ALMOST ten years on from the release of their debut album, Northern Lights, Canadian electronic music duo Zeds Dead are back with their new long-player, Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness.
As pioneers in the bass music scene, the pair – Dylan “DC”; Mamid and Zachary “Hooks”; RappRovan – are known for their genre-blurring productions and immersive live shows.
Given the long wait for the new album, fans can be forgiven for wondering why Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness took so long to materialise.
The duo explains that while the album was always in the background, they were consistently working on other projects.
“It wasn’t supposed to take this long! It’s hard to say why, but I think we were content with putting out other projects, singles, and remixes until we hit a point where we knew it had been long enough,” they share.
“There were other iterations of albums, but they would eventually just come out as other projects or be scrapped. Touring also takes a lot of our energy, and some of our shows, like our two nights at Red Rocks in Colorado every year, are like albums in and of themselves.”
ZEDS DEAD – RETURN TO THE SPECTRUM OF INTERGALACTIC HAPPINESS: THE MOVIE
Despite working together for years, Zeds Dead still find ways to keep their creative partnership fresh. “It’s still fun,” they say simply.
“We just enjoy making music and trying to turn our ideas into fully realized pieces. The challenge is realizing the potential of good ideas a lot of the time. Sometimes the challenge is having good ideas, but either way, the challenges keep things interesting.”
The album’s intriguing title was inspired by a dream, though the details remain mysterious.
“I don’t remember anything else about the dream except that the phrase came to me at the end of the dream before I woke up,” Dylan recalls.
“The voice said it in a deep, ominous tone—like God in a movie. I didn’t see who said it.”
Zeds Dead have always incorporated cinematic elements into their music, with influences spanning multiple genres and eras.
Even their band name, Zeds Dead was inspired by one of cinemas most iconic films, Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.
On this album, they drew inspiration from iconic artists like Pink Floyd and DJ Shadow.
“There’s so many inspirations, but off the top of my head, we’d say Dark Side of the Moon and Endtroducing.”
The album also embraces a TV-like theme, reflecting a fragmented, ever-changing sonic journey.
“We made songs, finished them, then remixed them, and remixed them again,” they explain.
“Some songs went through so many different ideas before arriving at a place that sounded like it worked with the theme. It had to sound kind of messed up, like a TV receiving a bad signal at times.”
There’s no doubt the new album invites the listener to go on the journey with them, in the same way that albums used to be received instead of just cherry picking favourite tracks.
With streaming services dominating the music industry, Zeds Dead acknowledge how the listening experience has shifted.
“When I was growing up, you’d play an album again and again because you didn’t have access to everything all the time,” they reflect.
“Songs would grow on you that you didn’t love at first. We wanted to make an album like the ones we used to listen to front to back.”
Sampling has always been integral to their music, but in recent years, the challenges of sample clearance made them more cautious. However, for this album, they embraced a more freewheeling approach.
“We just said, ‘Let’s do whatever we feel and try to clear them if they end up in the song.’ We were luckily able to clear them all, but it was right down to the wire with some.”
Zeds Dead’s devoted fanbase plays a significant role in shaping their musical journey.
“We are very blessed to have such an amazing group of people that support us. The passion they have for our music and shows further pushes us to make the best experiences we can for them.”
Beyond the festival stages, Zeds Dead also value intimate club spaces, acknowledging their crucial role in nurturing emerging talent.
“The small venues are incredibly important to music scenes,” they emphasize.
“We got our start at a very small venue called 751 in the basement. They let us and The Killabits throw our party there every other Wednesday, and we sort of created our own scene. It’s in the small venues where new things happen.”
As Zeds Dead continue pushing musical boundaries, Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness serves as a testament to their evolving artistry and is crafted for both longtime fans but also for new listeners who are ready to take a trip with them on this new cinematic, sonic journey.
