The beauty of the Digital Age lies not merely in accessibility of information, but also in anonymity. Ideas and creations are able to gain traction on their own merit, beyond the credibility provided by a well-known name. The music scene in particular benefits extensively from this anonymity, with Zhu being one of the most successful examples. But, after identifying himself as Steven Zhu back in February, EDM has lacked an anonymous producer to hype up. However, all that has changed through the efforts of the elusive producer, ‘marshmello’.
In the past month, the enigmatic artist made six songs freely available for download on Soundcloud, songs originally classified as ‘Deep Bounce’—whatever that means. They’re chill songs, interspersed with detached vocal samples and poppy synths that are equally appropriate for dancing or working. Most importantly, however, the songs are gaining attention, and gaining it fast; they’ve netted athe artist over 20,000 new followers in a matter of weeks.
Marshmello’s Twitter and Facebook feeds are bizarre as well, reading like a spam account, complete with ripped-off jokes and clichéd commentary. And then there’s the impersonation of an anthropomorphic marshmallow. It’s odd, to say the least. But, it’s working, with artists such as Skrillex pumping the sound, so the social media shenanigans can be excused, we suppose.
Most of all, he or she is a mystery, and that’s something to get excited about. In a music scene that revolves so much around presentation and flashiness, it’s a refreshing change of pace to get hyped over a clandestine artist, and we here at Dance Music Northwest are stoked to see what else the producer will release in the near future. Let us hear your speculations on Facebook, Twitter, and our comments section!
Important things happen in Pacific Northwest nightlife, and DMNW will send you alerts!
