Dragons of Zynth also known as "D.O.Z" is an American
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band from
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
. Their only album 'Coronation Thieves' came out in 2007, drawing comparisons with
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
band
TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and Jale ...
.
History
Dragons of Zynth's frontmen, Aku and Akwetey, are
twin
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
s born in New York City and were raised in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
.
[Dragons of Zynth](_blank)
at AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
The group first won notice with the recording of their first single "War Lover" in 2004. The band gained attention early on for their live performances garnering the kudos of
TV on the Radio
TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and Jale ...
and U.K. outfit
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall.
The debut Massive Attack album ''Blue Lines'' was release ...
. Their debut full-length, ''Coronation Thieves'', was released in September 2007 and produced by
David Sitek
David Andrew Sitek (born September 6, 1972) is an American musician and record producer, known for his work with his band TV on the Radio. He has also worked with bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, Foals, Celebration, Little Dragon, Beady ...
. Following the recording and release of Coronation Thieves, the band has shared stages with
Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members are lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. Strongly influenced ...
,
Television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
,
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...
,
Saul Williams
Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 independent film ''Slam'' ...
and
The Roots
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...
.
In 2010 the band announced a hiatus to record for their follow up LP and pursue collaborative projects. Aku features on the song ''Tiger'' off the debut album of Maximum Balloon. The album by producer David Sitek features contributions by Celebration's Katrina Ford, The Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O,and David Byrne. Making their foray onscreen the twins site "getting fitted for their first projects on the same day." In 2010, Akwetey debuts as a labor striker in season two's Georgia Peaches episode of ''Boardwalk Empire''. Aku debuts in his first onscreen role as ''Fast Kid'' in Lex Sidon's ''Grand Street''.
In 2011 Aku was invited by Santi White to play in Santigold, touring worldwide release of ''Master of My Make Believe''. Between international dates with Santigold, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Aku is credited as producer of the yet to be named Dragons full-length.
In anticipation of their full length, DOZ members have collaborated with French video artist Camille Henrot on her latest work entitled "Grosse Fatigue". In June 2013, the video art piece was awarded the Silver Lion at the Venice Biennale's 55 International Art Exhibition.
Members
*Akwetey - voice, guitar, fx,
*Aku - voice, keyboards, guitar
*J.Bernard - drums
;Former
*Fon Lin Nyeu - keyboards
*Devang Arvind Shah - production, drums
*Matthew Davidson
Discography
*''Coronation Thieves'' (
Gigantic Music Gigantic Music is an independent record label, founded by Brian Devine in 2000. Gigantic Music is based out of New York City.
Gigantic Music signed New York's well-established act The Walkmen for the band's fourth album, ''You & Me''. Other acts i ...
, 2007)
* "Xerathyn" The Green Owl Compilation-A Benefit For The Energy Action Coalition (2010)
Other appearances
*Aku is featured as a vocalist in
Maximum Balloon
''Maximum Balloon'' is the debut solo studio album by American musician and record producer David Andrew Sitek of TV on the Radio, under the moniker Maximum Balloon. It was released on September 21, 2010, by DGC Records and Interscope Records. T ...
's single "Tiger" (2010)
*Aku appears as "Fast Kid" in the 2012 release of Grand Street
*Akwetey appears as a Striker in Season Two's Georgia Peach episode of
Boardwalk Empire
''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...
, singing "A Balm in Gilead" (2011)
References
;Footnotes
;Further Reading
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''
Interview with Akwetey ''
InDigest Magazine''
Review ''
Prefix Magazine
A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Adding it to the beginning of one word changes it into another word. For example, when the prefix ''un-'' is added to the word ''happy'', it creates the word ''unhappy''. Particula ...
''
Review ''
SPIN
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
''
Concert Review ''
Austin Chronicle
''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...
''
Review Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
{{Authority control
Indie rock musical groups from Ohio
Musical groups from Cleveland