Q&A - Tzusan

Following the release of his album, WSPNSYRP we caught up with Edinburgh based lo-fi hip hop pioneer Tzusan. Available now on 12” vinyl, you can grab a physical or digital copy on Bandcamp here.

• Your latest album ‘WSPNSYRP’ is highly conceptualised - tell us about the conditions which inspired this project?
  
  When I first started working on it I had intended it to be an album of summer bangers to play at festivals but then COVID happened and that kind of went out the window. As it evolved from then it sprouted tentacles and developed a darker underbelly driven by a lot of anxieties about the pandemic, climate change, and the hedonism of ecological destruction.
  

• The album is bold and at points other-worldly. What inspired the poetic narrative of hedonism & hopelessness?
  
  I suppose what really cemented it was the wasps. A whole bunch of dead wasps started popping up in my studio and for some reason it just clung to the walls of my brain and started to meld with all the anxieties and inspirations I was harbouring at the time.
  

• It’s abundantly clear you’re inspired by misty, curious jazz-infused instrumentals reminding us a little of the likes of Ivan Ave. Who are your production heroes and who are the ones that inspire you today?
  
  Ooh that's a tough question. I think a lot of producers don't get the shine they should, there are loads of tracks I love that I couldn't even tell you who produced them which is a shame. I guess in Scotland folk like Jaisu, Konchis, Scattabrainz, S-Type were all on my radar from a pretty young age and there's plenty of up and comers who are really pushing the boundaries.
  

• Tell us about the creative process when it came to the various collaborators on this record?
  
  A lot of the features are people I consider close friends at this point so most of it came about really organically but it's always a pleasure to get the chance to work with some more established artists like Truemendous and King Grubb
  

• We reviewed your Fizzy Milk album in 2021 and described it as "ballsy, complex and unapologetically Scottish”. How would you describe your sound in 3 words
  
  relies on sub-text. hahaha

• Your favourite track from the album is… because…
  
  ahhh the impossible question... I'm proud of them all for different reasons and my answer changes every few days but I think maybe Citalopram. I think that one stands out as something with a bit more pace and energy to it.