ZE in his own words…

Marco Polo, my first spoken word poetry album, consists of 7 poems (6 musical and 1 slam) of mine, entirely dressed in music by Yannis Drenogiannis and drums—in 4 of them—by Yannis Tryferoulis.

This record is an exploration within the words I wrote during some difficult moments and certain events in my life that seem to have marked me.

The journey was long, and together with Yannis, we found paths that led to areas that were “invisible” until that moment. The texts gained new dimensions, the words emitted new sounds, the delivery of speech acquired its own internal rhythm, and no poem as a whole was the same as before—even though I hadn’t changed a single accent from the written version.

At first, I was in molds, I struggled to break free from my thoughts, my favorite musicians, and to stop imitating. I struggled to become myself.

Dren shouted that we’re not making a song, we’re not making poetry, we’re not making rap, we’re not making rock, we’re not making anything expected. We’re making something mixed, but legitimate.

I tried, I trusted him, and I let myself be myself and remain unaffected by the influences I’d had up to now. And I believe I managed to overcome the permanent obstacle, that of my own self and its exposure, to believe in myself and in the trust that Dren showed me.

I left a piece of my soul on this journey, and I want it to go as far as it can.

The music was written for the texts, but the texts sank into the music… and as they sound, without the steady background of paper and printed letters, they form sounds that were never written, but emerged self-sustained from the music.

From the perspective you choose, you can see 7 different entities moving in a 24-minute spacetime without ever colliding, or you can see 7 pieces uniting and creating a sequence of words that expands beyond limits, passing over the sky and under the Earth and returning.

It was a nice ride. From a bar in Metaxourgeio, to Zahia’s studio.

Often the sky was orange, we could hear the horns and be present when the city falls silent. All of everyday life wanted to become part of this record in its own way, and we allowed it.

We danced, we traveled, we pressed on, we relaxed, we cried, we laughed, we hugged, we drank cocktails, nearly 2 years passed, and suddenly everything started to take its course… 7 independent and self-luminous microcosms appeared, and here they are, without shame, sticking out their tongues even at us who created them.

Of course, they wait for you to listen to them too… but don’t be so sure that the results will be expected. They’re not the same among themselves, they don’t carry a recognizable identity, they’re not harmless! But they address you and have that sensitivity that makes the cheeks of ZE and every ZE blush!

Thank you for every listen and identification.

See you at the next peak.

LINK TO APPLE MUSIC