Zeds Dead’s Debut Album ‘Northern Lights’ Gets 10th Anniversary Vinyl Reissue
The release is part of a series of celebrations marking a decade of the bass music group’s record label Deadbeats.
A decade ago, Zeds Dead launched their own record label, Deadbeats, with a single called “Back Home” featuring Freddie Gibbs. Before 2016 was out, they’d made their official debut album Northern Lights the label’s first full-length release. Now, as part of a series of celebrations marking a decade of Deadbeats, a 10th anniversary vinyl reissue of the album is on the way.
Northern Lights showcased Zeds Dead’s prowess with a wide range of bass music and beyond, merging dubstep, house, electro, and more into sonic experience as vivid as the visual phenomenon that gives the album its name. It did so with assists from an impressive list of collaborators from across the music world. The album’s versatility is demonstrated by “Too Young,” an EDM-era piano-pop song that brings together Clipse’s Pusha T and Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo. Other guests on the tracklist include Diplo, Jadakiss, Styles P, Twin Shadow, Ghetts, Elliphant, Dragonette, and more.
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“The album as a whole is a work of art, filled with fresh and original sounds that take the listener on a journey from the first song to the very last note,” raved KRUI in a review of Northern Lights. The release marked Zeds Dead’s plunge into album-length statements following years of audience-building via touring and shorter releases. Starting with a flurry of standalone remixes and originals in 2009 and 2010, the Toronto-based duo of DC (Dylan Mamid) and Hooks (Zachary Rapp-Rovan) carved out a wildly successful career in electronic music. That reputation was further solidified by the establishment of Deadbeats, which has become an institution in its own right.
“It’s just an expansion of the Zeds Dead world really,” DC said of the Deadbeats launch in a 2016 Billboard interview. “Zach does graffiti, so we want to expand that. We’ve known a lot of good producers and artists over the years, and this is a way we can work with them more and support them, just have a bigger total community.”
Shop the 10th anniversary of Zeds Dead’s Northern Lights here.
