Interview with Ryan Stevenson, Founder of Canterbury Sensation Zopp

One of the great revelations of early 2020 is the fantastic debut album of Zopp, a British project created by multi-instrumentalist Ryan Stevenson.

Fiercely electric, Zopp is deeply rooted in the finest of the Canterbury style of progressive rock. You can hear echoes of Hatfield and the North and National Health as well. However, Zopp also incorporates other progressive music elements, making it one of the most exciting releases of the year.

Angel Romero communicated with Ryan Stevenson to find out more about his background and the Zopp album.

What are your fondest musical memories?

Probably hearing The Sound of Muzak by Porcupine Tree for the first time maybe in 2004, and seeing Anekdoten live in Bergen, Norway, 2018.

What was the first tune you learned?

I can’t remember. I started playing guitar around the age of 14, so it would have been something like Green Day – American Idiot. Very easy bar chords.

What do you consider as the essential elements of your music?

Probably melody. I like to write interesting melodies.

Your album Zopp has a clear Canterbury music flavor. How did you come into contact with this progressive rock subgenre?

Back in the early 2000s, I came across a couple of Egg tracks on my dad’s computer: Long Piece No.3 and Contrasong; I was immediately hooked, again around the age of 14 or 15. So this is when I started to get into the Canterbury scene and my appreciation and knowledge has grown since. Fun fact, my dad’s favorite record of all time is The Rotters’ Club, so I have him to thank; thanks dad!

Among others, I identify Canterbury with a certain keyboard sound, sometimes a distorted organ or synth. What kind of keyboards do you use?

I use a Korg CX-3 organ and sometimes Nord Electro 5d synth/organ. I run them through various fuzz pedals and a wah pedal to get the right sound. I have borrowed some synths from friends over the years for the album. I recently got a Korg MS20, which I’m hoping to use on the next record.

On Zopp you collaborated with well-known progressive rock composer and keyboardist Andy Tillison of the Tangent. How did you come across Andy and what was his involvement?

I first came across Andy Tillison’s music back in 2006 when The Tangent released ‘A Place In The Queue’. I really liked the tune ‘Lost in London Part 1’ and still do.

When I finished the demo mix of the Zopp album late 2018, I had the idea of approaching an experienced musician to oversee things. Considering that this is my first studio album, I didn’t have the confidence to do absolutely everything myself. Andy was an obvious choice as a collaborator because he understands my musical references; you can hear it in his own writing.

My arrangements can be dense, and I had a ridiculous amount of overdubs for some tracks when I was writing and recording by myself. When it came to the final mix, Andy played an important role in helping me to realize what I needed to cut, so the arrangements didn’t end up becoming over the top. So his role as an engineer and co-producer on the album was incredibly valuable.

Some of my piano and electric piano takes were processed through Andy’s Leslie cabinet on tracks like Before The Light, V and Sellanrå which was a great idea from Andy. He also played some lines here and there on a couple of tracks and he mastered the album. I’m a control freak and Andy was very respectful towards my vision throughout the process. We have a lot in common musically. When I was at his place, he would play me all sorts of interesting music, which wasn’t prog rock- things I’d never heard of, which blew me away. He’s very open minded. I learnt a lot from watching Andy work on the album and I hope we can get together again in the future; talented keyboard player, great writer and friend.

Who plays on Zopp? Who are the musicians you are currently working with?

Zopp is primarily my musical outlet, with myself on keys, guitars, some voice, and I work closely with Andrea Moneta who plays drums. Andrea also plays in the progressive rock band Leviathan (from Italy). He’s an incredibly professional and experienced musician. I can write a difficult drum track for him, and he will go away, learn it quickly, and nail the whole track within 1 to 2 rehearsals!

In terms guest musicians, Andy T of course played some additional keys on the record; I particularly like his contribution to the track V, where he wrote a complex piano part at the beginning. Theo Travis is also on V- nice touch of flute. I also worked with UK singer Caroline Joy Clarke and American saxophonist Mike Benson.

Going back to keyboards, is there a favorite keyboard you like?

I like pianos, Hammond organs and mellotrons. But I don’t have a favorite keyboard. When I sit down to write music, I normally start on the piano.

You play other instruments as well, what other favorite instruments do you like to play?

I enjoy playing the bass guitar nearly every week when I’m rehearsing Zopp material with Andrea because it’s easier to play and transport to rehearsals than loads of keyboards. When things get heavy in a track, I really like to turn on the fuzz pedal for the bass. During summer solstice, I also enjoy playing the fife- a small flute.

There seems to be hunger among progressive rock fans for more Canterbury music, will you be making more albums on a regular basis?

Yes, I’m currently working on new material. But I should be quiet about that for now… I hope to release more albums on a regular basis.

Most of the post 1970s Canterbury-influenced acts I’m familiar with are Japanese or American. Aside from Zopp, are there any other new generation musicians in the UK making this kind of music?

There are a lot of good bands popping up at the moment like BADBADNOTGOOD from Canada and Elephant9 (the latter use lots of fuzz organs) from Norway who are making experimental instrumental jazz music. Jaga Jazzist have also been a massive inspiration. I like to think that Zopp is doing something akin to these bands. But I’m not aware of any new musicians making this type of music, especially in the UK.

I’m very honored for this album to be classed as ‘Canterbury’, and I obviously see the benefits of using this tag to reach an audience. My debut is no doubt heavily rooted in this sound. However, I don’t like to be tied down to one single category, as I like to think that i’ve taken an array of different elements from all sorts of music, such as the fuzz organ from Egg, classical parts from Erik Satie’s piano works, or industrial moments inspired by hard techno music. Therefore Zopp is certainly ‘progressive’.

Mainstream media does not provide an outlet for progressive music in general. In what ways are you promoting your music?

I’m signed to Bad Elephant Music and they have decent PR, so I’m confident that they will get the music in the right places. Social media of course is a powerful tool if used creatively. Websites, forums, Youtube, chatting to people online who might like this type of music. I just hope that good old word of mouth will help too.

What advice would you give to beginners who are anxious and want to make music outside of the pop mainstream?

Musicians should be writing music that they believe in, rather than caring about ‘success’ per se. If you believe in the music you’re making, then that’s all that matters right? If you think what you’ve made is bloody good, then it doesn’t matter if it falls into the mainstream or not does it? It’s just good music and some people will hopefully hear that eventually. But it’s not easy in a world saturated with music.

It’s really important to at least strive to be different, or to have your own identity, despite making music in an age where all different styles and combinations have been attempted, which is a depressing realization at times.

At the end of the day, it’s just good and bad music, as I said above. I’m into all sorts. One moment I can be into some experimental jazz artist, the next moment I’m listening to ‘mainstream’ pop music. I think it’s the same for a lot of young music listeners in the millennial generation; there’s not a great deal of genre tribalism today, compared to the past, which is positive. So listening to different genres can help broaden your musical palette, which might help you to create something different or unique. I think it’s a good time for music.

If you could gather any additional musicians, or bands, to collaborate with, whom would that be?

It would be great to work with other bands or musicians, especially when and if Zopp is played live. However, I don’t have anyone in mind at the moment. I’d like to do some producing for other bands, as the production/ arranging/ writing is what I’m interested in the most. I think it’s important to build connections with other artists.

Aside from the release of Zopp, do you have any additional upcoming projects to share with us?

I’m hopefully going to be working on more film composing later this year, as I do this part time. My most notable score is for The Perfect Gangster- a fantastic documentary film on the mafia in the USA, by director Andy Deliana. Readers can listen and watch here: