LA-based musician Cameron Williamson (a.k.a. Zenxienz) has been involved with music in one or another his whole life. Williamson grew up on the island of Kaui and it was here that he formed his first band, Paradox Lockdown. The band would go on to record three albums on Kaui, before relocating to Southern California where it would record its fourth and final album. After the break-up of the band, Williamson battled serious depression. He found release in his passion for making music, and it was in these times that Zenxienz was birthed.
Williamson’s latest single as Zenxienz is a frenetic, genre-bending piece that feels like a sonic pouring of thoughts. Titled “The Great Beyond,” the track is a collaboration with Swinky, a Kenyan singer and songwriter currently living Japan. The pair recorded the cut over two weeks as a commentary on the idea “that minds are impressionable, and we are the sum of the thoughts that find their way into our minds.” To relay this, the pair utilizes Swinky’s soaring voice as the driving force, underneath which Williamson lays out beats reminiscent of Flying Lotus’ mind-warping style. It’s an intense combination, but one that draws you in with an underlying warmth.
You can download “The Great Beyond” (feat. Swinky) below.
The Great Beyond (feat. Swinky)