An Interview With Zhu, the Rubix Cube of EDM

Not every artist can harness captivation while shrouded in complete mystery; Steven (ZHU) has used creative integrity cloaked by social media's veil, occasionally peering out and revealing, with strict precision, layers of personality within each interview.

His LA Noire-esque album GENERATIONWHY comes as an explicit depiction of society's misuse of fame-driven platforms all while embodying jazzy romanticised turmoil within each track. The sax has become the calling card for ZHU's new textural soundscape, like a scene from Sin City—as the darkened city sleeps the Neon lights will play.

For a producer who's cultivated so much intrigue by simply disappearing, shows he's lightyears ahead on the creative curve. Anonymity has become an emerging trend with artists, from DeadMau5, Marshmello aka (Dot Com) and Golden Features who all utilise masks—ZHU sits poised in the Daft Punk realm, with identities all revealed, the cloak of mystery keeps us gagging for more.

Speaking with ZHU via Skype I got a clear indication of what music means to the Mind of a Genius (signee) along with his humble attitude toward his creation. When asked about his confidence issues with his soulful falsetto range, he said "I never thought I would use my voice as a primary instrument in my music until I had to. From then on, I refined and sharpened my technique. Instrumentally, I get a lot of the vividness from my music, but the vocals add a relatable deepening and rawness to my music."

Darkened truths resonate throughout Steve's sound, though to label what he creates would simplify the body of water he floats in. Salacious sound's with pitched-down vocal lines are one thing, but when it comes to boundaries, he doesn't see any.

As you may have expected, ZHU prefers to talk about songwriting and sound than talk about himself. Anonymity can be a double-edged blade at times but for Steve, he's sharper than ever. His choice to have people focus on his artform rather than assess him on physical appearance was a fleeting strategy at best, mainly rearing its head as a reflection on the music itself as it felt very faceless and mysterious.

His music serves as the perfect balance between dark and mysterious bass sounds. With the ability to teleport his listeners to space poised in time with risqué lyricism, though when asked about the truth to his lyrical prowess it seemed to be sexual fiction.

"A lot of things I experienced in my life are reflected in my music. Part of the creative process is to take those feelings, and create imaginative stories from them. Faded was something that everybody could resonate with, especially in the very simple lines that exist in it."

You can practically feel the neon reflecting off your skin with his new album GENERATIONWHY as the dystopian banger, goes Moulin Rouge and fades to French it's dripping with vivid sex appeal and an eternal search over the 14-track monster. Flexing an undeniable skill for live instrumentals and sample combinations, he "took something that was innately pilfered dance music in clubs and [made] it a little more psychedelic and a lot more open and spiritual."

With the younger generation hungrier than ever for a new visionary, ZHU plays on the importance of musicians today being more than just an artist, with a mission is to bring social culture back from the brink of extinction with a musical focus.

His future GENERATIONWHY documentary reflects the current American culture in a kind of Kubrick, David Lynch way. Poking fun at society's disconnection, darkened by his signature gritty visuals, aimed at the rebirth of society and based on a ZHU story.

There's a sense of disdain towards social media that broods within Steve; Calling me from a remote desert in Santa Fe, he's very in tune with his artform, the thought of the next generation becoming the creative walking dead is enough to put the fear in anyone, though would Steve ever disappear from the media grid entirely?

So If you think he's stepping out from behind the curtain anytime soon, think again. ZHU's a master of deception and king when it comes to cliffhangers, he's the enigma we deserve, so we'll continue to try solve him.

ZHU's GENERATIONWHYis out now.