Zach Deputy is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter based in Savannah, Georgia and best known for his live looping shows. He describes his style as "island-infused drum n' bass gospel ninja soul."
Biography
Deputy has a diverse ethnic background, having Puerto Rican, Irish, African, British, French, and Cherokee heritage,[1] which opens him to influence from Latin, Caribbean, and African music.[2] Deputy's music is often about "the highs of life," and he has said that songwriting is a way to "take pictures of the things that I want to remind myself of 10 years from now."[2]
Deputy began looping when his bass player couldn't make it to a show and Zach decided to use a delay pedal as a looping pedal rather than cancel the gig.[1] When he plays live, he will loop and layer chord progressions, bass, beat boxing, drum sounds, vocals, and guitar.[3] He performs with four microphones: a vocal synthesizer for choir sounds; one for high-hat, snare, and back-beat; one for main vocals, and one for vocal bass or bass drum.[4] His looping shows are known for their variety. "There are so many different ways it can happen. I can loop my guitar first, go into drums or loop a vocal riff first or straight into beat boxing and loop it or just go acoustic. It's very free formed. Every show can be extremely different from another. I try to have little consistency when it comes to my show. I never want to get bored with myself."[2]
Deputy's third album, Another Day (2011), departed from eclectic sound of his first two records into a soulful rhythm and blues, showcasing his talents as a songwriter. The album was recorded over 5 days at Mission Sound Recording in Brooklyn, New York, with Grammy-winning producer Scott Jacoby and released on Eusonia Records.[5] Of the album, Deputy said, "I wanted to put down some of the songs that I just played when I was hanging out by myself, when I wasn't actually trying to entertain anybody. Some people say they don't understand and it's a whole new direction, but for me it's a not a whole new direction, it's just something I do."[1]
Zach Deputy is an avid disc golf player. He is a Celebrity Ambassador for Innova Discs[2] and his passion for the sport has been featured on CNN.[6] In March 2013, he hosted the first annual Zach Deputy's Disc Jam, a music and disc golf festival in Live Oak, Florida.[7]
