Z-arc is the electronica production project of Kris Derry. His music is a careful deployment of analogue-style synths, atmospheric padding and processed beats. Mostly ethereal and melodic, occasionally industrial and gritty, frequently multi-textured.
During the 90's he played live keyboards in a number of pop-rock groups and DJ'd with a battered old MC303 whilst developing his own style of hardware sequencing and arrangements for solo work. These days he's a huge advocate of virtual studio technology, enabling him to finetune and nail down any sonic creation that might have otherwise escaped.
Z-arc has had his music released on solo ep's and various compilations through netlabels Octoberman Recordings & Clickclickdrone since 2005, plus a credited remix on Patchwork by Boltfish Recordings.
He's also been involved with an arts funded project to score contemporary electronic music for the Minnesota Ballet Company in conjunction with London based choreographer Donna Schoenherr.
credits
from Second envizion,
released March 3, 2009
Kris Derry aka Z-arc
For this LP, Formen modified old 16bit effects units which were then cascaded via internal patch points to develop a glitchy sound. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 18, 2021
This LP tells the story of a witch, a pair of magic gloves, & an enormous shark via wonderfully surreal electronic songs. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 9, 2021
Philadelphia's Starkey operates in his own head-spinning sonic universe, blending laser-like pinpricks of sound with tripping rhythms. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 10, 2016
Half of the proceeds from this imaginative, jazz-influenced electronic EP from A Model Kit go to Emigration for Action. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 5, 2023