Music
He’s aiming for something dark, immersive, and after-hours…
ZHU does things his own way. The San Francisco Bay Area is a true pop voyager, someone who is building their own digital identity.
It’s now a decade on from his debut album ‘Generationwhy’ and he is showing no sign of slowing down, with new album ‘Black Midas’ out today (April 24th).
The material expands on his electronic pop sound, drifting into late-night reverie while absorbing cinematic textures. You can hear aspects of trip-hop in there, with the murky textures adding something distinctive to the project.
Fusing deep house and crisp, melodic techno into the mix, ‘Black Midas’ is one of his most impactful statements yet. With ZHU set to touch down at London’s Roundhouse on July 18th, CLASH caught up with him to discuss the sounds that informed his new album…
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Portishead – ‘Dummy’
Adrian Utley’s guitar tones on ‘Glory Box’ is probably one of my favourite dark, moody, and groaning sounds on any record. I love how cinematic it is… The vulnerability of Beth’s voice and the combo of the trip hop production… I can listen to over and over again. I was driving a lot when I was making ‘Black Midas’, and a lot of the drives were long night drives, so yeah… Portishead.
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Massive Attack – ‘Mezzanine’
I know my current album is a club record, but I may have to make a trip-hop album next… I would be great at it, since I’ve been bumping Massive Attack for weeks.
Having to record, write, mix, and finish this entire record all out of a moving SPRINTER van, I felt like Bond on a heist… ‘Mezzanine’ definitely added to the feeling of my story.
It allowed me to tap into the melancholy and power at the same time. Angel’s got to be an all time great.
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Sade – ‘Love Deluxe’
I mean, the voice, the groove. This record is as warm as a mother’s hug after a long day. It’s more comforting than a bowl of spicy rigatoni after being trapped in a winter blizzard.
The writing, arrangement, mix is all very simple and elegant. Less is more.
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Faithless – ‘Sunday 8pm’
Dance music rarely tells a story these days. Maxi Jazz has got a message tho. I guess that’s why people don’t really listen to too many electronic albums… Stories have to start coming back into the music for people to care. This album gave me a reason to want to add story to the music. The why. The reason.
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Groove Armada – ‘Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)’
Vibes. Sometimes people don’t need to talk so much. When music has a good groove, people shut the fuck up.
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Photo Credit: Jaxon Whittington
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