Zolo (music genre)

Last updated

Zolo is a music genre coined by radio DJ Terry Sharkie [1] [2] [3] around 1989 [2] and popularized through his live radio show The Zany Zolo Musik Hour [1] which premiered on June 25, 1995. [1] [3]

Contents

The genre, as codified by Sharkie, encompasses obscure music from different time periods which nonetheless shares certain similarities. [1] Zolo is characterized by "hyper jerky rhythms and cacophonous/ harmonious bleeps and boings." [1] Zolo artists played on The Zany Zolo Musik Hour included Perrey and Kingsley, [1] Godley & Creme, [1] the Residents, [1] [3] XTC, [1] [3] Pere Ubu, [1] Gentle Giant, [1] [3] Bill Nelson, [1] Fred Frith, [1] and others. [1]

Characteristics

Godley & Creme are of special importance to the genre alongside XTC and Bill Nelson Godley & Creme.jpg
Godley & Creme are of special importance to the genre alongside XTC and Bill Nelson

Zolo is characterized by "hyper jerky rhythms and cacophonous/ harmonious bleeps and boings," [1] as well as by "boingy guitars, wobbly keyboards, polka dot percussions, hiccupping falsettos, jerky/staccoto beats, and lopsided rhythms." [4] It is a "crystallization" of different styles from the twentieth century "theatrical/ art rock/ cabaret tradition." [4] Terry Sharkie considers XTC, Bill Nelson, and Godley & Creme to be of special importance to the genre. [4]

History

A 1997 article by Terry Sharkie, called Zolo Synthesis: A Discography, outlines the "thematic history" of Zolo. [4] [5] Sharkie claims that Zolo music had existed in "scattered forms" for "many years" by the time of writing, but had not had a name. [4] The artists discussed in the article "present puzzle pieces in the formation of Zolo as a musical style." [4]

Sharkie traces Zolo music back primarily to the late 1960s, when advancements in technology took place simultaneously with experimentation and the blurring of boundaries between music genres. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "What is Zolo?". geocities.com. Archived from the original on 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  2. 1 2 "What is ZoLo?". Zoloscope. 2006-07-26. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Classifiche e Playlist - Last Night A Mixtape Saved My Life - Zolo: il non-genere :: Gli Speciali di OndaRock". OndaRock (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "zolo discography". geocities.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-29. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  5. ↑ "The Zolophile Home Page". geocities.com. Archived from the original on 2009-07-29. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.