Baby Zionov Shares New Single 'Froggy Forest Raceway'

It might be wet and drab outside, but Baby Zionov's new single 'Froggy Forest Raceway' arrives just in time to transport listeners to a colourful swampland spaghetti junction of hi-octane amphibian adventure. The Tāmaki Makaurau electronic artist's imaginative spin on "Ribbit Rock" compels bodies to dance with a bright palette of sparkling synths zipping around around speakers like dragonflies at play, classy piano, mystical flutes and gear-shifting percussive bounce. Best zoom along to the 'Froggy Forest Raceway' release party at 605 Morningside on 28th June, with kiwi club icon Donk Dobbo (no stranger to green hues) and jackaltheblackal...

"Historically, my approach to music has been to basically just mess around until something cool happens. Lately I’ve been trying to think more visually and evoke a sense of place and atmosphere. It’s not always easy to do that while still keeping your music danceable, and for inspiration I ended up looking to racing game music, which always has to be very exciting and energetic while also expressing the specific vibe of the level/racecourse.

The basic chords and flute melody on their own have this kind of floating, mystical feeling, but the 'rainforest' concept only started coming together when I was playing around with samples of insect sounds to use as percussion, which interlocked with the Jersey club beat in cute and interesting ways.

It was a fun challenge to try and create the image of something so organic using the vocabulary of dance music – the Korg M1 piano twinkling like rain falling into a pond, the 303 acid sound buzzing like a fly, the 808 bass hitting like a sudden clap of thunder. I don’t usually work in such a literal or representational way, but I’m really happy with how it turned out.

(I hope that) it will imbue listeners with both the urge to dance with a childlike sense of wonder!"

Baby Zionov Froggy Forest Raceway Single Release Party
with Donk Dobbo, jackaltheblackal
Saturday 28th June - 605 Morningside, Auckland
Tickets on sale HERE via UTR

'Froggy Forest Raceway' is out today on major streaming platforms via Sunreturn.