HomeCooking Share

HomeCookingShare: To begin, who are you?

kazaizen: I am an eternal soul in a temporary physical shell, aka, Jonny Kasai who currently makes music under the guise of kazaizen. A 60's psychedelia obsessed music nerd who also is an insane blues fanatic.

HCS: How would you define your music?

kazaizen: Psychedelic Dream Pop Rock Carnage. Really a melting pot of pop, rock, hip hop, blues, and avant garde. I love it all.

HCS: What made you decide one day to embark on this musical adventure?

kazaizen: I've always been deeply into music since I can remember. This current project was brought on by wanting to do something totally different than what I have been into making previously. No pretense or preconceived notions of what it should be. Just letting the songs write themselves.

HCS: Your influences?

kazaizen: So many. Jimi Hendrix, Syd Barrett, Tame Impala, & Caroline Rose, to name a few.

HCS: The perfect track to cook?

kazaizen: There is an End - The Greenhornes

HCS: If you had to leave on a desert island with 3 discs: which ones?

kazaizen: This is a tough one.. Electric Ladyland - Hendrix, Kind of Blue - Miles Davis, and Spotlight on Lucille - B.B. King.

HCS: Small technical point: with what material do you work?

kazaizen: A few cheap synths (Yamaha reface YC, CP, and CS, Roland Gaia, Behringer Poly D). Multiple electric guitars, total slop drum set, barely functioning bass guitar. I use Reason for a DAW, budget mics, cheap hardware compressor and gate, a bunch of echo and modulation fx pedals, and way, way too many fuzz pedals.

HCS: Not easy to break into the musical jungle, even with talent ... what do you think about it?

kazaizen: I feel the music industry is absolutely terrible (laughs). I think I was pretty naive going into it. There are a ton of people trying to take advantage of artists. It is very disheartening and sad, but it is what it is. But, for all the bad stuff out there,there are also genuine and awesome people, so it is a trip for sure!

HCS: And finally, if you have something to add, here we go!

kazaizen: I am just one small part of the underground psychedelic music scene here in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. There is a massive amount of momentum with what is going on, so it should be quite interesting with what happens over the next few years. My close friends and I are putting out music in the coming months with our collaborations, Space Mall, CUZ, and WIZARDZ. We are also starting a cult, join today!