Lo-Fi Sundays 024 - Zeus the Elevated

When it comes to beats, some enjoy the jazzy, bright and crispy clean sound while others enjoy the raw, dark, distorted knocks - not that the two styles are mutually exclusive. But if you fall into the latter category, peep zeus the elevated. Hailing from somewhere in the expanse of Canada, zeus is a familiar character on Soundcloud. It seems any dank instrumental that one visits, zeus has already been there and dropped his two cents in the comments. He uses no digital audio workstation, crafting his beats straight from the mpc 1k. sp555, sp505, and sp404.

More than most beatmakers, zeus appears to be influenced by the rugged '90s hip-hop sound - the grain. He samples Wu-Tang, Nas, and Big L heavily, and his beats possess the same raw and exposed attitude that these musicians were known for. You can hear this clearly on "heavy.thoughts", "dirty" and his "day-dreamin" mini-tape. At the same time, zeus cultivates moments of extreme solace and ethereal emotion. Hitting these two extremes simultaneously is what distinguishes this producer.

If you really want to peep why zeus is elevated, listen to our favorite cut from the producer, "Time", which was included on the lo.fi.hiphop one-year anniversary tape. Zeus drops knowledge and creates a mystical atmosphere that stones the listener, placing him or her in suspended animation for 100 seconds. This is the kind of vibe that keeps us digging through lo-fi.  

He's a big part of the always on point Mt. Fuji Tapes family and Dumb Nice, has some tasty collaborations with saiko, dweeb, and owls at night. His Jumpin Through Loops series is hypnotizing, and he's a true master of the straightforward vocal sample. Zeus holds it down, there's no question about that. We always look out for what he's listening to and for his new cuts, which come about once per month. 

FOLLOW zeus the elevated:   Soundcloud   /   Spotify   /   Youtube