ZHU Wrote Dreamland 2021 Inside a “Car at a Campsite” in the Middle of the Desert – [READ]

LEGENDARY DJ MAKES LEMONADE FROM LEMONS

Steven Zhu, best known as the enigmatic and all-powerful ZHU, came from humble beginnings. At the ripe age of six, ZHU immigrated from Hangzhou, China to San Francisco’s Bay area. It was in the city of psychedelics, LGBTQ pioneerism, silicone valley’s AI ingenuity, and ABC Family’s Full House that ZHU cultivated his curated sound, his bizarre and unusual downbeats coupled with a warped falsetto that lauded him acclaim.

Crafting a career from autonomy and mystery, ZHU generated his first smash hit Faded in 2014, without so much as a soft introduction, let alone formal handshake. Most people, in fact, were convinced ZHU was an alias for Skrillex, a canard both DJs playfully encouraged and even propagated. ZHU’s laissez faire attitude toward fame was just as refreshing as his sound, and this, at least in ZHU’s eyes, became the fodder for the flames of a monolithic career.

During 2020’s devastating stillness, ZHU found inexorable movement, both literally and artistically. With two of his best buds and band mates, he left the respite of his quarantine nest and traveled into the desert of America, embarking upon a joy ride that would eventually surpass 10,000 miles. Into the desert this caravan, this motley crew, trekked – and the through many live streams, the endless music production, the arid climate and rumbling, tumbling dust bunnies came about the genesis of his most recent full-length album DREAMLAND 2021.

This LP, although undeniably ZHU, embodied the essence of the deserted, the rouge, and dystopian rock n’ roll. With remixes of pejorative rap paired with airy, gossamer vocals, ZHU defended his throne as an ironic, mix-matched mixologist. He was sour and sweet, dark and light, vibey and present, lonely and wild. For the true ZHU fans out there, the whole album sinks into the concept of his underground, rave-speakeasy Blacklizt.

And the secret location of this soiree? A desert road, an intimate crowd, and a complete surrender to abstractions, anti-stillness, and dope beats.

Original Interview credit to MEGAN VENZIN of DJ Mag.