ZHU's bio could be extremely short and report just a couple of phrases that seem to fully describe this mysterious producer.
Music is faceless. Let my music tell my story.
«Faded» seemingly came out of nowhere. ZHU (pronounced «Zoo») is an anonymous producer from LA. He dropped «Faded» on his Soundcloud page and in less than two weeks reached close to 200,000 spins. Right now it almost reached 3 millions and already achieved Platinum Record status in Australia, #1 iTunes Overall single and #1 Most Shazamed Song. (And the debut album, The Nightday EP, also reached #1 in Australia and #3 Dance in the United States.) «Faded» is a deep, dark house track with haunting vocals, that quickly earworms its way into your subconscious — irreversibly. Pete Tong (together with all the BBC Radio1 crew), The Magician, Skrillex, Dyro are some of the many celebrated victims of «Faded». A lot of theories explaining who is hidden behind this track were made. The certain thing is that we are talking about a guy who is the producer and also the terrific singer of «Faded».
The video has been filmed in the Montemarte districts' subterranean Social Club in Paris and directed and edited by ZHU. It has a lovely monochromatic taste able to capture the right creative vibe of this alluring and irresistible song.
Baby, I'm wasted, all I wanna do is drive home to you. Baby, I'm faded, all I wanna do is take you downtown baby.
It's simply tremendous.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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«You're going to be hearing a lot more from him in 2014» — Pete Tong
«Gunna be biiigggggggg!» — Skrillex
«ZHU is quickly emerging as a rose amongst thorns» — The Guardian
Director – Joshua Osborne
Commissioner – Duncan Murray
Executive Producer – Ben Schneider
Producer – Johnny Griffith
Producer – Tom O’Driscoll
Production Company — Radical Media
Production Assistant — Ester Viana
1st AD – Chris Malin
Runner – Gabriel Brown
Runner – Lewis Osborne
Cast
Tom Misch
Pos — De La Soul
Yussef Dayes — Drums
Isobella Burnham — Bass
Jamie Leeming — Guitar
Sam Wills — Keys
Pippa Melody
Kaidi Akkinibi
Fergie — Engineer
DOP – Diana Olifirova
1st AC – Kate Molins
2nd AC – James Wicks
Steadicam – Josh Brooks
Gaffer – Ben Ransley
Spark – Mark Stewart
Spark – Chris Barber
Art Director – Bon Walsh
Art Assistant – Kerfi Sakari
Art Assistant — James Middleton
Still Photographer — Ryan O'Toole Collett
Stylist – Luci Ellis
Stylist Assistant – Mh’ya Mclean
Make up Artist – Emma Regan
Editor – Hasani Franke @ Work Editorial
Post Producer – Julian Marshall @ Work Editorial
Colourist – Joseph Bicknell @ CHEAT
Online – Doug Haynes @ CHEAT
Post Producer – Franky Chadwick @CHEAT
Sound Designer – Simon Epstein
Studio engineer – Jamie McEvoy
Thanks to:
Take 2, Jason Heritage, Panalux, Kelly Amunsen, CHEAT, Work Editorial, Miloco Studios, Sam Langford, Jamie McEvoy, Cyril Mendel
I love the way it flows, I love the way it grows
There’s something in this sound that takes me far
It’s like a special song, can move my mood along
But I cannot say your here through my guitar
She told me add the bassline, and everything will be alright
She told me that the groove is mine, it will take us through the night
And where I’ll go, can’t explain I’ll never know
But it’s beautiful
CHORUS:
You can’t take this away from me, the way I hear the melody
The waves bring clarity, running through me
You can’t take this away from me, the way I hear the melody
The waves bring clarity, running through me
I love the way it sings, all the joy that it brings
Remember skating down the road towards the park
I can never say no, you with that summer glow
The music gives me sun when winter starts
She told me add the bassline, and everything will be alright
She told me that the beat is mine, it will rock us through the night
And where I’ll go, can’t explain I’ll never know
But it’s beautiful
CHORUS X 2
DE LA SOUL:
Yo, I wear notes like coats, blues like do’s
Warmth and the rhythm, soul that glues
The bounce in my bones, the jazz in my spine
The hop is my home, rap is my grind
I’m grinding on the back side of life, we dance
She threw me a chance, her hands in my pants
Actually my pockets, holding me tight
Whispering a dream I could hold in the night
Blood tight, a rhythm that’s throbbing my vein
Wake up and write it on the pad, the pains
Like church the organ will invite my tears
Like birth, the crying let you know I’m here
Held by the song that gave me a name
Dressed by the verse that gave me a claim
It’s just bass in the line, safe to inhale
And if you live well…
Belong for years in this day you will be
A time is octave to play for the tree
Is rooted in every single nerve in me
The nerve of he, with noise the key
In music that opens the mind to be free
Whenever you’re hot headed ?? you a breeze
Beneath the clouds you allowed to see in clarity through harmony
Someone harming me – that won’t be done
I stand protected by the laws of fun
And am perfected through the rhymes of run
Walk it this way and leave the party stunned
This music, it launched me
With no aim, I’ve landed
On some plain
Where I am I can’t explain, I never know but it’s beautiful so