Best known for producing peak time Techno across his numerous projects – on Evening Star producer ZDBT topples expectations with a collaborative, vocally-propelled album showcasing a unique hybrid of R&B, Hip Hop and Electronica, signifying the sonic evolution of both the artist and the legendary Vancouver scene in which he was forged.

Having previously flirted with adventurous genre blending on the ELASTIC EP – a collision of blistering Electro and the rap sung hooks of Prado Monroe, the titular single “Elastic” (and its Isabella Lovestory remix) were bonafide hits amongst the global underground.

With a newfound sense of purpose and a mission to collaborate with more vocalists and songwriters, ZDBT began a year-long journey of mostly remote collaborations with nearly a dozen artists. The collection of 16 songs explore avant pop, R&B and Hip Hop interwoven with emotive interludes and instrumentals and make up ZDBT’s longest and most ambitious collection thus far: the Evening Star LP.

The album is led by “High”, an inventive single showcasing rising Detroit R&B star Supercoolwicked who also features on “Oxford Green”. Elsewhere, one of the UK’s most elusive and exciting young talents, London-based punk-poet rapper John Glacier graces “Life’s Worth Living” – a memorable collaboration worthy of each artists’ catalog.

ZDBT and Glacier were initially connected by the late fashion designer and DJ Virgil Abloh. Speaking of their collaboration, ZDBT explains “Life’s Worth Living is a tough one. Virgil had sent me some stems and inspiration to work with, and I ended up selecting from these, a stem of a beautiful drum performance by Alexander Sowinski of BadBadNotGood. After some back and forth he suggested we ask John Glacier to do vocals. A few months later, to my shock and disbelief, Virgil passed away. After some time, speaking with John we decided to honor Virgil and his vision, and finish the track as a tribute to him and his incredible legacy.”

Also appearing is longtime creative partner and DC-based singer/songwriter dreamcastmoe, who appears on 3 songs: “What You Told Me”, “Something I Can't Change” and “Gradient Colours”. The series was born out of a summer of endless sessions at ZDBT’s studio at the tail end of a complicated year. A sizeable contribution to dreamcastmoe’s inaugural record Sound Is Like Water on New York label Ghostly International was also the result of these sessions. ZDBT recalls “We took advantage of this time to inspire each other by spending day and night in the studio recording, writing, and watching the evolution of our friendship grow through revealing vulnerabilities behind our instruments. With dawning projects in mind, we ended up making over 20 tracks, some of which I kept for my album and some of which will appear on his next upcoming releases.”

Commenting on Evening Star, ZDBT reflects: “I wanted to produce other genres. I wanted to explore the possibility of my taste applied to what else I could create and co-create with others, and the project ended up being larger than I had imagined. I wanted to do things differently than my usual process which is quite fast and loose. With so many moving parts and people’s schedules, plus a dead laptop, and working with artists from so many different places around the world, it ended up taking over a year to complete. I really wanted to create a hybrid of classic instruments and also keep my underground/experimental electronica mindset while approaching music for a slightly more broad and mainstream audience and hopefully expose them to my unique perspective. My goal was to incorporate my eccentric taste and varied musical background and incorporate vocal features from artists I admire and respect - to make hard and aggressive music with a soft edge. Conceptually and also serendipitously the album happens to reference vehicles and the concept of driving, being driven, introspection, being run down, war, chaos, nature, human nature, change, love, heartbreak, death, moving forward, progress and the challenges of all of these things and their deeper cause and effects”.

Photographer Richard Anderson supplies the album art, as ZDBT explains: “I used one of his photos for an EP titled Age. After we worked together on that project Richard worked with Virgil Abloh on a portrait series in the Farnsworth House. Seeing as we both had this connection to Virgil I felt that working with him again would allow this album to create a full circle. To me making music is therapeutic. For me it is a way to commemorate these connections in my life.”

“High” featuring Supercoolwicked, the 1st single from Evening Star, comes out on October 14th. The album also features the singles “Oxford Green” with Supercoolwicked and Neo Image, “Running” with Byron the Aquarius, and “Something I Can’t Change” with dreamcastmoe. Evening Star is out via Specials on December 2nd on all digital streaming platforms and available to download on Bandcamp.

About ZDBT:
ZDBT, who also produces Techno as Phost, is one-half of the duo Dosis and a former member of 1800HaightStreet. With notable releases on Specials Worldwide and work spanning the globe from Los Angeles label In Real Life and New York’s Ghostly International, to Berlin's Delicate Records and Montreal’s NAFF, ZDBT has long garnered support from the world’s most respected tastemakers and DJs.

About Specials:
Independent Canada-based record label and management group est. 2019, Specials is an imprint carrying forth the Vancouver Sound and its persistent influence on modern and alternative dance and electronic music, focusing on creating a new mythos that redefines alternative pop music.