Buzz’ Ayaz are a newly formed Mediterranean psych-rock band that hail from Cyprus’s divided capital Nicosia and the band members come from both sides of the city, representing both Greece and Türkiye (fka Turkey). Buzz’ Ayaz is a play on words, explained by singer Antonis Antoniou “’Buzzi ayazi’ is when cold air comes through a small hole in a window or underneath a door. The word ‘ayaz’ is Turkish but is also used in Greek and Greek Cypriot (ayazi) and means ‘cold wind.’ And the word ‘buzz’ has three meanings: 1. buzzi in Greek means ‘to let through’ (as described above) 2. In Turkish buzz means ‘ice.’ 3. In English buzz describes a distorted sound. Distorted sounds are a basic texture for the band’s music.“
‘Zali’ is their debut single: “Zali (Dizziness) is about not conforming to the rules set by any conventional structures. It’s about taking a different direction from the ordinary, about the urge of exploring new experiences and falling in love with them whatever the cost. It’s about daydreaming, about hovering tenderly in our imagination, about letting our senses get drunk and dizzy on the purity of life.”
The track is an uplifting whirl of positive vibes with the bounce of the drums keeping the vocals up in the air and reinforcing the dizzy sensation referenced in the lyrics. The call and response of organ and clarinet plus the elastic grit of the tzouras makes this a treat for the ears; especially in the crescendo where the collision of folk and psych are a heady and rewarding mix.
Buzz’ Ayaz are:
𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗼𝘂 – electric tzouras / vocals / electronics, 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀- bass synth / organ, 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁 – bass clarinet and 𝗨𝗹𝗮𝘀̧ 𝗢̈𝗴̆𝘂̈𝗰̧ – drums / triggers
Buzz’ Ayaz socials: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
‘Zali’ is released through the excellent Glitterbeat label who have an amazing roster of artists including Altın Gün, TRUPA TRUPA, Gaye Su Akyol, King Ayisoba, YĪN YĪN and BaBa ZuLa.
Zali (Dizziness)
Dizziness, this dizziness is whistling, cross-eyed
Dizziness in the navel, a top is spinning
I want to wrap myself inside and struggle
Some voices are shouting for me to break it off
I desert, I want to be excommunicated
To scorch inside this furnace
Dizziness, the miles on these feet were worth it
Dizziness, may the honey and the syrup flow abundant
Review by Paul F Cook
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