NCM GUEST MIX 011: GIZMOE
Gizmoe playing an Ableton set against a snowy backdrop at Critical Beatdown in Salt Lake City.
Zachary Alonzo aka 'Gizmoe' has been simmering under the surface of SLC's music scene for years writing original music, producing with, and for, artists in several scenes. From hip-hop to electronic, he is well regarded for his technical prowess in the studio and a keen ear for production quality. Along with some light food snobbery, everything he does comes out in his signature, emotive, often genre-defying music.
What bands or artists did you worship in your formative teenage years?
Growing up, R&B and Hip-hop music was a staple in my household. We lived on the west coast. When I was 12 or so, my older brother, my only music source at the time, exposed me to a variety of turntablists namely scratch DJ’s like DJ Q-bert, Invisible scratch pickles, and D-stylez. D-stylez introduced me to a whole new world of electronic hip-hop beats. In my mid teens I was obsessed with Sigur Ros & Thom Yorke. In my late teens I spent a ton of time in the LA-beat scene around artists like Nosaj Thing, Flying Lotus, Shigeto & Samiyam. Of course J-dilla has been an Icon since I’ve taken interest in making beats.
When was the ah-ha moment that made you want to learn to DJ?
For DJing, That moment I can remember, I was 17 and I was in Miami, WMC, Zabiela playing at the Pawnshop. I weaseled my way into the 21+ club. Seeing the way James Zabiela navigated the CD-J’s in such a technical way - it reminded me of turntablism. I remember how engaged he was in his set. I had already been dabbling in making beats and producing,but seeing him play inspired me and flipped a switch that turned me on to explore more house music and that style of mixing.
Who and what does GIZMOE mean to you? Where did that come from?
“Gizmoe” is a strong identity and persona of mine. I feel like it not only gives hints to my extremely nerdy nature. But also a nod to how I often like to be very “technical” in production/performance style. GizmoeIs my artwork, music, design, and any other creative I decide to dabble in.
Gizmo was a nickname given to me by my older brother when I was around 8-9 Years old. My family used to call me “Gi-gi” a tagalog nickname usually to a kid who looks the most like their dad. My brother, who went by “Kozmoe” by all his friends, really struck a chord with me in being able to decide who I was. He started calling me Gizmoe because I had a strong obsession for tech, and gadgetry. I kind of stuck with it throughout the years, and have been quite accustomed to all the fun ways people abbreviate it when addressing me (giz, gizzy, etc)
How would you describe your taste in records, your style of mixing?
I love a track with a solid song structure and composition. I love movement in tracks and find that I can easily get bored if there is not enough movement, but movement can come in the form of song structure as well. I also love melodies and harmonies, so I definitely gravitate towards that. I’m also a very moody person and my productions and selections tend to mirror that. I love deep melodic moods but I’m also a huge fan of ambient and euphoric sounds (give me that reverb).
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not doing music?
Eating and cooking! I’m kind of a foodie! I also enjoy time spent with friends, or better, friends and cooking! I’m a sucker for Taiwanese and Japanese cuisine. I’m also a graphic designer by trade so I enjoy spending time doing creative work of my own. I’m a little OCD so I enjoy a good cleaning day too! There are so many things I enjoy doing that it’s hard to say what my “favorite” non-music activity is.
Did you grow up in Utah? If not, how did you end up here?
Negative, I spent a lot of time going back and forth from LA to Las vegas growing up with separated parents. I first came to Salt Lake City in 2007, where I lived here for about 6 months with a close friend. I moved away and returned in late 2011. I ended up here the first time, since I had family and wanted some distance between family. Then I came back to live with my boyfriend at the time, after we tried living in LA together for a couple years. SLC is like home to me, but I’ll always be a west-coast street rat :).
What are the best things about living in Salt Lake City versus other places you’ve lived or visited?
The slower pace of life is what keeps me here. Especially compared to where I’m from. I’ve come to love the people and the community. I think that the counterculture mentality is strong here as natives seem eager to rebel and challenge the church (for good reasons!). This creates passion and I love it. I’ve also come to love all the wonderful people that are a part of the music scene here. It’s small but we have good talent too! Not to mention my NCM fam <3
Do you have a favorite club, dance floor or festival memory from over the years?
That’s a hard one… For the festival - I would say “Lovevolution” in San Francisco in 2006 was a really fun time for me. It was my first parade style festival. I got to see Fischerspooner DJ, which was strange. The whole experience starting from public transit was such an adventure! I’ll spare the details, but Outdoor, San Francisco, House Music with my best friend, my BF, and me.. It was so good.For nightclubs: The Airliner, specifically on Low End Theory nights. It no longer runs but the most legendary hip hop beat makers and producers that I love have come out and performed there
What goals do you have for your future, musically or otherwise?
Keep producing, keep making music, keep mixing, keep defining my sound. I’ve been putting out tracks for years, but I’m still relatively new to the scene and I love meeting new people. I’m always working on sets/albums of original music and they are my favorite to perform, but they are never ending projects! I love music and I wanna see where I can take things.
How would you describe the mix you made?
I put this set together to perform at Critical Beatdowns’ 3rd anniversary and it contains all original music. Critical Beatdown is a producer showcase night in SLC that happens once a month. Adam (finale grand) invited me to play their 3rd anniversary, and being a veteran at that event I said yes. Since it was the first Gig of 2020, I decided to put together my favorite productions of the last decade and it features productions as early as 2011. I describe this as my more “off-beat” synth-heavy hip-hop. It really showcases how I’ve evolved my sound over the years and highlights how I use synths and Ableton.
TRACKLIST:
1. Two Selves (unreleased)
2. Please stay (unreleased)
3. Radianze (unreleased)
4. Know you (unreleased)
5. October (unreleased)
6. Volume 3 (unreleased)
7. I’m not who you’re chasing (unrleased)
8. Untrained ears (unreleased)
9. UNWZE - 2012
10. Opiates of the Steeple (unreleased)
11. Dummiez - 2011
12. Clouds II - 2014
13. Relax (secret edit 13) - 2019
14. Relax ft. Apple stem - 2019