Written by Grayson Jones
Love heals all. A timeless phrase with ample significance. Vian Izak, from South Africa, is an artist with pure intentions. On this track Orchards, I had the privilege to experience the transparency in Vian’s music. When Vian was on a trip with his brother in Europe, he sat down and admired the beauty of a pasture of orchards over the sunset and was inspired to create this piece.
Vian- coming from a South African-based music background, brings a distinct characteristic. For me, it’s the choice of drums. When the song begins, you are welcomed by an acoustic guitar and faint drums. Vian pulls a positive energy from this song with his delivery and choice of words. My big takeaway from Orchards is to understand that love can dissipate any form of anarchy that you experience. What is far more important during the production of this track is the unique way South African music uses percussion to display a sonic message.
Traditionally, the South African style of play has an element of pulsation. Vian uses this to his advantage and pulses the drums during the hook at a tempo similar to a heart beat. On purpose? Not sure. I am sure that with at least 10 million Spotify streams, I’m not the only one doing my research tonight on Vian Izak. Vian has collaborated with multi-grammy award winner David Rossi, and Michael Brauer; Coldplay’s audio engineer. A large portion of the world is eager to hear the next piece Vian comes up with, here at SwanoDown, we’re all ears! Orchard- a must listen!
Check it out:
https://open.spotify.com/track/3wsxxaQjwA98TWYEi0NifY?si=9YIpIR4BQUmomgzxdqflcg
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