Zeds Dead
| Zeds Dead | |
|---|---|
 Hooks (left) and DC (right) performing as Zeds Dead at the record label Mad Decent's free annual block party at South Street Seaport in Manhattan on July 23, 2011. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Bass music, dubstep, drumstep, drum and bass, electro house, deep house |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Ultra Records, Mad Decent |
| Website |
whoszed |
| Members |
DC Hooks |
Zeds Dead is a Canadian electronic music duo from Toronto, composed of Dylan Mamid, or DC, and Zach Rapp-Rovan, or Hooks. DC and Hooks have been producing music together since 2004, formerly as Mass Productions.[1] In the summer of 2007, they released one hip hop influenced album as Mass Productions, entitled Fresh Beetz, before launching Zeds Dead in 2009.[2]
The duo are currently signed to the record label, Mad Decent, and have released music on several others; much of their music remains bootlegged, unofficially released, or given away as free downloads. Their name "Zeds Dead" is a reference to a scene in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction.
Zeds Dead explores a diverse variety of genres that amalgamate aspects of electro house, hip-hop, glitch, and drum and bass into their largely dubstep platform. Frequent collaborator, rapper Omar Linx, has worked with the duo on several occasions, producing two EPs together as a trio. Zeds Dead tours in extensive fashion and are significant components of the live music and festival circuits. Their Living Dead Tour, which spanned from February to May 2012, included over seventy performances in the United States and Canada alone.[3]
History
Zeds Dead played their first live set at The Social in Toronto on June 11, 2009. In September 2010, they founded a weekly party at the Toronto venue "751", called Bassmentality, alongside The Killabits. Bassmentality, which moved to Wrongbar in November 2010, became renowned for hosting the top international talents, and weekly performances from Zeds Dead and The Killabits. Bassmentality was founded in order to be allowed to play the music they wanted without having limits set by club owners.
Kissy Sell Out has called Zeds Dead "the future of genres...flipping genius",[4] and in November 2010, his label "San City High" released the band's first official single, "Rudeboy". A version of "Rudeboy" featuring vocals from Omar LinX, a Toronto-based rapper who has worked on several of Zeds Dead's releases, was put out in March 2011. Zeds Dead's many productions have garnered millions of views on YouTube, topped the charts on Beatport, and earned them the support of the world's top DJs.
Zeds Dead gained international popularity long before their first official release by offering free downloads of their many productions. They continue to do so today. Their first self-released free song was "Journey of a Lifetime", which was offered to fans as a free download in June 2009. Since Journey of a Lifetime, they have self-released nearly 20 productions at no cost. They are a part of a new generation of artists who continuously release free music to the general public and their fans.
Kissy Sellout and Skream were two of the first to take notice of the duo, featuring their remix of Blue Foundation's "Eyes on Fire"[5] on their radio shows, on BBC Radio 1 and Rinse FM, respectively.[6] Soon after releasing their remix of Eyes on Fire, Zed's Dead linked up with Dragonette for an official remix of their 2010 release, "Volcano".[7] Zeds Dead's original self-released “1975” was featured in GQ Magazine’s 2010 Video Shoot with Russian Supermodel Irina Shayk.[8]
On October 4, 2010, Zeds Dead released "Rumble in the Jungle" on the popular electronic label Mad Decent. It went on to reach #1 on Beatport's breakbeat chart. The B-side of the 2-track EP entitled "Undah Yuh Skirt" features vocals from Jamaican dancehall singer Mavado. Following "Rumble In The Jungle", Zeds Dead released "Ruckus the Jam" on Steve Aoki's LA-based label, Dim Mak. In 2011, Zeds Dead released "Bassmentality" featuring The Killabits, a track made as a tribute to the friends and fans who were involved in their Toronto weekly party of the same name.
Discography
Albums/EPs
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance |
US Indie |
US Heat | ||||||||||||
| Rudeboy |
|
— | — | — | ||||||||||
| Adrenaline |
|
11 | — | 15 | ||||||||||
| Victor EP |
|
— | — | — | ||||||||||
| The Living Dead |
|
— | — | 42 | ||||||||||
| Hot Sauce |
|
13 | 34 | 6 | ||||||||||
| Somewhere Else |
|
|||||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Other Productions/Releases
- Zeds Dead – Journey of a Lifetime
- Barletta – Panther (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Zeds Dead – Summer Grime
- Fenech-Soler – LA Love (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Zeds Dead – Dark Side Dub
- Radiohead – Pyramid Song (Zeds Dead Illuminati Remix)
- Noob & Brodinski – Peanuts Club (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Blue Foundation – Eyes on Fire (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Zeds Dead ft. Omar Linx – Wakeup
- Foo Fighters – The Pretender (Zeds Dead Ruckus Remix)
- Massive Attack – Paradise Circus (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Zeds Dead – Here Comes The Boom
- The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Zeds Dead ft. Omar LinX – Out For Blood
- Zeds Dead – 1975
- Zeds Dead – White Satin
- Zeds Dead – The Twilight Zone
- Jason Falkner – Only You (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Zeds Dead – Coffee Break (samples Aretha Franklin's cover of Dionne Warwick's I Say a Little Prayer)
- Sabi – Wild Heart (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Dragonette – Volcano (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Jeuce – Kiss (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Zeds Dead and the killabits – Bassmentality
- Zeds Dead – Ruckus The Jam
- DJ Vadim & The Electric – Toot Toot (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Sebastien Tellier – Divine (Danger Remix) (Zeds Dead ReRemix)
- The Roots – Dear God 2.0 feat. Monsters of Folk (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Colin Munroe ft. Pusha T- The Fight of My Life (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Household Goods (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Marina and the Diamonds – Lies (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Bon Iver – Woods (Zeds Dead Remix)
- The Prodigy – Breathe (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Zeds Dead – Ratchet
- Zeds Dead – Ratchet (meow version)
- Zeds Dead – By Your Side
- Nina Simone – Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Zeds Dead ft. Memorecks – Jericho
- Zeds Dead x Greta Svabo Bech – Shut Up & Sing V2.0
- Zeds Dead ft. Major Lazer & Elephant Man – Turn Around
- Son Lux – Flickers (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Zeds Dead – Ruckus the Jam
- Zeds Dead – Hadouken
- Broken Bells – Holding On For Life (Zeds Dead Remix)
- Zeds Dead x Hunter Siegel – Loud
- Zeds Dead ft. Twin Shadow & D'Angelo Lacy – Lost You (peaked at #53 on Canadian Hot 100)
- Omar LinX – Dosey Doe (Co-produced with Pro Logic)
- Jack Ü – Take Ü There (feat. Kiesza) – Zeds Dead Remix
- Zeds Dead & Oliver Heldens – You Know
References
- ↑ "Zeds Dead Bio, Music, News & Shows". DJZ.com. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
- ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/Zeds+dead
- ↑ http://www.electrojan.com/news/zeds-dead-announces-the-living-dead-bus-tour-featuring-special-guests-omar-linx-araabmuzik-more
- ↑ http://gottadancedirty.com/2010/09/01/gdd%E2%84%A2-presents-control-at-the-avalon-w-designer-drugs-kissy-sell-out/
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUGzY-ihqWc
- ↑ http://pluggednotthugged.com/blog/2009/11/23/eyes-on-fire-dubstep-remixes/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PluggedNotThugged+%28Plugged+Not+Thugged%29
- ↑ http://neontapedeck.com/?p=1058
- ↑ http://www.gq.com/video/videos/irina-shayk-gq-behind-the-scenes-video