producer

Stussy Cothing Brand held an instrumental music contest called Make Beats. Over 1,700 people submitted their tunes and a 16 year old named Zack Sekoff  was chosen. The kid needed a photo to submit that didn’t have a gradient marble back ground in it so I was happy to take the job. He’s certainly more than meets the eye.

He comes to my place like he owns it, I’ve met him only once before but he treats me like we are best friends. He said some shit that I could have taken offense to had I not noticed he was really just being casual, so I roll with it. He is not being rude, just comfortable.

I am having trouble resolving why this white kid is so comfy in his skin, and why his music sounds the way it does. Not contrived or aspirational but genuine, so inquire on his past.  ” My dad Jewish  and went to George Washington Carver High School, and that school is exactly the way it sounds. I grew up on Soul, I used to listen to music that people that think they are cool listen to but everybody listens to.” We note some of the similarities between Jewish people and Blacks and how its not really a far stretch for him to fit in well where he does. He’s a bucket of energy this guy, sporadic and creative, his music is the same.

Here is the winning instrumental.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/22335793″]

He is a bass guitarist by study, but he plays a the keys as well,drums , and some guitar. He says “esque” a lot, as if  it is his favorite suffix. I can tell he smart, he talks like a rapper, and trips over the 2012 presidential race. “Hermain Cain is the Lil B of Politics”.

After the shoot he sends me a thank you text with an exclamation point and bugs me for 3 days for the rest of his photos. Zack is gracious and passionate, and it shows in his music.

See Stussy Blog for Interview and contest details.