Ahmed Nahzaan Riyaz (Zaan), one of the youngest electronic music producers in the country, is set to perform live at Club 360 and Jazz Cafe' on January 8 and 10 respectively.
Performing for the first time on stage at the age of 19, Zaan introduced himself under the moniker 'Led', making a lasting impression with his original music at local NGO Dhivehi Youth Movement (DYM)'s initiative 'Katti Hivvaru Festival' 2015.
In the promotional video released on social media building up for the show, Zaan talks about "karantu music" - loosely translating to 'electronic music' and the scene of digital productions here in the archipelago, adding that although "electronic music isn't something new", relatively few people are invested in the discipline in Maldives, "..and the original content created ever fewer".
"My new album is inspired by the '80s. I limited myself to composing all the tracks with drum machines and synthesizers from that era to give it that specific sound."
With live animations and motion graphics performed together with his music, Zaan hopes to create an audio-visual experience for his audience.
Having a strong emphasis on technology for his live performances, Zaan uses MIDI controllers, tablets and custom scripts that are all routed through to his main instrument, the digital audio workstation 'Ableton Live'.
"..at the end of the day, as long as people feel something through my music, I'm happy", said the young artist.
Inspired by the iconic duo 'Daft Punk' and the sound of the French scene, Zaan ventured into making music at the age of 14, honing his skill in front of a computer for years before releasing his first feature album 'Pyramids' in 2016 and his second studio album 'Static' in 2017.
Zaan is currently studying theoretical physics at King's College in London, United Kingdom.
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