ZUU Music – An Introduction And The Debut EP ‘Sub-Culture’

ZUU Music – London, England, United Kingdom.

Something a bit different from my usual MF material.

ZUU Music is based in London and is the brain child of a certain Mr. Robb Dixon. It is a musical project that not only crosses boundaries but puts a new spin on the world of Electronic Music. The project was first conceived back in the latter part 2014, to combine aspects from varying musical backgrounds. In this case, Rock, Hip-Hop, Gospel, Soul and R’n’B.

Collectively, the finished product of the project can be described as “Loop Based Hip-Hop Electronica”… yep, you heard it here first folks.

To be fair, after listening to the EP, it all makes perfect sense. Mr Dixon went about gathering musicians from these various backgrounds, coupling their collected talents with vintage microphones, studio equipment and ‘old school recording techniques’, to produce a set of Hip-Hop breaks remixed into Electronic Music.

That reminds me of a Pip-Boy. Gold Star.

Robb Dixon himself knows his away around that music business. Before I moved to Bath, I remember watching him atop one of the stages at the Isle Of Wight Festival, playing in a Prog-Metal outfit years back; the man can play guitar.

Since then however, as well as raising this new brain child, he works as a full time audio engineer in both the UK and Europe providing sound services for bands, as well as studio mixes for songwriters, artists, producers and for TV & film.

On that note, we’re going to the ZUU:

Track one is the EP’s title track, so the pressure is already on.

Leaning more towards ZUU’s Hip-Hop affiliation, ‘Subculture’ hits with an almost classic Hip-Hop loop. An arguably Rock-like bass line that had – and indeed – still has got me bobbing along, is your guide. Distorted Dubstep-esque and electronic distortion take the beat for a brief period, before that Hip-Hop vibe, laced with that Rock-like tune returns to take the stage once more.

There is a real back and forth between the Rock/Dance styles in this track, which is only augmented by the vocals, where we are spat fast and urgent words that fit the beat perfectly.

‘Nothin’ But Fix’. A very brief drum-led awakening that had me hooked immediately, but then quickly gives way to another loop-led intro with more Hip-Hop vocals laced over. Now, as much as the previous track had this, the structure is alternated. The vocal sections of the previous were by far within the forefront in their own right, while in track two they take a more merged/middle ground for the most part.

The real appeal with this track is the more electronic direction, which particularly begins to govern towards the end. Not without, I’d like to point out, a Jazz flirtation earlier on and a latter verse-section that acts as a refrain from the rest. It could also act as a refrain in a “dance”-orientated track

Third in the running order, ‘Boom-Trip’, bounds forth on a slowly looming, tribal-esque beat for the majority of the song. A brief vocal-led refrain breaks the song up before an almost euphoric sequence ensues. Images of a dark, strobe-lit, laser filled night club, from a contemporary action thriller come to mind, right before the plot twist or intense fight scene. The slower latter parts play you out once the dust has settled.

The fourth track of the debut is entitled ‘/ɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃəl/ (Existential)’. More strong beats and low basslines in another set of looming/looping sounds would not only suit another film scene, but would clearly be the soundtrack to your latest set of existential thinking. Vocally, it’s more along R’n’B lines folded in with some deep vocal distortions. Much like the other three tracks, the use of real instruments is obvious and adds that “something different” to the music that Electronic music can often leave me pining for.

Finally, ‘The Boss (ZUU Remix)’ is brought in to tie things off and is more evidence of the hard work that has gone into this release and all the musicians involved. Hats off. Hats off indeed.

If you’re interested in the EP and ZUU Music then the following links are all you need:

– ZUU Music’s Facebook page for news and information.

– SoundCloud and bandcamp for all your listening and download needs. The EP is set in a Free/Pay what you want bracket.

– ZUU Music’s Youtube Channel.

– Official Website.

#StayFresh