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Fans of Grammy-nominated producer ZHU had been eagerly awaiting the release of his debut album, so it’s safe to say that July 29 was a pretty good one for the LA-based artist’s faithful following. GENERATIONWHY is the beatmaker’s first studio album and has received widespread praise for its soulful mix of electronic tracks, which sit somewhere between the pop hits of the ’80s and dancefloor-fillers of 2016.

To celebrate the anticipated release here in Melbourne, artist Freya Pitt interpreted ZHU’s title track to create an inspiring projection piece which was beamed out of one the city’s iconic late-night venues on Friday. Speaking about the process, Freya used her personal response to ‘Generationwhy’ to inform the custom animation.”

“Building out from the single ‘Generationwhy’ this concept is an attempt to draw viewers into a world that is beautiful, complex, slightly incomprehensible yet intuitive – similar to the psychogeography that electronic music tends to transport me to.

Starting with a wakening person caught in strobe-like flashes within an empty world, the palate begins in black and white giving a dramatic, slightly dystopian introduction. With the animated elements moving out towards the viewer, the empty scene fills up, becoming a dreamscape of form and colour. A small 3D diamond spinning in the corner will visualise the beat of the song and the more abstract sense of passing of time, emphasising the elegance within the complexity of ZHU’s mixing.

Combining drawings with photo-realistic smoke and clouds and human forms with networks, clouds and cityscapes thematically plays into the single’s exploration of individual identity in conjunction with the collective consciousness of a generation. As the beat inevitably leaves us, so too does the otherworldly skyscape, fading back into the initial black and white.”
Check out the final animated results in the video below and see how it lit up Melbourne’s laneways in the gallery above.
ZHU’s GENERATIONWHY is available via Spotify and Apple now.

ZHU’s ‘Generationwhy’ inspires projection artwork in Melbourne from ACCLAIM Magazine on Vimeo.

Projection artwork: Freya Pitt
Photography: Sam Wong
Special thanks to Ferdydurke for hosting the projections

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