Zeds Dead Reflect On HARD Summer & Look Forward To Their Deadbeats Tour [Interview]

Zeds Dead have been a staple in dance music for nearly the past decade. The duo of DC and Hooks has traveled far and wide and presented their sound to hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, worldwide. However, perhaps I’m biased, but it’s always in Los Angeles that I feel they’re most at home.

They played HARD Summer a couple weeks ago, putting on one of the best sets of the entire festival. And even though their set was cut short due to a strict cut off time, fans kept screaming for more.

Now, Zeds Dead are set to embark on a tour of massive proportions with their newly minted Deadbeats tour where they’ll be joined by Anna Lunoe, Bleep Bloop, Camo & Krooked, Borgore, Champagne Drip, Ookay (Live), Pham, Space Jesus, GG Magree, Kayzo, Ghastly, Eprom, G Jones, Grandtheft, K?d, Mija, Habstrakt, Hunter Siegel, Rezz, Slander… we could go on.

We caught up with Zeds Dead to ask about the tour, the label, and HARD. Check it out below, and listen to their latest single with Illenium below.

First off, your set at HARD Summer was absolutely legendary. How did you feel about them cutting the sound right at 11?

ZD: Hard was amazing. Even without getting to play the drop of our last song it was still our favorite set we’ve played at that festival in all the years we’ve been coming there. It was great to be able to close the harder stage.

Next up for you guys will be a massive Deadbeats tour with a bunch of friends. How do you coordinate that many artists at once into a cohesive tour?

ZD: It’s a real team effort. Gotta give it to our agent Cody for being very dedicated (Deadicated) to making it the best tour and lineup it could be and we’re super happy with how it’s turned out.

What is the essence of Deadbeats? What’s it all about?

ZD: Well in a sense it’s about taking the word and making it a positive. Not to reward laziness or being irresponsible but to show that you can be successful and happy even if you’re going against the status quo. When you’re persuing your dreams people often don’t understand and may see you as a failure or a “deadbeat” so we’re kind of embracing the word in a good way. When I was doing graffiti and getting arrested and making music in my parents basement a lot of people thought I would never get anywhere but if you have passion and perseverance you will succeed.

Will there be a custom stage production for the tour, or is it just about showcasing friends and their talent?

ZD: There will be but it’s definitely about showcasing all the artists individually too.

Most of the tour consists of fellow EDM acts, from new to veteran, from house to drum n bass. But one name sticks out: Ghostface Killah. How did his participation come about?

ZD:Hip hop, especially from the 90s is a big part of who we are and we want to represent that with these parties.

As for your own music, you just released “Where The Wild Things Are” with Illenium, your first track since Northern Lights came out last year. What’s next? A new EP or are you focusing on singles for now?

ZD: We’re working on a lot of new music and collaborating with some great artists, very excited to show you what we have in the works.