Dawn Drake & ZapOte
Brooklyn, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2006 | INDIE
Music
Press
"Dawn Drake and her band ZapOte are at the beginnings of a
fascinating journey to enthusiastically bridge chasms of cultural
and gender disconnect that plagues so much of pop music's body politic. To hear them is to imagine early period jam sessions between Laura Nyro and Carole King with Sly Stone and Sergio Mendes sitting in. Theirs is a playfully intensedynamic that needs to be seen more."
-Darrell McNeill, Black Rock Coalition Director of Operations &
CURATOR of BAM Café LIVE, Brooklyn Academy of Music - Darrell McNeill
"Dawn contributes heavy Afro-Caribbean licks on congas, bongós and Brazilian caixa as a partial list...and it's no amateur hour..."
Jenny Lazar, GO NYC Magazine
- Jenny Lazar
"Cuban, African & South American styles
mesh together into delicious jazz/pop fusion; a wonderful backdrop for Dawn's sassy vocals. She also arranged the horns (excellent job), played bass and did all the percussion; a truly multi-talented performer!" Brian Fox, Meewsic
Records - Meewsic Records
"This saucy debut by soul sistah Dawn Drake is an incredible gift to the world of world music!
She skillfully weaves together her bold poetic lyrics, melodic vocals, and a fusion of danceable
rhythms performed by herself and a very talented band of musicianados.
You'll love the horns, the deep bass, the compelling percussion..."
Luis Da Silva, Jules Bistro, NYC - Jules Bistro
“Slovenian-American bassist, conguera, and singer-songwriter Dawn Drake leads this all- female, worldbeat-meets-funk ensemble, which breaks down cultural barriers by incorporating everything from Afro-Cuban jazz to hip-hop to samba into a soul-shaking mix. Deep bass grooves and swinging horn lines provide a danceable backdrop for Drake’s socially conscious lyrics, which impart messages of universal consciousness, empowerment, and compassion”. - Brooklyn Academy of Music
“Dawn Drake and ZapOte completed the evening program with funky Afro Beat. The band’s leader, The New York bassist Dawn Drake studied in Africa, Cuba and Brasil and is a true multi-talent on stage. She sang and played bass at the same time and also showed her talent as a percussionist- a true band leader with “herzblut” ( literally “with heart blood”) - Walliser Bote, Brig Switzerland
"[They] were the hit of the season" -Beth Flusser, Talent Buyer -
Discography
Full Albums:
"Nightshade" 2019
"Everythinglessness" 2013
"Cross Crocodiles" 2008
Singles:
"Thinking About You (Radio Edit)" 2025
"Thinking About You" 2022
"Forever Summer" 2021
"Coronaking" 2021
"Salon de coiffure" 2018
"Wake Up" 2017
"Sugah Pop" 2011
Photos
Bio
Slovenian-American Dawn Drake is an active musician in NYC’s eclectic music scene. She is a percussionist, bass player, singer and composer/songwriter who leads the band ZapOte, a “Tropical Pop” ensemble which breaks down cultural barriers incorporating everything from Mountain Funk to Cuban Timba and Brazilian samba into a soul-shaking mix with her original lyrics that focus on love, empathy, environmental, economic, racial, gender and social justice themes and above all: unity.
She studied percussion first in Ghana, then went on to pursue Afro-Cuban batá and conga drumming in Cuba and in NYC, as well as samba percussion in Brazil. She holds a Masters degree in Ethnomusicology and an MFA in Composition and Performance from California Institute of the Arts. Currently, in addition to directing her band ZapOte, she also plays bass and congas with artists from around the globe. Her art focuses on programs that celebrate diversity, global rhythm, youth and women’s empowerment through music.Dawn Drake & ZapOte have performed at The Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the Frauenstimmen Festival in Switzerland, The Belize International Jazz Festival, The US State Department’s Arts Envoy in Belize, the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Concert Series, Riverview Jazz Concert Series and many others. She released her third album called Nightshade in November, 2019. She has released singles and videos as well that you can see at https://www.youtube.com/thedawndrake
Band Members
Links
