Zaytoven: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Feb. 28, 2019 | Rodney Carmichael -- The Lord works in mysterious ways. It might sound cliché, but there’s really no better way to describe the circumstances that led to prolific producer Zaytoven’s impromptu Tiny Desk. Last month, Zaytoven arrived at Bob Boilen’s desk with a full band in tow with the intent of backing up his Atlanta friend and collaborator Future, who had dropped his latest album, The Wzrd, earlier that day. The plan was to translate the bass-heavy trap sound Zaytoven helped originate to real instruments with Neil Garrard on guitar, Bernard “TreWay“ Lambert on drums, DJ Spinz and Elena on flute (for what would’ve been a live version of “Mask Off“). After several hours of waiting, with the band all warmed up and ready, word came that Future would be a no-show. So, to our thrill, Zaytoven redeemed the occasion with his own Tiny Desk concert, featuring instrumental versions of a couple of the earliest hits he produced for Future’s Beast