"Let Me Live My Life, Let Me Live My Life"

Is it me or does ZHU and Tame Impala's new one sound a lot like deadmau5's Strobe? Given, Strobe is one of those DaVinci type, EDM classics that can't really be recreated, but boy does My Life channel it's vibe. Those vibrant, airy chords are equal parts vibrant and relaxing, which isn't an easy mood to produce. Tame Impala's quiet, melodic vocals provide just enough of a soothing compliment to the rhythmic chill emanating from the speakers. When the beat layers on top of the synth progression, that's when the track kicks into whole new level of awesomeness. Oh and just in case you forgot, ZHU also does vocals too, but you'll need to wait until after the four minute mark to get a taste of his ad libs. Given the 5 minute length and similarities to one of my favorite electronic tracks of all time, there's very little worry about the replay value of the on below...#MyLife



ZHU & Tame Impala - My Life

Another Heavyweight OWSLA Collabo in the Books

I've learned to have high expectations every time I open up a new package from anyone in the OWSLA crew. It's widely known what ZHU's capabilities are as an artist, but I'm only beginning to warm up to the talents of Ekali. His loud, excitable style wouldn't seem to mix with ZHU's calm, deep house vibe, but Blame proves all that wrong. You'll get all the ZHU falsetto you can handle in between twinkling synths and rugged drops. It's a fun mix of styles that will stretch and pull at what you'd normally expect from ZHU. Cop it on iTunes or Spotify if you're into the clash of styles as I am...#Blame

Ekali & ZHU - Blame

Videos of the Week November 10th

Plenty of ComplexCon related videos to dive into for this week's top five. Without a doubt the most interesting video of the past week was the Kobe Bryant and Kendrick Lamar co-interview. It's not everyday you get two superstars from two different types of entertainment in the same room reflecting on how they each rose to greatness. Speaking of greatness, it's refreshing to see N.E.R.D. back onstage pumping out new music. I don't need to sell you on Pharrell's stage presence, but how about that ensemble of dancers on stage? Let's just say whoever decides to see them in concert will be getting the price of admission.

In case you haven't gotten your weekly mix of Dillon Francis, here's your shot at seeing him candidly answer questions submitted from Twitter. There's a reason why he's been given reality shows, even the most simple question can elicit the most interesting responses. This interview did not disappoint and there are plenty of stories to latch onto during the interview hosted by Wired. In case you're itching for an actual music video, ZHU's new Exhale/Stardust video is a characteristically weird watch. Truth be told he's a weird, artistic dude and that shows through in his cinematography too. Rounding out this week's top five is deadmau5's entertaining Aftermovie for his Red Rocks show. In case you weren't in attendance at the show, he debuted a couple tracks and can now preview them via the video. There simply isn't a better venue to take in music and that after movie further cemented that...#RedRocksCO

Kendrick Lamar & Kobe Bryant Talk About Their Evolution to Greatness at ComplexCon 2017

N.E.R.D Perform at ComplexCon

Dillon Francis Answers Twitter Questions From Wired

ZHU - Exhale/Stardust (Video)

deadmau5 Red Rocks After Movie

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week October 20th

Bit of a slow week for videos, but that didn't stop the top five from rolling along. Rather than post the usual suspects, I went a little off script this week including the likes of Thundercat's Tiny Desk bass brilliance and a long form interview of Chance the Rapper's manager Pat Corcoran. There's a whole lot of soul baked into Thundercat's music and that fact was on full display with his stripped down performance at NPR. If you haven't read up on Chance's unique come up that has defied traditional super stardom in music, there's plenty to unpack in the hour long interview detailing how it all went down.

In the latest example of music, culture, and brands mixing, look no further than ZHU's collabo with Adidas. I will admit, as long as it results in new music, you can try and sell me anything you want to attach to it. If some real music videos is what you're after, I've got an EDM and Hip Hop favorite for the week. Afrojack and Hardwell need no introduction and their latest video shows how much fun they're capable of having on stage and on tour together. Man being a DJ sure seems like a fun occupation. Don't leave out Hip Hop, though, there are plenty of perks to being able to flow on the mic. I've been listening to Redman and Method Man for the greater part of two decades now and it's refreshing to know they haven't lost a step over the years. If Time is Money is about as dope as it gets from Red and Meth...#WuTang

Thundercat Performs at NPR's Tiny Desk

Chance the Rapper's Manager (Pat Corcoran) Speaks on Chance's Come Up

ZHU - Waters of Monaco (Adidas Campaign Video)

Afrojack & Hardwell feat MC Ambush - Hands Up (Video)

Wu-Tang - If Time is Money (Fly Navigation) (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

"I'ma Rebel Just for Kicks, Now I Been Feelin it Since 1966"

Full disclosure, until ZHU remixed Feel It Still, I had never heard of Portugal, The Man. Aside from the interesting stage name, the five member rock band from Alaska have a fun Indie vibe to their music. No idea what their music sounds like? Press play below...



There's a unique, swanky, smoothness that is half funk, half jazz. After hearing the original vocals on Feel It Still, it's not hard to understand why ZHU would want to remix it. The high pitched tone of John Baldwin Gourley's high pitched vocals sounds strikingly similar to ZHU. He's proven to be a master at speeding up and slightly altering the vocals into samples, so he was quite at home adding a deep house backbone to the original. Picture the addictive vocals of the original given a brand new lease on life with an uptick in tempo. Hat tip to ZHU for providing the intro to Portugal and for translating the track to a whole new EDM audience...#FeelItStill

Portugal, The Man - Feel It Still (ZHU Remix)

ZHU and Nero Will See You in Their Dreams

😳 <--- being able to press play on brand new ZHU and Nero collabo. Both are overlords of the dark, haunting synths, which make their styles a match made in heaven. The only thing more perfect might have been releasing their new track, Dreams, on Halloween.

Timing aside, the track is as aggro as you would have imagined. Armed with a repetitive, trudging beat, ZHU added enough falsetto to keep it from getting too monotonous. The track is being released as part of ZHU's newly released four song stardustexhalemarrakechdreams EP and it coincides with the release/rebranding of the electroNOW playlist that will now be known as mint. It's another creative, buzzy release from one of the most mysterious artists in EDM. I for one am now a follower of the mint playlist, so feel free and join me if you've done enough circles around GWDJ Favorites...#Dreams


ZHU feat Nero - Dreams

Gorillaz x ZHU Works Like a Charm

Lately, Gorillaz have been killing it. They did everything they could to drum up excitement for months leading the release of new music and since then they've withstood all that hype by continuing to release exciting music. Adding to all that hype are artist like ZHU who took a recent release of theirs and flipped it into his own dark, deep house concoction. The original version of Andromeda features everyone's new favorite rapper D.R.A.M. and is memorable because of its theatrical, stop and go pace.

What I like most about ZHU's remix of the original is how well he amplified the "where it all goes down" vocal sample over his own beat. I didn't realize how awesome the original sample was until ZHU repeated it a few times and put it over his own beat. It's a testament to his ability to take great music and truly put his own mark on it by translating it to his own style. I probably don't need to tell you this if you're a Gorillaz fan, but they recently put out another new single with Rag‘n’Bone Man, Zebra Katz, and RAY BLK. Like much of their new music, The Apprentice an interesting concoction of styles all wrapped up in one track. Their new album, Humanz, will be dropping this Friday, so cheers to getting to unwrap that end of week present...#Humanz



Gorillaz feat D.R.A.M. - Andromeda (ZHU Remix)

"Nightcrawler, is this the Death of Me?"

If you've been following ZHU lately then you probably heard about the not-so-subtle shot he took at the top DJs last week. The shade ZHU threw was directed at the list of DJs below in a dark, hype video his posted to Instagram for his new track below, Nightcrawler...



Subliminal shots aside, the track is as bouncy and deep as you'd expect from ZHU. His distinct, falsetto vocals work to undermine the creepiness of the lyrics, but the rolling deep house vibe is impossible to ignore. It's a forceful track that's destined to ignite clubs around the world. If you're biting on the track, you may want to opt-in on becoming part of The Blacklizt. No idea what that really means, it could be a tour, album, or even a cult. Even though I just openly speculated, it's not really my place to guess, I'm here to report on music that moves me. Needless to say, the plot thickens and there will be plenty more to sink your teeth into as he takes the EDM world head on...#Nightcrawler

ZHU - Nightcrawler

"Aint' Nothing Like My Hometown Girl"

When I choose to write about a track it's generally because it made me feel something. Since I'm not one to spread negativity, you're used to me gushing positively about tracks. Whether it's excitement, happiness, or a sense of chill, there are plenty of ways to tug on my heart strings.

In ZHU's case on Hometown Girl, it's without a doubt nostalgia. Everyone had that certain high school sweet heart or summer vacation town chick (or dude) that they would always go to for comfort. Take comfort whatever direction you want, but there's something about ZHU's smooth vocals over deep house rhythms that amplify the memories for me. It's truly an ode to that steady person you have in your life who you grew up with and I'm here writing because it made me immediately think of that person and re-live those memories. Despite the fact that this song has been out since July and that likelihood that you've already done a few laps around Generationwhy, the lyric video was released this week, which is what prompted the post. While you're at it, iTunes or Spotify if you feel so inclined...#HometownGirl



ZHU - Hometown Girl

Videos of the Week October 21st

In what can only be described as a rare week, this week's top five was dominated by music videos. With all the politics and subsequent late night comedy, you'd think that there would be more opportunity to blast the candidates. Yet, we're all probably so tone def to the madness that the numbness paved the way for music videos to step into the spotlight this week.

Even though all five are music videos, only two of the five I'd characterize as traditional music videos. Led by Pharrell's favorite up and comer Maggie Rogers debut single and Dillon Francis/Will Heard's strange new video for Anywhere, there was plenty of personality in the mix. That's when it all started drifting off the usual path. Porter Robinson and Madeon put together an Anime video for Shelter, which isn't really my thing, but you mind find it interesting. Then they was ZHU's eleven minute short film themed off his latest Generation Why? album. It truly does profile as more of a movie than a music video that made for more of an interesting watch. And then Chance the Rapper came through with the most unique video of the week. Shot completely on an iPhone, he and his cousin Nicole came through with a really solid video for How Great. My guess is many more people will follow suit on his homemade approach, but I really doubt they'll be able to match the energy that he and Jay Electronica brought to the shoot...#HowGreat
Maggie Rogers - Alaska (Video)

Dillon Francis feat Will Heard - Anywhere (Video)

Porter Robinson & Madeon - Shelter (Anime Video)

ZHU - Generation Why (Short Film)

Chance the Rapper feat Jay Electronica, and Francis & The Lights - How Great (Video)

#HowGreat Official Video featuring my cousin Nicole. Shot on iPhone. Lock yo screen pic.twitter.com/KqDy5hqv68

— Lil Chano From 79th (@chancetherapper) October 20, 2016

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week September 2nd

Keeping it 100, this was one of the tougher weeks to narrow down a top five videos list. That was mostly there were so many stellar performances at MTV's Video Music Awards (VMAs). There were many more performances deserving to be posted like Rihanna and Ariana Grande's, but my personal favorites were The Chainsmokers/Halsey and Britney Spears/G-Eazy. Chalked full of sexual tension and energy, there were a lot of similarities between the two that made them an entertaining watch. Can we give it up for minute for Drew of The Chainsmokers for his effort as a vocalist? At this point, it's abundantly clear that there is little the duo can't accomplish.

In the land of real music videos, Lupe Fiasco was a clear standout with his video for Pick Up the Phone. The song was already powerful, but when you add visuals to it, the story gets even more vivid. Addiction is a terrible thing and the video shows exactly why it can be such a sad story. If you've been itching for some new Kygo, I don't have anything fresh to offer except that he's got a new clothing line called Kygo Life now. For the debut of the clothing line, he put on a fifteen minute, piano only concert where he weaved in and out of many of your favorite instrumentals from his new album. I almost list my sh*t when he led off with my personal favorite, Piano Jam. And rounding out the stacked top five was a really in-depth deconstruction of Kanye's vocals by Vox. As someone who loves the in-between the lines stuff, I ate up all nine minutes worth of that. Hate on him if you will, but there's plenty of craft to what he does...#Kanye
The Chainsmokers and Halsey Perform Closer at the VMAs

Britney Spears & G-Eazy Perform Make Me Move and Me, Myself, and I at The VMAs

Lupe Fiasco - Pick Up the Phone (Video)

Kygo Performs Solo on Piano to Launch His Own Clothing Line

Kanye Deconstructed: The Human Voice as the Ultimate Instrument (by Vox)

Video Credit: YouTube

ZHU Has Us All Eating Out of the Palm of His Hand

When it comes to Deep House, you'd be hard pressed to find an artist better than ZHU. Sure, his mysterious persona adds to the intrigue, but the dude makes some sexy music. Take for example his new one, Palm of My Hand. It has a full minute and 40 second whiny guitar lead in that will leave you wondering where the hell the song is going. Then, the groovy, addicting baseline drops in around the two minute and 15 second mark and all is well with the world. It's another lounge quality single that will be landing on his upcoming Generationwhy album making its digital landing on July 29th. If you speak French, you're probably pretty bummed out by the sad outro. Something about it being delivered in French makes it all the more loathsome. Still, can't hate on it one bit for being another reason to hop on the ZHU bandwagon...#PalmOfMyHand

ZHU - Palm of My Hand

ZHU & Kaskade Save Their Best for the Morning

It may be a subtle difference, but remixing and re-imagining a track can be two different things. Call it semantics, but in my eyes, ZHU and Kaskade didn't just remix the original version of ZHU's In the Morning. To understand what I mean, here's the original version of In the Morning...

ZHU - In the Morning


Above, the original takes on a bubbly, Deep House feel. The quirky samples give it an outer space type of vibe. Even though the remix (below) has the same vocals and a similar Deep House vibe, the addition of acoustic guitar to the equation completely changes the personality of the track. Where the original was very dance-worthy, the remix takes on a much more mellow, easy-listening feel. It's a rare case where you could make a legitimate case for either being more awesome than the other depending on mood. It's a toss up for me, but if push came to shove, I'd give the smoother remix the nod if you forced me to pick...#InTheMorning

Videos of the Week November 13th

Let's call this week's top five an entertaining variety show. Led by Hannibal Burress's Hip Hop/politics commentary and Nick Offerman's interesting culinary choices for the fall, there's plenty of funny in the mix. If you're looking for art and creativity alongside some dope beats, ZHU/Skrillex and Kill the Noise have you covered. The claymation creation of Donald Trump's limitless greed was a fun watch if you're into pointed satire. Closing out the week on a huge high note was Missy Elliot's comeback single WTF (Where They From). No matter how much time goes by, Missy is always going to be able to create music that inspires people to shake that booty...#WhereTheyFrom
Hannibal Burress Matches Up Presidential Candidates with Rappers

ZHU x Skrillex x THEY. - Working For It

Nick Offerman Offering Up His Top Fatty Dishes for the Fall

Kill the Noise - Kill it 4 the Kids (Video)

Missy Elliot feat Pharrell- Where They From (WTF) (Video)

Photo Credit: YouTube

Videos of the Week October 16th

There were a few live performances that stood out in this week's top five. The first two having to do with The Weeknd's visit to SNL. He's been one act that has alluded me in a live setting, so seeing him on SNL was pretty cool. I'm really digging both of his remixes for The Hills and seeing Nicki's dramatic performance was icing on the cake.

In other live performances, Pharrell got everyone and their mom singing along with his performance of Freedom on the Ellen Show, which was cool to see. The mystical ZHU also released some shocking new visuals for Automatic. I won't spoil the plot, but let's just say, I definitely did not see it ending the way it did. And last, but definitely not least, the fake Barack Obama spoof of Trump using Drake's Back to Back beat delivered a nice climax to an eventful week of videos. Much love to the authentic Barack delivery and on point lyrics...#BacktoBack
The Weeknd feat Nicki Minaj - The Hills (Live on SNL)

The Weeknd - I Can't Feel My Face (Live on SNL)

ZHU feat AlunaGeorge - Automatic (Video)

Pharrell Performs Freedom on Ellen

Barack Obama Back to Back (Drake Spoof)

Photo Credit: YouTube

Old Skool Hip Hop Meets New School House

Suffice to say, there's a growing thirst for anything ZHU's name is attached to. His brand of funky House music is like none other and has continued to captivate listeners for the better part of a year. This time he hooked up with Trombone Shorty and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony...yes, that same Bone Thugs we all loved back in the 90s. Interesting doesn't begin to scratch the surface when considering how random and awesome a collaboration like this could be.

It's as Deep House as you'd expect from ZHU, yet both Krayzie Bone and Bizzy Bone felt right at home over the wobbly bassline. I don't know much about Trombone Shorty, but I'm going to assume it was him on horns throughout the track. Hold Up Wait a Minute is the epitome of lounge music and I love that it pulls in a wide range of contributions you wouldn't expect would sound good. If you're like me, you're itching for that Skrillex collabo to drop. Although it's only a seven song EP and we've already heard four tracks, it still feels like we have so much to look forward to...#GenesisSeries

ZHU & Bone Thugs-N-Harmony & Trombone Shorty - Hold Up Wait A Minute

"No One Can Love Me Like You Do, It's Automatic"

Just in case you weren't already intrigued by the mythical being that goes by the name of ZHU, here's a fresh new reason to pique your curiosity. The track already had enough hype leading up to its release, but having BBC Radio 1 premiere it tonight too the hype to another level. It helps that Automatic features UK's own AlunaGeorge, but in all honesty, it didn't need any hometown love to jettison the new single to success.

If you're a fan of ZHU's swanky, womp womp sound with sultry vocals, this will resonate with you. The low pitched vocal samples serve as a watermark on ZHU's sound and Aluna's soothing high-pitched vocals contrast well. My favorite part of the track was the beat break down around the three minute mark that was highlighted by a saxy ride out. Word has it this will be one of many tracks released by ZHU as part of his Genesis Series. It will feature the likes of Skrillex, Bone Thugs and A-Trak, so feel free and hop on the excited bus and keep F5ing the internet until a release date is posted...#Automatic

Zhu feat AlunaGeorge - Automatic

DJ Snake & DJ Mustard Get Extra Faded

You ever have one of those weird occurrences where you have two friends who hang out in different circles from each other, yet one day you find out that they were friends before you knew either of them? That's what I feel like tonight as I listen to DJ Snake & DJ Mustard's hard hitting remix of ZHU's Faded. Prior to this remix, who would have thought that they would ever collaborate?

Last April, I posted ZHU's Faded and it seems like ever since then he's been a shooting star. In support of ZHU's grammy nomination, Snake and Mustard gave the funky original a snap and trap makeover. The resulting sound is heavy, grimy and will give your speakers a workout. Chalk this one up to the rare occurrence when two great producers actually manage to craft a remix that is just as good as the original...#Faded2

DJ Snake & DJ Mustard - Faded 2.0

"Tell Me I'm Awake, Paradise Awaits"

As the anticipation for a full length debut album from ZHU continues to build, I continue to wonder exactly what we're going to get. I say that not because of the mystique surrounding ZHU's identity, but because I am genuinely interested in the direction he's is capable of expanding EDM. Clearly, he's got a lot of Hip Hop influence and that was further confirmed by the recently released remix of his own track Paradise Awaits. Check the original below for reference...

Where the original is bubbly and upbeat, led by ZHU's falsetto vocals, the remix takes on a completely different stance. The verse by DC's own Goldlink sets the tone on the noticeably deeper, funk filled Part 2. The song as a whole is a harbinger of great things to come in my eyes. All these 20-30 somethings who grew up with Hip Hop in the 90s need a grown and sexy segue to something more easy listening and funky. When I think of what that means, I envision something like what you hear below. I know one thing is for sure, I will be a happy camper if ZHU is able to put together an entire album of stuff sounding just like this...#ParadiseAwaits

ZHU feat Goldlink - Paradise Awaits (Part 2)

Not Just Friends, Superfriends

Here’s another track that I ‘ve really grown to love over the past month and just haven’t gotten around to posting. I’ve waxed poetic a few times about ZHU’s uniquely awesome mix of funk and EDM and I can think of no better case in point than Superfriends. It has a few edgy screwed up Hip Hop samples sprinkled throughout with the high pitched vocals we’ve come to expect from ZHU tracks.

I’d liken the track to San Francisco weather. It may start out sounding like an upbeat dance track, then ten seconds later it sounds like a Hip Hop track. But then a little later it adds in an intriguing chord progression, followed by more Hip Hop and finishing with a calmingly refreshing percussion led fade out. In other words, you can go a few seconds (blocks) and have a completely different sound (weather). Semi-confusing analogy aside, if you haven’t checked out ZHU’s debut EP, you’re missing the bus…#NightdayEP

ZHU - Superfriends