"Island infused, drum’n’bass gospel ninja soul"
Truly a one-man band, South Carolina's Zach Deputy is a powerhouse of performance, technical chops, and one hell of a charismatic presence. Put simply, Zach Deputy does what is called live looping (similar to what Keller Williams does when he performs solo): layering riffs and sounds through the magic of technology to create a full band effect. First and foremost, however, Zach Deputy is a songwriter, a shredding guitarist and a soulful singer with a 4+ octave vocal range. He can also drop freestyle rhymes with the best of them. The Zach Deputy sound is essentially earthy blues/roots rock, but in his case the roots are in soul, calypso, reggae and dancehall, underpinned by driving hip-hop, rock steady, Motown and Stax backbeats created with his layered vocal beatboxing. On top of the backbeat, Zach Deputy's nylon strings pull multiple duties as bass, rhythm and lead guitar. Riding over that, a plethora of sounds - keyboard, steel drums and an entire horn section - come pumping and grinding out of the speakers when Zach takes the stage. He is a one man dance party, but he can also bring an audience to rapt attention with a heartfelt love ballad.