0Z, beat magician

Once upon a time, there lived Ozan Yildirim, grandson of a Turkish immigrant. Ozan grew up in Toggenburg. He completed an apprenticeship in retailing, before working as a sales assistant at Fust. At night, the young man transformed into OZ (pronounced Ozi). He created rhythms in his basement using a software named Fruity Loop. The self-taught artist likes the deep beats of rapper 50 Cent. OZ also enjoys the musical atmosphere of the Caribbean. In 2012, the musician sent a series of tracks to American rapper Meek Mill, whose email address he had been keeping stored safely away. The creations of electronic artisan OZ caught the musician’s ear, and he paid 3,000 dollars for them. “These days, a hit is just an email away,” said the Swiss star to “Billboard” magazine. From beat to beat, OZ began to work with the greatest names in the world of rap, amongst them Canadian Drake (on “Toosie Slide”) and American Travis Scott (on “Sicko Mode”). In June, the latter title had been played 1.4 billion times on musical platform Spotify. “He has a recognisable style and he knows how to capture the moment,” said Swiss rapper Stress, discussing OZ. The man concocts his sounds in a recording studio based in Wald (ZH). According to the latest news, he still lives in his native Toggenburg, with his wife and child. His guilty pleasure? Fancy cars, including a Rolls Royce and a Lamborghini. It is said that during a trip to Zurich with friends, he was refused entry into nightclubs, whilst his own beats could be heard from inside. Switzerland doesn’t know its own heroes!