Cyazon is a melodic cyberpunk producer from Los Angelas, California who debuted on Monstercat on July 13, 2020 with his Synthpop/New Beat single, Neo Soul, a collaboration with fellow cyberpunk producer and vocalist Essenger.
Below, Monstercat Wiki presents our interview with Cyazon:
- 1. Who is Cyazon? How did you come up with the name?
- In 2015, I originally decided on the name Cyazon by rearranging the letters of star names. No particular reason why I did that; I just wanted my name to resemble an ethereal place originally. In 2017, I recreated the vision for Cyazon to portray myself as a character in a futuristic/cyberpunk dystopian world (50 years from now, maybe) discovering new people, past and present events, and reshaping the place to make it a better place to live in rather than in chaos. Each song builds the story of Cyazon.
- 2. Can you tell us how your musical career started?
- In 2015, I was watching Xilent's Twitch streams at the time. He was offering all of his subscribers on his Twitch streams guest list and VIP access to his shows he was playing at. I went to three or four of his shows as a guest up until 2018. We developed a good relationship as acquaintances and friends. He was my mentor, and I can say he, as well as Au5, pretty much raised me into the artist I am today. In 2020, after eight years of learning how to make music on and off, feeling lost while going to three different colleges/universities during 2012-2017, and figuring out what I wanted to do in my life, that's when everything started to happen. Around January 2020, I sent Xilent a track, which was “Neo Soul,” to see if it would be a good fit for Monstercat. He helped me make educated decisions and told me how I should go about sending it to Monstercat. Overall, it was a combination of learning how to make music, working a lot on it eventually, and artist friends and acquaintances giving me advice, help, and vouching for me.
- 3. What interests you about the Cyberpunk world?
- I really like the visual aesthetics, functionality and usability of the technologies depicted in Cyberpunk culture. I also really like the visual aesthetics of how our future could be just like in the video game Cyberpunk 2077 and movies like Tron Legacy, Bladerunner 2049, and the Netflix series Altered Carbon. A lot of these technologies, advancements, predictions and research in Cyberpunk culture/worlds are about to be implemented within our lifetime and that's really exciting for me! There's a lot of very interesting information on the internet and what is being looked into for our future.
- 4. You mentioned Xilent and Au5 as inspirations. Can you tell us why they inspire you? And are there any other artists that inspire you?
- I remember listening to “Choose Me II,” “Universe,” and “Touch Sound” from Xilent around 2011 or so when those tracks came out. When I rediscovered Xilent in 2015 through his Twitch streams, that changed my life. I made so many friends in real life and online, and learned how to make music. Music is a lifestyle and a community, and Xilent changed the way I live my life for the pursuit of being a touring artist and making a full-time living off of it. His music is futuristic-sounding as well and I love his two concept albums, We Are Virtual and We Are Dust a lot!
- My first Au5 track I listened to was “Metronic” on the UKF 2013 compilation album. Au5 has the same futuristic and ethereal sound, but I believe that his music is about something bigger than us out there. Au5 has helped me so much with understanding music production, and how to make music sound better. More importantly, how to make good music. Both Au5 and Xilent have helped me understand the music business and how to pursue the artist path throughout the five years I've known them.
- Other artists that inspire me:
- Seven Lions - I grew up listening to him and going to five or more shows of his.
- Krewella - They were the first EDM artists I discovered, which led into me loving EDM and Dubstep a lot more than I did before. I was also a huge die-hard fan from 2012 to 2015. I still enjoy their music a lot, and I want to see them perform again at some point.
- Essenger - Recently this year, after talking to him a few times and learning about the story/meaning behind his music, it connected with me a lot more and is super relatable to my past as well. His music has helped me so much. I also love the Synthwave/Cyberpunk influence in his music too!
- Becko - Recently, I've been listening to a lot of his music. I really love the heavy Screamo/Metal influence in his music while also connecting EDM/Cyberpunk into his music as well!
- 5. What are your dream collaborations, if any?
- Two collaborations in the works currently that I mentioned above, one being a dream collaboration. A collaboration with Becko would be fun. Vocal features with Karra and HALIENE would be awesome too! I would really love to work with Alice Glass from Crystal Castles. I love her vocals so much and her music too. The Raveonettes would be really cool to work with too. They make Alternative/Rock music, but they really push the distortion on the guitar in a creative way that sounds pleasing, and I love their vocals too. Collaborating with Nero would be amazing. They have a similar storyline as I do, and their music has a similar sounding atmosphere and sound to me as well.
- 6. Tell us a day in the life of Cyazon.
- I wake up at 8am and then run and exercise for 20 minutes, check emails and social media for messages, look at my calendar to see what my to-do list is for that day. Then I go to this health optimization/wellness center aka Biohacking place I have a membership at, and would probably do cryotherapy at -150 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 minutes. At 11am or so, I would look at my calendar and start on my to-do list. Primarily, it would be answering any emails and messages with Cyazon. Then, I would get right into finishing music that needs to get done, do sound design, and start a new track. I would be working on music ideally for over 12 hours. I’d eat dinner during that time. Afterwards, I’d get my calendar and to-do list ready for the next day, and then go to bed. Fridays and weekends would be the time for me to have fun, go on adventures outside, go to music events or any event, etc.
- 7. How and when did you discover Monstercat?
- I discovered Monstercat a little before 2015. Probably from discovering it on SoundCloud since I was really digging through a lot of music there and still do sometimes. I listened to Au5 and Fractal a little more at the time. It wasn't until 2017 or 2018 until I feel like I was keeping up with their releases. It became more of a goal to get a release on Monstercat around 2018.
- 8. What is your favorite Monstercat song, or a few of your favorites?
- Xilent’s “The Darkness,” and Au5 with Nytrix’s “Always In A Nightmare.” All of the songs from Xilent's We Are Dust are really good. My other favorites from that album are “Interluden,” “Only Now,” “Particles,” “Human Error,” “Code Blood,” “Blue Shadows,” and there is a “You Rise VIP” I’ve heard live. Some other Au5 tracks that are my favorites are “Inside,” “Follow You VIP,” “Ison” with Fractal, and “Only In A Dream” with Nytrix.
- 9. What is your favorite non-EDM song, or a few of your favorites?
- Crystal Castles with Robert Smith - “Not In Love,” Crystal Castles - “Violent Youth,” blessthefall - “Stay Still,” and The Raveonettes - “Breaking Into Cars,” “A Perfect Place,” and “EXCUSES.”
- 10. What is/are your favorite genre(s), both inside and outside of EDM?
- Inside of EDM, I like Midtempo, Dubstep, Drum & Bass, Trance, Techno, and Mainstream EDM recently like Skrillex, Marshmello, and KSHMR; I'm starting to be more open to exploring that. Outside of EDM, I like Alternative, Indie Electronica, Ambient music, Rock/Metal, Pop, and some Hip-Hop/Rap.
- 11. What inspired you to create “Neo Soul” and release it onto Monstercat?
- I was hanging out with Xilent in-person around October-December 2019. He recommended I should try out Midtempo, which I did in December and then January 2020. “Neo Soul” was partially inspired from that. I really wanted to build a whole world and story around me in this world in the future as well as build upon my current storyline. There were actually four songs including “Escape” and “Neo Soul” that I was trying to make into an EP. All of the songs were going to be cohesively blended. I pitched all four to Monstercat and at the time, they only wanted Neo Soul. I’m still really happy with the outcome. I have to revisit the other two songs and see if I can repurpose them or not… Also, Xilent recommended that it would be a good fit to release on Monstercat.
- Neo Soul means “new soul” or being “reborn.” If you listen to my other tracks, you can follow the storyline for this. In Neo Soul, I found the city, and now I am about to come back. It can also be interpreted as finding someone again. That is from a literal point of view. There is also a point of view from my personal life in the past that relates to the song as well. Concept themes that played a role in writing the vocal and even the instrumental are loss, escapism, and reconciliation. Both Essenger and I resonate and agree with these themes.
- 12. How long have you known Essenger and how did you connect?
- Essenger and I have known of each other from Jeto's Discord server that we are both in (Jeto used to be really active in the Xilent Twitch streams in 2015). I would say that we have only been talking for two years, but he may have known of me for longer. After listening to some of his music in 2019 and more of it near the beginning of 2020, I had to message him. It was just a necessity and I knew I had to work with him on something. So I did and pitched the idea. Out of the four tracks I sent him, he wanted to work on Neo Soul. Also, Essenger actually gave me the idea to contact Megan McDuffee for the other three tracks, including “Escape”.
- 13. We’ve seen your neon glasses and light-up jacket are a trademark of your alias. Can you tell us anything about them?
- I researched heavily on Google for them! They are a part of the visual aesthetic for myself as an artist. The Light-up glasses are battery operated. The light-up jacket charges through USB-charging, and you can change the colors of the jacket with a phone! All I can say is that they may be available to purchase as merchandise items if I can work out a deal with the companies who make them.
- UPDATE: Cyazon ran a final giveaway on his light-up glasses and switched out for "CYBER glasses".
- 14. With COVID-19 affecting the music industry, including festivals, how has it affected you and your music career? What changes have you made to connect with your fans, despite the virus?
- So COVID-19 has not changed this year for me much other than less live show opportunities. In terms of personal life, there were a lot of ups and downs unrelating to music, probably more good than bad. There was a lot of me doing self-reflecting, meditating, thinking a lot about the purposes in my life and what I need to focus on. I’d be in pitch dark in an epsom salt bath for two hours figuring out the meaning of what is to come in the future and what I need to be focusing on outside of music. In terms of personal growth, 2020 has been the best year, regardless of COVID-19. I’m being more health conscious, and doing more unconventional health things such as cryotherapy and a lot of other technologies out there to improve longevity and life span. Most of the public would disagree with what I'm doing, and I'm okay with that. I'm doing it for me and my future!
- I've always wanted to be more involved with fans and anyone who’s messaged me since 2015. I have been trying to reply back to every comment on YouTube, my Instagram posts or re-shares from others, and all of my other social media pages. I also message back everyone who DMs me on my social platforms. I have been making more of an effort this year to DM back to anyone on Instagram by doing a voice message. Eventually, it's going to be a video message to fans or anyone who messages me on Instagram. So I'm excited for 2021!
- 15. Your latest release was “Shadowrunner” on Night Mode’s This Is Cyberpunk compilation album. How did you discover and connect with them? Can you tell us something about the track?
- As far as the track “Shadowrunner,” it's about me in this futuristic place, the world we live in but in the future. There is this cyber force, like the police from movies like Altered Carbon and Bladerunner 2049. As the Shadowrunner, I'm trying to escape them. There's a lot more that goes into my role as the main character in my storyline. I don't want to spoil or give away too many details. I still need to think out more, but I have a general concept for future releases.
- I was also inspired by the definition of Shadowrunner, which is, “Any movement, action or series of such made in carrying out plans which are illegal or quasi-legal.” I reinterpreted the definition as “doing illegal activities in the futuristic world in order to save the future and our world from its evilness, darkness, and corruption.” I also used some other words that have the word “shadow” in it from Cyberpunk dictionaries/glossaries to help conceptualize the meaning of the track. I figure out a lot of the meaning behind songs and even track titles from looking at Cyberpunk dictionaries/glossaries.
- Night Mode reached out to me in February 2020. The head label owner of Night Mode, Jericho, discovered my track “Dystopia” on Spotify. He's also a really huge Twitch streamer and YouTube content creator too. He contacted me and he really wanted me to make something for the compilation album. I sent him two tracks to be considered, and they chose “Shadowrunner.” They also had a really cool marketing and release rollout plan for the whole month of November, so it was exciting to be a part of it! I plan to release more on Night Mode too, and be more involved with the label. He's planning a lot of big things beyond music releases I feel like, and that's exciting!
- They were trying to feature the album around the Cyberpunk 2077 video game. So the compilation album was initially going to be released in April when the game was supposed to come out, but with the delay of the game, they also had to push back the compilation’s release as well. I understood the situation for Night Mode and CD Projekt Red since they wanted to make the game really good!
- 16. Outside of music, do you have any hobbies?
- I like to do long-distance running, rollerblading at skateparks, hiking on trails or “going on adventures in future L.A.” as I call it. I recently picked up a new hobby of health wellness and health optimization too! Some video gaming here and there as well.
- 17. Can you tell us what is in store for Cyazon in 2021?
- For 2021, if the world opens up, a potential international show in Asia, my first ever live show, more Monstercat releases (ideally I want to shoot for 10 releases on Monstercat for 2021), more releases on Night Mode, Cyazon Merchandise store, more Twitch streams, an unofficial remix I'm putting out on my Soundcloud in January 2021, eight collaborations in the works currently, ideally 40 releases or more for 2021, and probably a lot more things that I don't know, have not been presented to me, or things that I can't predict!
- UPDATE: Most of the items listed were hopeful goals for Cyazon in 2021 and may not have happened or were reached.
Bonus Questions asked by the Wiki Community:
- 1. What is your favorite movie and/or favorite TV show?
- Favorite movies would be Tron Legacy, Bladerunner 2049, and the Harry Potter series. As of TV shows, Altered Carbon (Netflix series) or any documentaries/docu-series about the future! Also interviews in the music business/industry or interviews with futurists/inventors/dreamers like Elon Musk are always educational too.
- 2. What is your favorite Pixar movie (if you have one)? Are you excited for the upcoming Pixar movie Soul?
- I would say Monsters Inc. is my favorite. I have not heard of Soul! I'll need to check out that movie.
- 3. What is your favorite book/book series?
- Three of my favorite books that I feel I have internalized are Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dave Asprey’s The Bulletproof Diet and Dave Asprey’s Super Human: The Bulletproof Plan to Age Backward and Maybe Even Live Forever. The first was a good book that a friend of mine sent me. He used to be a tech house artist/DJ with successful music releases and touring. We both are really good friends that help and learn from each other in our personal lives! The books by Dave Asprey are really good books to start with health wellness, eating a better diet, and learning how to live longer. Those two books changed everything for my health. They gave me more purposes in my life, and encouraged me to inspire others to pursue the same! I was reading more non-fiction books in 2019, but no books in 2020. I am wanting to get into self-development/personal growth books and biohacking/health wellness books though!
- 4. What is your favorite video game?
- Zelda Ocarina of Time and Zelda Majora's Mask. Majora's Mask was the hardest video game I have ever played because you only have 3 days on a timer in the game, which isn't a lot of time, to get through everything to go to the moon. I never beat the game and I still want to! The last level on the moon was so difficult!
- 5. Spotify released their 2020 Wrapped review for all users and artists not long ago. What did your Spotify 2020 Wrapped look like?
- Yes! That was fun looking at that. I would say the most notable highlights for my 2020 Spotify Unwrapped are:
- - 8,324 people played my songs on repeat
- - 1,444 times my songs were shared
- - 29,261 hours streamed for my music
- - 299,910 total streams for Neo Soul (When they did Spotify Unwrapped)
- - My songs were played in 91 countries (16 were added this year)
- - My songs were added to 9,996 playlists
- - 949% increase in followers and 875% increase in shares
- - Russia loved me the most this year!
- 6. What five words could you use to describe the universe?
- God, Divine, Ethereal, Unknown, Future