​Zaytoven’s gospel roots are at the heart of his banging trap and hip hop

With an emphasis on seclusion, artistic solidarity and refined audio gear from AKG, Mixmag and Samsung teamed up to bring a handful of musicians to the remote forests of Woodstock, New York and the open desert of Joshua Tree, California for two wholly unique electronic music retreats. Immersed in these thought-provoking environments, we created an engaging original mini-documentary on each participating artist to give viewers a novel perspective on their profile and creative process.

Taking part in our Joshua Tree retreat was Grammy-Award winning hip hop and trap producer, Zaytoven. Born into a religious household in Georgia, Zaytoven's initial introduction to music spawned out of love and appreciation for the gospel. "I wasn't allowed to listen to secular music, but I started listening to secular music," he tells us during our retreat. Well versed in the church organ, keyboard and drums, Zaytoven managed to combine his musical abilities with his love of hip hop and soon found himself producing for the likes of Usher, Rick Ross, Gucci Mane, Drake, Travis Scott and Migos. Walking us through his studio process and production toolkit, the church-going trap lord goes into detail as to how the gospel has informed his creative output. "Anytime I'm stuck; there is always gospel music,” Zaytoven explains. “It gives me different chords, melodies and just frees me up."

Learn more about Zaytoven's story via the documentary below.