started ZONES as his foray into music. He will release his album Real Time on March 13 through the Heretical Objects Cooperative.

A press release describes the music as "tropical psych dub," and notes that his songs "mirror the same surreal universe of his artwork." This means lots of guitar riffs, analogue delay, dubby warbles and hazy melodies.

For a taste of ZONES' bleary, sunburnt sound, scroll past the tracklist below to check out the six-and-a-half-minute "Open Sky," which is Real Time's opening cut. The accompanying video is a VHS-styled blur of vintage effects and trippy colours.

Real Time will be released on limited-edition cassette with a show at Toronto's Izakaya Sushi House on March 13. Lido Pimienta, Mimico and Mas Aya are also on the bill. The album will also be available digitally.

Real Time:

1. Open Sky
2. Sandglow
3. Not Chet
4. Sneaky Mist
5. Two Cans
6. Lunar Canyon - Exclaim!

Heretical Objects is a not-for-profit cooperative that specializes in limited edition tapes for Canadian artists. Their 4th releases will come from multi-media artist Derek McKeon (a.k.a. Zones).

His first single, “OpenSky” is the perfect introduction to his distinct sonic creations, with the blissed-out serenity of sunshine sparkling melodies, swirling analog delays, riff-heavy guitars and warbling-dub rhythms. The video is just one long trip into psychedelic bliss. Vibrant splashes of color find new form in the fuzzy reverb, all while McKeon pulls us further into his own distorted, tropical paradise.

[EMBEDDED: VIDEO]

Zones’ forthcoming LP, Real Time, is available March 13th via Heretical Objects & Wyrd Distro. - Portals

ZONES
REAL TIME

(Heretical Objects Cooperative)
http://hereticalobjects.tumblr.com/
Toronto, ON
::web/sounds::
http://zonesmusic.bandcamp.com/

From the temporal parts of Robin Jenkins:

In a musical landscape of genres built on pastiche and nostalgia, Derek McKeon a.k.a. ZONES has carved out something unique. Images of a past not quite remembered and familiar feelings that cannot be pinpointed pervade the six songs of *Real Time*. Opener “Open Sky” sways with filtered voices, wavering into inaudibility as the guitar washes in and out. There is a certain feeling of memory evoked, much like looking at old travel photos; a familiar mood without a particular location. As the album progresses, this déjà vu dissipates and we see Zones’ krautrock and even prog sensibilities in a clearer light. With the driving bassline and meandering guitars of “Not Chet”, Zones draws up altogether alien forms. An assemblage of elements combine, detach and readjust as we continue to drive forward through unrecognizable terrain. - Weird Canada

I vividly recall the first time I popped II from Ducktails into my South Korean Walkmen knock-off on a flight in 2008. Its magnetic warmth and slightly warped warble were a neo-tropical wonder; the perfect music for haphazardly sailing through the air in a machine that even the brightest engineers can’t explain. The same excitement rides high with After Image, a missing piece in our post-cassette Mondanile world eight years later. The woozy feeling of a mid-afternoon buzz full on small bottles of booze propels ZONES into a stratosphere that only my feeble attempt at a memory accommodates. The fuck it-Buffett attitude of this vacation from the senses LP is well deserved. ZONES have mastered the rich textures of melting melodies and afternoon horseshoes after summer class with your stoned friends. Y’know, the feeling of college without actually sinking (further) into crippling debt while settling on a shitty desk job that will most definitely gnaw at your carefree soul. After Image will stave off the full devour for a little while longer. - Tiny Mix Tapes