Only the desert remains pic.twitter.com/iMdmJXbruy
— ZHU® (@ZHUmusic) November 2, 2018
UPDATED 9:40 a.m. 12/15
Thanks to the chaos and frenzy that is Art Basel, Miami often hosts some of the more exceptional and unique music events around the country.
A night after Kanye West dropped in for a surprise performance at Wynwood’s RC Cola Plant, star electronic producer Zhu headlined the same venue with his awe-inspiring “Dunes” tour and turned in what was undoubtedly one of the top musical highlights of Basel.
The 29-year-old Steven Zhu drew a bulk of the art festival's crowd over to the west end of Miami’s Wynwood district despite EDM legend Kaskade playing across the street at Soho Studios.
For much of his career, Zhu has remained an enigma, initially releasing music anonymously before his critical and chart success pushed his Zhu project into the mainstream.
In September he dropped his second studio album Ringos Desert, an emotionally-packed, desert-inspired LP heralded by critics and fans alike. Further expanding on the live sax and guitar focus Zhu sampled on previous projects, Ringos Desert begged to be brought to life on stage with live instrumentation. That call was answered on Zhu’s recently-expanded “Dunes” tour.
Hosted within the factory’s graffiti-covered walls, the Basel show was laid out like an old-school, electronic warehouse rave. Like we saw this past fall at Imagine Music Festival, the stage production featured three dune-shaped LED boards that served as podiums for Zhu, a saxophone player and lead guitarist. The show kicked off shortly before midnight and was illuminated by the glow of neon burning through thick stage fog. Ever the showman, Zhu stepped out wearing his patented kimono and wide-brimmed fedora, resembling a phantom-like figure peeking out through the haze. Standing atop these LED-dunes, Zhu towered over the audience and acted as maestro while mixing, playing keyboard and singing throughout nearly every track.
While his Imagine set mostly focused on career highlights and high points from this latest album, Saturday’s Wynwood performance was a two-hour, cinematic spectacle where the artist never failed to indulge between his house-oriented catalog and more eclectic, instrument-led music. Opening the show, he showcased the latter by allowing the guitarist and saxophone players to go off on rangy, emotional solos built upon material from Ringos Desert.
Throughout the show, Zhu would return to his roots of rave-inspired house anthems, turning the warehouse into a sweaty dance party with hits like “Faded” and “In the Morning.” He also showed some variety by randomly throwing in bangers like RL Grime’s trap hit “Pressure.”
In the past, Zhu seemed to shy away from lending his personality to his music, but the artist was a focal point on stage throughout the night, constantly engaging with the crowd and band members onstage. When Zhu wasn’t multi-tasking with samplers, keyboards and vocals, he was often sweeping from one side of the stage to the other, ushering in more energy when he saw fit.
While his music typically hits on raw, emotional themes, the Chinese-American producer seemed jubilant onstage in Miami, soaking up what is a spectacular moment in his career. While the concepts of mainstream acceptance conflict with his previous penchant for anonymity, Zhu finally seems content on being recognized for creating unique music and experiences, much like the one we witnessed Saturday night.
“The performance is only a part of the puzzle,” said Zhu in a Billboard interview. “It's the vibe, it's the setlist, it's environment, the anticipation. All of that comes together and that's what makes it great.”
On Saturday he seemed to hit on all of these things, producing what was one of the more captivating show’s CL has caught on the road this year. Zhu’s evolution has been a fun one to witness, and after a knockout Basel performance we can't wait to see him bring the “Dunes” tour to Jannus Live on March 13.
This article appears in Dec 6-13, 2018.