Keyboardist and producer Lorenzo “Zo!” Ferguson may not be a household name but he's been quietly amassing a strong list of credentials, particularly in the world of hip-hop, in D.C. and beyond. He's contributed his talents to projects by Slum Village, Little Brother, and Kev Brown as well as released nine solo projects.

A native of metropolitan Detroit and former collegiate baseball player, Zo! was an integral part of the music scene there until he relocated to D.C. in 2006. In a cruel episode of coincidence, the day he left was also the day another key member of the Detroit music community, renowned producer J Dilla, passed away. Despite the locale change, he's stayed involved with artists in Michigan as well as those in Washington, including his band, The ELs.

His latest endeavor, Zo! and Tigallo Love The '80s, has him teaming up with Phonte (a.k.a. Tigallo) of Little Brother for an EP of 1980s pop tune covers. Included on the album are “I'm Only Human”, “Something About You”, and a few other Reagan era gems. Not only is it a fun trip down memory lane with Phonte on vocals and Zo! providing the instrumentation, it's also confirmation that you aren't crazy when you sing along to “Africa”.

Visit Zo! online at: http://www.myspace.com/zo or http://www.musicalarchitect.com/

Find his music at: Fat Beats for the limited edition release of Love The '80s, iTunes, or his Musical Architect web site.

See him next at: His 30th Birthday Party with Phonte at Liv on September 13. He'll be with The ELs as they perform live at the Black Luv Festival in D.C. on September 21. Also, he'll be performing with Phonte during a special show at Busboys and Poets' D.C. location on September 22.

Questions for Zo!:

You aren’t a native of this area, so what brought you to D.C.?

I was trying to get out of the Detroit area and expand a little bit more. I'm really familiar with the area because half of my family is from out this way. The adjustment to the area wasn't that much. The price of living is a little bit higher but outside of that, the learning curve for the area wasn't too much for me.

Being an outsider, how did you get plugged into the local scene?

I was actually introduced to Asheru probably a year before I moved here. I kept in contact with him. I met DJ Roddy Rod, Kev Brown, (Three Stars alumna) Muhsinah, and Bilal Salaam before I moved here. Roddy Rod reached out and offered to show me around to the spots and introduce me to people.

Who are you working with now?

I’m working with a band called The ELs. It consists of myself, Slimkat 78 on the MPC, Mr. Hu on guitar, Kush on bass, Larry Lee or Biscuit on the drums, and, of course, Asheru as the MC.

How does the D.C. scene compare to what you experienced in Detroit?

As a musician, you feed off of everything. It took me a second to get back into music after the move. You’re used to your comfort zone. This was a “foreign place”. I didn’t feel like D.C. was home yet. Once I started getting the ball rolling in creating music, it was cool. Now, I have another place, other than Detroit, where I can create successfully.

You aren't solely a musician, though. Tell us about your teaching job.

I'm entering my 3rd year of teaching music at Rock Creek Academy. The first time I met Asheru he asked me if I'd ever thought about teaching. At the time, I was a full-time musician. All I was thinking about was what I was going to make next. As you think about it, if you have certain gifts for music or art, if you don't pass it down to anyone, you just take it to the grave with you. Getting in to teaching was an expansion for me and watching the kids expand and take the learning in is like a proud father moment.

You work in both hip-hop and instrumental/jazz/soul-based music. Does your approach to making tracks change based on the genre you’re working in?

I don’t approach songs as, “This is going to be hip-hop” or “This is going to be soul”. I just approach it as music, unless it’s specifically instructed to be one way. I really approach a lot of stuff as music in general because if you do it that way, whatever comes out, comes out and therefore you just deal with it in a way that if it’s dope, you keep it.

In addition to being a keyboardist, you also produce. How does playing the keyboard live compare to the in-studio work of being a producer?

Play live prepares you for production, from my point of view. Nothing can prepare you for the stage but practice. The more you appear on stage, the better you’ll get at it. The better you get at being on stage playing live in front of people, the better you’ll be in the studio as a musician. On stage you try to limit your mistakes and you can bring that attitude into the studio.

Who have you worked with?

In the past, I’ve worked with Waajeed and the Platinum Pied Pipers. I just laid some keys for Kev Brown and I’ve worked with Asheru, of course. Little Brother and Phonte. I’m working now with YahZarah and Sy Smith.

On your latest effort, Zo! and Tigallo Love The ‘80s, you teamed up with Phonte of Little Brother. How did this partnership come about?

It was either through the internet or when I sent a beat CD to Median (of Phonte’s Justus League crew). I did some Little Brother remixes. I know he heard those. They did a show in Ann Arbor (Michigan). After the show, I introduced myself and he was like, “Yeah, I know who you are. I got your album in my iPod.” I was like, “Oh, word?” It built from there. We stayed in contact. When it came to do my Re:Definition album with the “Steppin’ Out” cover, he wasn’t but an email away.

How did you decide to select the tracks that you did for the album? Because, frankly, the choices aren’t what you’d expect from a two guys deep into hip-hop.

The point was that growing up in the ‘80s, watching your MTVs and VH1s, there was only a little bit of hip-hop. You weren’t hearing or seeing it on TV like that. The stuff you were seeing and hearing on TV were songs like “Take On Me”, “Africa”, Mr. Mister’s “Broken Wings”. Whether you were white, black, into hip-hop or not, this is what you were fed daily. Now, it’s a guilty pleasure. If you’re at a party and “Take On Me” comes on, you automatically start moving.

And start thinking about those pencil sketches.

Right. Next thing you know, you’re doing “The Carlton” dance. We wanted to take those songs and give them a platform. These are some dope songs. You can’t front on that. We wanted to do some out-of-leftfield joints to make people say, “Naw, they didn’t just do that?”

Before we close out on the album, though, we have to ask about its cover. It’s hilarious.

My man Jati Lindsay did the photography. Muhsinah picked out all of the wardrobe. She came to my apartment with Phonte and spread the outfits out on the couch. Phonte and I were up late one night and he found a place online where we could buy some Jheri curl whigs. I said I wanted the Gregory Abbott curl and told him he could get the Full Force joint. Muhsinah and my wife were having a ball, laughing. It was a good experience. We wanted to parlay that feeling into the album by making it a limited edition release with numbering. We wanted to make it as fun for the consumer as it was for us to make it.

What’s next on your plate?

I’m working with an MC out of Detroit named Asylum 7. He has a hell of a work ethic. We’re looking to put it out in December. There should be a Just Visiting...2 and I’ll have a solo album coming out in 2009. Phonte, YahZarah, Sy Smith, and Ab will be on it. The next few months are going to be busy but they’re going to be good.