Posted by Scott Willats
Every day we come across an array of new artists — all vying for our attention, all begging for our ears. It used to be that quality alone would separate you from the pack, but in the world of EDM quality is everywhere. Nowadays you can go to a club and instead of heading home afterward wanting to hear that one great song the DJ played, you’re wanting to hear the entire playlist again. I don’t envy the lot of up-and-coming artists trying to establish themselves — unless they have the creativity of ZHU.
Steven Zhu is a San Fran-born/L.A.-based DJ who is really taking it to the next level. His sound is all over the place — and I mean that as a compliment. He hasn’t locked into a single genre and stayed there. Most artists I get to talk to will say “No, I don’t just play dubstep or electro, I play everything.” Fair enough, but who are you really kidding? This guy, however, can say that honestly, and then deliver the tracks to back up his boast.
Much as I hate making comparisons, his sound is somewhere in the neighbourhood of Porter Robinson, but a little more methodical and more innovative. And in the not too distant future I expect people will be comparing the sounds of the best new artists to ZHU.
Sasha – Cut Me Down (ZHU Remix): LISTEN TO IT HERE
Here’s where it gets good. ZHU has already broken onto dance floors across North America and Europe with his bangers “Cut Me Down” and “Space Junk” (a personal fav). So what’s an artist just coming up to do? How about putting himself to the ultimate test? ZHU’s journey is to create a new song every week of the year. That’s correct — 52 songs in the next 52 weeks. This is a challenge some of the best in the game couldn’t cope with. You’d imagine only an Eric Prydz or Deadmau5 would be up to it. But as you can hear below, ZHU is handling it just right, and almost with an ease.
What I’ve noticed through these first eight weeks is that he seems to be getting better every time out. When you’re in the studio that much, I imagine you get to experiment with a lot of sounds and ideas. This can only make you a better producer — and it looks to be paying off for him. Another thing: though a couple of the tracks have been remixes (good remixes), the majority so far are originals. That is undeniable talent. It’srefreshing and inspiring to see an artist open himself up and be this vulnerable. Just another young talent who’s proving that the world of EDM is in good hands.
The one thing I really want to know is: how’s he gonna come up with names for all these tracks? I struggle just finding titles for my blog posts.
Here they all are so far — his newest, “November,” being a lil bit special!
52 to ZHU (One Track Each Week, For 52 Weeks) – For Everyone: LISTEN HERE
My journey: to keep bpm:tv nation up to date with the hottest sh*t……………….xx
ZHU is a beast!!!