Zeds Dead

Zed, the character from the Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction, may be dead, but now his likeness has been reincarnated by an electro-house/dubstep duo from Toronto, named after the line the character played by Bruce Willis delivers in the film; they also sample that quote in a number of their songs. The guys in Zeds Dead have been rising stars in the ever-growing Electronic Dance Music scene, and although they have only been prominent since 2009, they’ve been praised by bigger fish in the EDM pond, such as Kissy Sellout and Skream. Much like the current generation of musicians, they achieved popularity by word-of-mouth and the viral effects of the Internet, by releasing a number of their productions as free downloads. But giving out stuff for free hasn’t affected their sales; one of their most popular songs, “Rumble in the Jungle,” made it to #1 on Beatport's breakbeat chart, which is considered to be “iTunes for DJs.” As for remixes, they have an eclectic catalogue, from songs like Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song,” to Bon Iver’s “Woods,” and even old songs, like the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.” As the genre of music they’re affiliated with gets bigger and bigger, the sky is the limit for these up-and-comers. (Sam Mendez)