Deadbeats Week 2024: My Words Live In History
Over July 4th week, Zeds Dead took over Denver for the tenth time (my second time), and I was a part of it in a way I never expected to be.
Deadrocks is my favorite thing in Denver.
Three days. Five Zeds Dead sets. Two at one of my favorite venues on Earth (Red Rocks). One at a festival (The Backyard Jamboree) booked by some of the people who have the absolute best taste in music I know (the Deadbeats crew). Two more at my second favorite venue in Denver (Mission Ballroom).
Plus, the last two years close friends of mine were booked to play both Red Rocks and the Jamboree. Not to mention sharing the dancefloor with tons of friends as well.
It’s a dang celebration, but this year I was a more in-depth participant than just a fan with some fancy wristbands.
When I was at the first day of Deadrocks, I was talking to my friend Trevor about the idea of living in history. How the impermanence of our lives is magnified in this instant-gratification, infinitesimal attention-span culture.
Trevor commended me as a journalist because even though my field is under fire unlike ever before, one of the only things that can still last is the written word.
As of Deadrocks X, my words will live on in the history of Zeds Dead. I am a Lead Feature Writer in Zeds Dead: 10 Years of Deadrocks, the new limited edition book celebrating the electronic titans’ decade of this epic production.
My good friend Franz published the book through his magazine, MP3 Mag. It includes over 50 pages featuring pictures from all 10 editions of Deadrocks, testimonials from Zeds Dead’s longstanding team, a tell-all interview with members Hooks and D.C. written by my friend Logan Sasser, and a foreword by D.C.’s Dad, Jerry (who the duo’s business manager).
I specifically wrote the feature on the Backyard Jamboree, Zeds Dead’s annual Fourth of July celebration that’s grown into a bona fide music festival. I also wrote the blurbs for the ten tracks that define the duo’s history (it was not easy to choose from their more-than-a-decade-long discography).
To be part of this project means the absolute world to me. The Festival Babes posted a video from the Jamboree wherein they asked attendees how many times they’ve seen Zeds Dead. Here are some of the answers: 45, 50, and 50. I am within that class of fandom. I frankly don’t know the exact number, but if I’m not at 45 yet, I’m close.
Of all the musical acts in the world, electronic or otherwise, Zeds Dead is one of the only ones I would see five times in three days. All of their sets have those special moments that make them stand out among the 40 before. I remember back at HARD Day of the Dead 2012 (still one of the best raves of all time) when I first saw them. They did such insane mixes of dubstep and heavy electro, and from that moment I was hooked.
Two years later when they played Hard Day of the Dead 2014, they opened their set with a reworking of the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey (technically titled Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss). As a cosmic backdrop filled the screen behind the decks and the soaring brass launched through the speakers, Hooks and D.C. walked out on stage wearing space suits, and then suddenly the classical masterpiece morphed into a heavy dubstep tune. That was the fifth time I saw them, and I will never forget that moment.
Overall, what makes me such a fan is their ability to meld together different forms of media into this singular creative output. Yes, Zeds Dead are a music group first and foremost, but as the above example demonstrates, Hooks and D.C. bring together their comprehensive love of art through this project.
Keeping things on music, every one of their sets integrates samples and homages to music outside of the electronic realm. On the second night of Deadrocks this year they did a sublime mashup of “Intro” by The xx and Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.” Fucking chills. I could not believe how well the haunting beats of “Intro” paired with Dylan’s iconic voice. Then the next day at the Jamboree, they melded the classic bassline from “Seven Nation Army” into a deep, rumbling dubstep tune.
Moving into other forms of media, first of all, their name is a reference to Pulp Fiction (one of my favorite movies of all time), and the new format for their sets includes pairing clips from movies that link to the music. Over the two nights at Deadrocks, I saw moments from The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and plenty of clips I am not heady enough to know.
Their knowledge of film and television goes just as deep as their knowledge of music. When I go see Zeds Dead I know I’m going to be entertained in a way no other electronic act can provide. The music is always immaculate, and by adding these clips, they provide that warm and fuzzy feeling of nostalgia, remembering all the times when I was growing up when I watched movies they sampled into their sets.
I relish these kinds of thrilling, comforting, and reaffirming moments, especially this year. I still haven’t grounded myself financially since I went into 100% freelance journalism. I’m constantly worried about money. Every purchase beyond necessities comes with a layer of stress, and the news about the persisting financial viability of my field has been nothing but bleak since I made this shift.
But within that tense landscape, opportunities are coming up that remind me I’m on the right path…like having the chance to contribute my writing to a book dedicated to one of my favorite electronic acts of all time.
Think about how many Zeds Dead fans there are in Denver alone? Tens of thousands. All over the world? I wouldn’t be surprised if it cracked in the millions. I am one of what? Three people to write something in this book? I do not take that for granted.
The opportunity came together for me because of two people mainly: Franz Hilberath and Harrison Bennett. I mentioned Franz above. He runs MP3 Mag which published the book and he also reps Zeds Dead’s PR. Harrison is on Zeds Dead’s management team and he runs their label, Deadbeats.
These aren’t guys I cornered in a club one day and gave some industry schpeel to advance my career. We all crossed paths because we’re all doing what we love, and when the idea came up to publish a book to commemorate 10 years of Deadrocks, they both wanted my words to be a part of it.
This book is a manifestation of love. The people who wrote in it, published it, were featured in it, the two guys who catalyzed this legacy by making music together…everyone involved loves what they do, and when you see Zeds Dead live, you can feel it.
I was surrounded by so much love last week. I poured that love into my words and now those words will live on forever. (Seriously, imagine if either Hooks or DC have kids. They might already IDK. Their kids are going to read that book. And the chances of their kids passing it down to their kids are pretty damn high, too).