What do you hear when you think of the word Butternut Slap? How about Quackfat? Or maybe even…..Robo Booty?
The answer is the sound of Opiuo.
Hailing from New Zealand, Oscar Davey-Wraight has broken huge boundaries of musical manifestation with his one-of-
a-kind taste and artistic vision that is Opiuo. His albums like Meraki, Omniversal, and even his latest: Syzygy (Part 1) combine futuristic-like electronica with deep funkadelic, reggae, and even jazz to create a sound that draws everyone’s attention to dance. After moving out of his small town in his early 20s, dropping everything and moving to Sydney his life has been a non-stop artistic whirlwind of touring all over the world bringing to every country the experience of his shows – which include drum pads, laser shows, sometimes a live band, but mostly his contagious energetic personality. He has worked with many big names such as Griz, Emancipator, Bassnectar,
2018 was a big year for Oscar, starting with releasing Syzygy, a first part to a new musical project (part 2 coming soon). The word, Syzygy: conjunctions of opposites such as the Moon and Sun, describe perfectly what this album entails. Tracks like “Ginger Lizard’” and “Botrok” have a funky bassline with effervescent flow of electronic mixing, as well as presence of live instruments. “Huckaloogee” is for the people who crave heavy music, as it brings a deep, suspenseful feeling to the EP. In April, Opiuo premiered the Syzygy Orchestra conducting live versions of all his songs at a sold-out Red 
Rocks performance in Colorado. His main purpose of music is to inspire others to branch out what his impossible to be possible and create whatever comes to mind.
The Catalyst Atrium had a packed house for his show, and I got to sit down with Oscar on his West-Coast leg of his Syzygy Tour. It is a two-part performance – first hour is a downtempo, chill session, part two including full lazer shows and his big hits. It’s a non-stop dance party that caters to any age.
Opiuo’s music can be found on all streaming websites. Tickets for his tour are available at www.opiuo.com.
You can catch DJ Fizzi Pop’s radio show, Soundwave Sanctuary, Fridays 4-5 PM only on KZSC Santa Cruz 88.1 FM, or kzsc.org/streaming.