Zea

Arnold de Boer started Zea in 1995 and has played around 2000 shows  since then all over the world; six continents, 40 different countries. In 2009 he started his own Makkum Records label, releasing his own music but since 2013 also music from Ghana. Since 2012 he’s been touring in Europe with King Ayisoba, who he met in Ghana before. Many albums from King Ayisoba and other artists from Ayisoba’s hometown Bongo, have been released on Makkum Reocrds since then.

“The solo project of Arnold de Boer gives us a bunch of avant-garde elements loosely structured – like a child’s play – just to build his sonic world.” AOTY

“Zea is the solo alias of Arnold de Boer, als vocalist in The Ex; using a minimal set-up of guitar and sampler, Zea creates a maximal polemical lo-fi punk funk pop juggernaut.  Mechanistic but ramshackle with it, he deployed wobbling bass electronics, dub and scabrous guitar scrapings. There was sharp electro-punk poetry “taken to a field where donkeys grow” shouted with heart-lifting anger.  Zea fills the veins and lights-up brains without neglecting to move your feet.” – Ears4Eyes

Zea plays together with highly explosive improvising electric clavi-chord wizzard Oscar Jan Hoogland. Coming from the Dutch improv scene, he is adding and opposing a unique sound to Zea’s songs, opening them up and stretching them to the limits of space and time. An album of Zea & Oscar Jan Hoogland is planned to be released later this year.