ZHU is quite the anomaly right now. His public unveiling was unorthodox, and his branding is unlike any other house artist out right now. But what really makes him a fresh new face is his adoption of house music as a base for his original vocals. House music has been around for a while now, but nobody has really made it as a house artist, and it’s almost certain that nobody is doing it as well as ZHU is currently. Instead of indie music, folk, or soft rock, ZHU has employed dark beats and driving melodies to get his point across. And just as he’s embraced the black and white aesthetic for all of his visual branding, so to is his music stripped of any warmth or color. Nothing in the composition is fluff, and the production walks a fine line between the minimalist and big-room house worlds. “Faded” is his third release, and while he was able to build the most buzz off of his Outkast remix (because everybody is on the Outkast train right now), it’s this original track that will really define him as a musician. The song is bleak to say the least, but you can’t deny his mastery over the music, and with songs like these, you can expect some sold-out shows in the months to come.
ZHU