Essential Mix Review: Zeds Dead travel through bass music, showcase talent in and out of studioEssential Mi Review Zeds Dead

Essential Mix Review: Zeds Dead travel through bass music, showcase talent in and out of studio

BBC Radio 1‘s infamous Essential Mix will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year and with several stellar mixes already in the books for 2013, it should shape up to be one of the best years yet. Host and curator, Pete Tong, continually brings on up-and-coming acts as well as industry phenomenons to interject their sound into one of the world’s most legendary radioshows — this week Zeds Dead took the honors.

The Canadian duo took the spotlight for what was the first heavily dubstep-influenced Essential Mix of the year. Tong introduced DC and Hooks with a cut from their namesake Pulp Fiction before the two producers dove in with their hard-hitting bass-heavy productions. Mixing in already popular tracks, remixes and unheard outputs, the two producers gave listeners worldwide a plethora of productions, mainly their own, to blowout the subs on their speakers.

Starting off with the deep sounds of dubstep in the first hour of their set, Zeds Dead worked in originals like “White Satin” before paying homage to dubstep OG Skream with “Dutch Flowerz.” With remixes of Prodigy’s “Breathe” and T.E.E.D’s “Household Goods,” the two showcase their growth as producers over the last four years, while staying true to their love for sub bass.

Working in many cuts from their Omar LinX collaboration, Victor, in the second hour, Zeds Dead showed their ability to create melodic bass music with power. Soon after, the duo moved into their experimentation of trap, “Ratchet,” before letting DJ Shadow’s “Midnight In A Perfect World” slow down the tempo. Mixing in short snippets as they moved into their remix of The Roots’ “Dear God,” the boys maintained a mellow mood before unleashing growling bass to finish the last 20 minutes of their set.

The jabbing sounds of drum & bass helped close Zed Dead’s storyline of bass music, giving listeners speaker shattering bass saturated with original material. The pair finished off the set with their most quick-hitting beats heard yet before toning it down once more with the Gorillaz’s “Tomorrow Comes Today.” An unreleased remix of the slow-building Son Lux’ “Flickers” provided a grand finale as  Zeds Dead highlighted their ability to create hard style bass music as well as harmonious soundscapes with this week’s Essential Mix.

Editors’ Note: If you’re into Zeds Dead’s Essential Mix, claim their free download, “Ratchet,” to celebrate 400,000 Facebook fans.

Zeds Dead – Ratchet

Tracklist:

Zeds Dead – Slow – U – WL
Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter (Zeds Dead Remix) – WL
Memorecks – Trouble – U – WL
Zeds Dead and Memorecks – Love Me – U – WL
Sublime – Doin Time (Zeds Dead Remix VIP) – WL
Zeds Dead – Monkey – U – WL
Zeds Dead – White Satin – WL
Massive Attack – Paradise Circus (Zeds Dead Remix) – WL
TEED – Household Goods (Zeds Dead Remix) – Greco Roman
Zeds Dead – Dimention – U – WL
Portishead – Only You – Go!  Beat
Zeds Dead – Back Home – U – WL
Breakage ft. Newham Generals – Hard – Digital Soundboy
Al Green – Simply Beautiful (George Lenton Remix) – WL
Zeds Dead – Womb – U – WL
Skream – Dutch Flowers  – Tempa
Zeds Dead – Rave – Mad Decent
Zeds Dead – Rumble In The Jungle – Mad Decent
Zinc – Nexx – Bingo Beats
Radiohead – Everything In Its Right Place (Gigamesh & Discotech Remix) – WL
Sam Obernik, Tradelove – Bette Davis Eyes (Club Mix) – LoudBit
Deds Dead – Ruckus The Jam – Dim Mak
Zeds Dead and Omar Linx – Cowboy (Torro Torro Remix) – Ultra
Zeds Dead – 1975
Justice  Phantom pt. 2 (Soulwax Remix) – Because Music/Ed Banger Records
Zeds Dead – Demons – Mad Decent
Incredible Bongo Band – Apache – Mr Bongo/MGM Records
Brother to Brother – In The Bottle – Turbo Records
The Prodigy – Breathe (Zeds Dead Remix) – XL
Proxy – Dance in Dark – Dim Mak
The Bug – Skeng ft. Flowdan – Ninja Tune
Marina and the Diamonds – Lies (Zeds Dead Remix)
Zeds Dead – Trouble – Mad Decent
Zeds Dead – Rudeboy – San City High
Jason Falkner – Only You (Zeds Dead Remix) – WL
Zeds Dead – Purple Galaxy – U – WL
Chase and Status – Saxon – Ram
Zeds Dead – Twilight Zone – WL
Zeds Dead – Oh No – Inspected
Zeds Dead – Hit Me – Inspected
Zeds Dead – Adrenaline VIP – Inspected
Zeds Dead – Playa – Mad Decent
Rusko – Hold On ft. Amber Coffman – Mad Decent
Colin Munroe – Fight of My Life (Zeds Dead Remix)
Zeds Dead and Omar LinX – Crank – Ultra
Blue Foundation – Eyes On Fire (Zeds Dead Remix) – Ministry of Sound
Zeds Dead and Omar LinX – You and I – Jeffrees
Zeds Dead – By Your Side – U – WL
Bon Iver – Woods (Zeds Dead Remix) – WL
Zeds Dead – Coffee Break – WL
DJ Vadim and The Electric – Toot Toot (Zeds Dead Remix)
Zeds Dead – Ratchet – WL
Zeds Dead and Omar LinX – Out For Blood – WL
Sebastien Tellier – DIvine (Danger Remix) (Zeds Dead re Remix)
DJ Shadow – Midnight in A Perfect World – Mowax
RJD2 – Work – Definitive Jux
Zeds Dead – Nostalgia – U – WL
The Roots and Monsters Of Folk – Dear God (Zeds Dead Remix) – WL
Calyx – Give Myself To You – Moving Shadow
Pendulum – Masochist –
Nina Simone – Don’t Let Me Be Missunderstood (Zeds Dead Remix)
Zeds Dead and Omar LinX – Cowboy – Ultra
Zeds Dead – Undah Yuh Skirt ft. Mavado – Mad Decent
Zeds Dead and Memorecks – Jericho – U – WL
Zeds Dead and Omar LinX – No Prayers – Jeffrees
Tragedy Khadafi – Calm Down (feat. Nas, N.O.R.E.)
Gorillaz – Tomorrow Comes Today – EMI
Zeds Dead – Untitled 

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