ZHU Rises From the Ashes Again: “Black Midas DLXZZZ” Expands a Road-Built Album With “The Calling”
When the Palisades fire tore through the hills above Los Angeles in early 2025, it took ZHU’s neighborhood and left his home unlivable. What came out the other side was Black Midas, an album the Grammy-nominated producer built on the road with no studio to call home. Now he’s widening that world with Black Midas DLXZZZ, a deluxe edition out July 10 via Broke / BLACKLIZT Sound Syndicate.
The deluxe keeps the original tracklist intact and adds four more: previously released singles “3 AM in ??????” and “Smoke Up in the Air,” plus two brand-new songs, “Sundown” and “The Calling.” The latter is the set’s focus track, arriving with a video that trades LA’s heat for the ice of the Alaskan wild.
At a glance
- What: Black Midas DLXZZZ, the deluxe edition of ZHU’s album
- Released: July 10, 2026, via Broke / BLACKLIZT Sound Syndicate
- New tracks: “The Calling” (focus track, with an Alaska-shot video) and “Sundown,” plus previously released “3 AM in ??????” and “Smoke Up in the Air”
- Backstory: the album was written on a 2025 cross-country road trip after the Palisades wildfire displaced ZHU from his LA home and studio
- Live: a global run including Tomorrowland, followed by a US “On the Move” fall tour
What is Black Midas DLXZZZ?
Billed by ZHU as “techno as an attitude,” Black Midas was a deliberate return to his dance-club roots — a run of late-night, dancefloor-first productions that move from deep house to melodic techno. The deluxe doesn’t reinvent that thesis so much as extend it, giving fans more of the record’s after-hours narrative. Its guest list stays true to the underground: Joyia on “Burn,” South Africa’s GCBestBelieve and HNTR on “Levelzzz” (crowned “sexy and darkly chugging” by Billboard), a play on R&B duo THEY.’s “5 Star” reworked as “5Starrr,” and collaborations with Mahmut Orhan and ZONLY.
The story behind the album
The backstory is what gives Black Midas its weight. Displaced by the Southern California wildfire — his land burned, his neighborhood decimated, his house and studio spared but left uninhabitable from smoke damage — ZHU spent the following year rebuilding everything he knew, music included. With no home base, he produced on the move during a 2025 cross-country journey in a Mercedes Sprinter van, writing tracks around the sounds, words and energy he encountered and pulling in artists he met online. The album’s companion warehouse concept, BLACKLIZT, grew out of the same instinct: a return to first principles.
Who is ZHU?
ZHU (Steven Zhu) broke through in 2014 with “Faded,” nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 2015 Grammy Awards while he was still performing anonymously. He has never been only a producer and DJ: he’s also a singer, instrumentalist, songwriter and filmmaker, the last two central to his 2024 album-and-film project Grace. From his genre-blurring 2016 debut Generationwhy through Ringos Desert (2018), Dreamland 2021, the Musical Chairs mixtape (2022) and the Days Before Grace EP (2023), he’s built a catalog defined by atmosphere, reinvention and a refusal to sit still.
Where is ZHU touring in 2026?
ZHU is on the move across the UK, Europe and North America, hitting some of the world’s most influential venues and festivals — including a return to Tomorrowland — before a run of US “On the Move” appearances into the fall.
- Jul 10 — Audioriver Festival, Łódź, Poland
- Jul 16 & 17 — Monte 1350, Cetinje, Montenegro
- Jul 18 — The Roundhouse, London, England
- Jul 22 — Club Chinois, Ibiza, Spain
- Jul 24 — Pacha, Munich, Germany
- Jul 25 — Tomorrowland, Boom, Belgium
- Jul 31 — La Nouba, Cyprus
- Aug 01 — Yuzu Beach, İzmir, Turkey
- Aug 02 — MAGI Beach, Bodrum, Turkey
- Aug 14 — The Elmont, El Paso, TX
- Aug 15 — Navy Pier Open Air, Chicago, IL
- Sept 11 — Pacha, Brooklyn, NY
- Sept 25 — The Eastern, Atlanta, GA
- Oct 16 — Mesa Amphitheatre, Mesa, AZ
- Oct 23 & 25 — The Concourse Project, Austin, TX
- Oct 31 — Goldbar Distillery, Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA
- Nov 13 — Revel, Albuquerque, NM
- Nov 14 — SILO, Dallas, TX
More dates are expected to be announced. Black Midas DLXZZZ is out now.
Frequently asked questions
What is Black Midas DLXZZZ?
Black Midas DLXZZZ is the deluxe edition of ZHU’s album Black Midas, released July 10, 2026 via Broke / BLACKLIZT Sound Syndicate. It keeps the original tracklist and adds four songs.
What new songs are on the deluxe edition?
The deluxe adds two brand-new tracks, “Sundown” and “The Calling,” along with the previously released singles “3 AM in ??????” and “Smoke Up in the Air.”
What is “The Calling”?
“The Calling” is the focus track of Black Midas DLXZZZ. It arrives with a new music video featuring ZHU, filmed in wintry Alaska.
Who is ZHU?
ZHU (Steven Zhu) is a Grammy-nominated electronic producer, DJ, singer, songwriter and filmmaker. He first broke through in 2014 with “Faded,” nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 2015 Grammy Awards.
What inspired Black Midas?
ZHU wrote Black Midas on the road after the Southern California Palisades wildfire displaced him from his home and studio in 2025. With no home base, he produced the album during a cross-country journey in a Mercedes Sprinter van.
Where is ZHU touring in 2026?
ZHU is touring the UK, Europe and North America in 2026, including a return to Tomorrowland, followed by a US “On the Move” run with stops in El Paso, Chicago, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Mesa, Austin, San Francisco, Albuquerque and Dallas.
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