March - May 2023 — Music

Daryl Xzavier Stone, who goes by the moniker Xzavier Stone, is an artist, producer, DJ and vocalist from Zurich, Switzerland. He first encountered music from South Africa in the early 2010s when he befriended Spoek Mathambo and Gazelle’s Xander Ferreira and Nick Matthews during their Europe tour. Nearly a decade later, Xzavier created the score for the collaborative dance piece “The Ecstatic” by Swiss choreographer Jeremy Nedd and South African group Impilo Mapantsula. In both instances, Xzavier was inspired by the vivid energy of the South African artists’ work.

During his residency in Johannesburg from 3 March to 31 May 2023, Xzavier is looking forward to experiencing first-hand the unique sounds emerging from the city’s music scene and engage with the artists producing these sounds. He hopes to collaborate and amalgamate the history and sonic motifs of these styles with the aesthetic of his own music productions. “What I’m currently amazed and inspired by in terms of contemporary South African music is the surge of Amapiano. Its luscious sound is something I want to engage with first-hand and explore where collaborative synergies might lead”, Xzavier explains.

BIOGRAPHY

Xzavier Stone is an artist, producer, DJ and vocalist from Zurich, Switzerland. Known for his bold yet playful work, he has released on Fractal Fantasy, his own imprint XZA, and YAWREDDY?!, a joint platform with frequent collaborator Modulaw. Over the years, Xzavier has become recognisable by his subtle and deft spins on rap and R&B music and his penchant for playfulness and experimentation. This has seen him fashion a genre-defying, personal and innovative sound which he both creates and fully inhabits. Threading severe electronic music and sound design with harmony and an off-kilter sensuality, Xzavier offers up a mystery and tease that glints through the manifold positions his music touches.