The project that further propelled Zeds Dead’s rise to mainstage fame in the electronic scene has just turned a decade old in 2024.
With their tenth anniversary of Deadrocks now behind them, renowned duo Zeds Dead has had more than one milestone to celebrate this Fourth of July week. The pair’s enduring success over this past decade can be largely attributed to their commitment to their unique sound while simultaneously demonstrating that electronic music has no limits. Somewhere Else proved this in 2014, flawlessly showing off their unmatched abilities to blend genres in a style that could only be described as Zeds Dead’s.
Before this release, the duo had heavy-hitting dubstep classics like the Hot Sauce and Adrenaline EPs under their belts, but Somewhere Else was the first to bring a variety of new emotions to the table with tracks like “Collapse,” “Lost You,” and “Where Are You Now.” These lyric-heavy beats released on Mad Decent were full of emotion, yet Zeds Dead delivered them in a way their bass-loving fans could never hate.
“Lying on my side and I’m wondering when will it all collapse?
I lie here on my own when you’re gone, but you’re never coming back
And every time I’m down and out, I think of what we had
So now I’m driving round in circles trying to fill in all the gaps”
Most fans could tell you exactly where they were when they heard the opening piano note of “Collapse” featuring Memorecks for the first time.
They’d also be lying if they said it and its lyrics didn’t bring chills to their spines this very day still, a decade after hearing it in set after set. Because yes, you are almost guaranteed to hear “Collapse” in every large-scale Zeds Dead set, but to me, over 40 sets later, it will never get old.
I close my eyes and imagine someone in that same crowd hearing it live for the first time, and it reminds me of the flame my first Zeds Dead show lit inside me seven years ago. Arguably their most famous track, “Collapse” is and will be forever engrained in Zeds Dead history.
A close runner-up for what could be declared their most famous track, “Lost You,” was also released on Somewhere Else, which only further emphasizes the EPs overall impact on Zeds Dead’s rise to the top.
An infectious singalong house hit, “Lost You,” featuring Twin Shadow and D’Angelo Lacy, became an instant classic that still gets played out in most of their major sets today. In typical Zeds Dead style, they throw in distortions and basslines between the bouncy house beats so as not to scare away the bassheads.
Zeds Dead were some of the first to blend styles quite like this, and it led to a solid following of fans from many different corners of the dance music scene. Even the dubstep tracks on Somewhere Else, “Blink” with Perry Farrell and “Where Are You Now” with Dirtyphonics and Bright Lights, include emotional, lyrical elements that can easily hook a listener who may be completely new to bass music.
“I don’t know where you’ve been, I don’t know where you’ve gone
But I know where you belong
And baby, my heart is, my heart is your home“
The duo stayed true to their hip-hop and bass music roots on Somewhere Else, with Sean Price taking over on “Dead Price” and the return of long-time collaborator and friend Omar Linx for “Stoned Capone.”
Deep basslines and the formidable voices of Sean Price and Omar Linx switch up the vibe from the emotion-heavy female pop vocals for these two heavy hip-hop-infused beats. Big Gigantic even joins in to add their signature jazzy flair with the saxophone on “Stoned Capone” to make for an unexpected combination with Omar Linx’s rhymes. It makes for a truly unique track that shows off Zeds Dead’s knack for blending their signature bass sounds with other artists from any genre.
They even dabbled in their trap side with “Hadouken,” another Zeds Dead classic. Named after the special attack in Street Fighter, this tune has since been amped up with an even heavier VIP release that gets played more often today than the original.
Somewhere Else helped Zeds Dead win over the hearts of even more fans and propelled them to even greater heights in the scene.
As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Somewhere Else, we are reminded of Zeds Dead’s remarkable journey and their impact on the electronic music scene. This now-legendary EP is a testament to the duo’s genre-blending nature and innate creativity, and a decade later, its tracks still stand tall. Their ability to take risks, evoke deep emotions, and stay true to their sound has solidified their well-earned place in dance music history.
