By day, Cesar Pino is a music teacher. But by night, he embodies his alter ego, a musical project called C3zr. C3zr is a relatively new creation for Pino, a classically trained musician. But Pino has fully dived into the music-making process, culminating in the release of his debut album, “Round Voyage,” out now on Los Angeles-based label 600 Block Records.
Like many great musicians, Pino got his start through a more traditional educational route. A love of classical music beginning during preschool soon transitioned into childhood piano lessons. Later, upon entering college, Pino studied piano performance at Northeastern Illinois University. During his time at the school, Pino was able to hone his skills as a musician and dip a toe into the jazz scene.
However, it was not until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that Pino began to experiment more with making music for himself. Forced to stay home, Pino became a bedroom producer, crafting beats with the Ableton software and sharing them with the world on social media platforms like Instagram (where he’s amassed more than 30,000 followers), Facebook and TikTok.
“Because of the lockdown, staying at home forced me to really hone my skills, to learn new techniques, go on YouTube for tutorials, and just become a better producer, whether it was mastering my tracks, EQ, or compressing all these different sounds,” Pino said. “It’s almost like a science.”
Much of this new music stemmed from an emerging interest in different genres of music. Specifically, Pino cites electronic producers and artists like Channel Tres and Kaytranada, as well as R&B artists like H.E.R. and SZA, for helping him open up many avenues of music creation. “I think I was trying to dive more into that house, funk, R&B scene. I was like, ‘Oh, man. These are just new musical earworms that I need to study from,” he offered.
Perhaps most significantly, this time also allowed him to connect more with local musicians such as Sarita Songbird, Travis Percy, and Ifeanyi Elswith. Virtual collaborations — where Pino would send a beat or a track he was working on to another musician — created a nice exchange of ideas that eventually turned into actual songs.
“I think I’m definitely just upgrading my skills as a producer, but also my skills as a collaborator and becoming more of a team player,” he said.
As a classically trained pianist, those new songs often began with a simple chord progression of four chords. Occasionally, Pino would begin with a drum track or drum samples. These small steps of song construction let Pino understand where to go next and where his collaborators could eventually come in.
“I like to think of it almost like cooking, where you’re adding different layers and textures here and there. And at the same time, I’m just kind of sprinkling in other cool little harmonic devices,” Pino said.
Chicago musician C3zr’s new LP is “Round Voyage.” (Vanessa Valadez)
This method of production eventually led to the creation of “Round Voyage,” his debut album. For a musician who spent many years in the classical performance world, “Round Voyage” is an accomplished body of work. Tracks like “Gold Cymbal” and “He Can’t See” are warm and intelligent. Pino approaches his music with an assured sense of self and a love of lush, downtempo vibes that are sure to appeal to a wide audience of listeners.
Pino knows where he has come from and also has a firm grasp of where he wants to go moving forward. Sonically, this makes for a delightful audio journey, the sort of voyage highlighted in the album’s title. “Round Voyage” is not beholden to a single genre, and the record is also quite effective at cruising through Chicago’s the vast and rich musical legacy. Whether it is electronic and house or jazz and funk, Pino is not afraid to meld the difference, musical-wise, and transform it into a sound that is distinctly his.
“I like to sort of surprise the audience, where they’re not expecting [this music]. I think using those little musical devices tends to catch the listener’s ear or catches their attention,” Pino added. “That’s my goal with this LP — to have my listener notice [I’m] not just limiting myself to just this or that. There’s different varieties.”
Britt Julious is a freelance critic.
