Baron Zen
Encyclopedia
Peanut Butter Wolf
, before making his name as a DJ and Producer
and before founding Stones Throw Records
, was programming drums for one-man punk rock
/disco
act Baron Zen, known to almost no one, because Baron Zen did not play shows, did not release record
s, rejected all forms of publicity, and above all, rejected the boundaries separating hip hop
, disco
, punk rock
, and pop
.
Sweet Steve is the man behind Baron Zen. His recording career as Baron Zen started back in 1988, collected in At the Mall
.
Baron Zen is DIY music that wears its pop influence on its sleeve: covers of Joy Division
, Gap Band
, Katrina and the Waves
, and high-energy disco classic “When I Hear Music” by Debbie Deb
play alongside Sweet Steve’s originals.
At the Mall was followed up by the At the Mall: Remixes album in 2007 featuring remixes by the likes of Peanut Butter Wolf ("At the Mall"), dam-funk ("Burn Rubber"), James Pants ("Gotta Get Ridda Rick"), Madlib, Arabian Prince, Tekblazer, M-80, and J.Rocc, among others.
Sweet Steve then re-connected with Tekblazer for Baron Zen’s Rhythm Trax Vol. 3 in January 2009, the third installment of Stones Throw’s DJ Friendly Rhythm Trax Series (preceded by James Pants and DJ Romes), and the follow-up to his early '90s four-track post-punk masterpiece, At The Mall. On Vol. 3, Baron Zen departs from his garage band roots summoning the spiritual essence of early '80s electro pioneers such as Alexander Robotnik
and Ryuchi Sakamoto. The soundscapes of this Rhythm Trax contribution satisfy the need for synth-drenched funk while maintaining a murky atmosphere intended to move even the haughtiest New Wave revivalist. M-80 co-produced three tracks, as well.
Baron Zen released a six-track single in summer 2009, produced by Sweet Steve and Tekblazer. "Strange Woman's Room" features San Jose's Dave Dub on vocals and includes a James Pants remix version. The B-side "Talk to Me" features a remix version by Peanut Butter Wolf.
Baron Zen and Tekblazer again team up for the electro-funky, synth-laden rap sound of "Electrik Surgery" (2011), the vocal follow-up to their "Rhythm Trax" LP. This seven-track EP is executive produced by Peanut Butter Wolf, and features the likes of Koushik, Tchaka Diallo, Gary Davis, Zacky Force Funk, Nathan No Face, and Megabusive.
Peanut Butter Wolf
Chris Manak, aka Peanut Butter Wolf, is a DJ, hip-hop producer and the founder of hip-hop label Stones Throw Records.A native of San Jose, California, He took on the name Peanut Butter Wolf in the late-80s when he realized that a girlfriend’s youngest brother feared the “peanut butter wolf monster”...
, before making his name as a DJ and Producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and before founding Stones Throw Records
Stones Throw Records
Stones Throw Records is an independent hip hop record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was started in 1996 by DJ/Producer Peanut Butter Wolf in part to release the music he made with Charizma who was killed at the age of 20....
, was programming drums for one-man punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
act Baron Zen, known to almost no one, because Baron Zen did not play shows, did not release record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
s, rejected all forms of publicity, and above all, rejected the boundaries separating hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
.
Sweet Steve is the man behind Baron Zen. His recording career as Baron Zen started back in 1988, collected in At the Mall
At the Mall
At the Mall is the first album from one-man Hip-hop/Disco/Electronica act Baron Zen, released on Stones Throw Records.-Track listing:# "Baron Zen Theme"# "No More"# "Walked in Line"# "Fuckin' Bored"# "Shoes"# "Turn Around"# "Night in Jail"...
.
Baron Zen is DIY music that wears its pop influence on its sleeve: covers of Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
, Gap Band
Gap Band
The Gap Band was an American funk band, who rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. Comprising brothers Charlie, Ronnie and Robert Wilson, the band first formed as the Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band in 1967 in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group shortened its name to The Gap Band...
, Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves was an English pop rock band, best known for their 1985 hit "Walking on Sunshine" and their 1997 Eurovision Song Contest victory with the song "Love Shine a Light".-Pre-history: The Waves and Mama's Cookin' :...
, and high-energy disco classic “When I Hear Music” by Debbie Deb
Debbie Deb
Deborah Claire Wesoff - Kowalski, better known as Debbie Deb, is an American dance-pop singer, best known for 1980s freestyle dance songs such as "Lookout Weekend" and "When I Hear Music".-Biography:...
play alongside Sweet Steve’s originals.
At the Mall was followed up by the At the Mall: Remixes album in 2007 featuring remixes by the likes of Peanut Butter Wolf ("At the Mall"), dam-funk ("Burn Rubber"), James Pants ("Gotta Get Ridda Rick"), Madlib, Arabian Prince, Tekblazer, M-80, and J.Rocc, among others.
Sweet Steve then re-connected with Tekblazer for Baron Zen’s Rhythm Trax Vol. 3 in January 2009, the third installment of Stones Throw’s DJ Friendly Rhythm Trax Series (preceded by James Pants and DJ Romes), and the follow-up to his early '90s four-track post-punk masterpiece, At The Mall. On Vol. 3, Baron Zen departs from his garage band roots summoning the spiritual essence of early '80s electro pioneers such as Alexander Robotnik
and Ryuchi Sakamoto. The soundscapes of this Rhythm Trax contribution satisfy the need for synth-drenched funk while maintaining a murky atmosphere intended to move even the haughtiest New Wave revivalist. M-80 co-produced three tracks, as well.
Baron Zen released a six-track single in summer 2009, produced by Sweet Steve and Tekblazer. "Strange Woman's Room" features San Jose's Dave Dub on vocals and includes a James Pants remix version. The B-side "Talk to Me" features a remix version by Peanut Butter Wolf.
Baron Zen and Tekblazer again team up for the electro-funky, synth-laden rap sound of "Electrik Surgery" (2011), the vocal follow-up to their "Rhythm Trax" LP. This seven-track EP is executive produced by Peanut Butter Wolf, and features the likes of Koushik, Tchaka Diallo, Gary Davis, Zacky Force Funk, Nathan No Face, and Megabusive.