Leo Zen joins Druid Records with his ‘Trust’ EP

Born and raised in Japan, Leo Zen developed an intense passion for all things Bass at a young age. Originally immersing himself in the production side of music he quickly discovered a knack for creating solid, grungy, hard basslines, incorporating deep melodic undertones that purveyed a sense of subtle urgency and emotion. Seeking to expand his knowledge and co-create with his peers Leo made the decision to move to one of the bass capitals of the world, British Columbia.

Upon arrival Leo quickly carved out a reputation for delivering extremely high energy sets; consisting of original production, diverse mixing, captivating stage presence, and an uncanny timing that has annihilated dance floors from Canada to Costa Rica, and all over Europe. With releases on Sleeveless Records, Really Good Recordings, Aufect Recordings, he has solidified himself as one of the premier Drum & Bass producer/DJ’s in Western Canada.

Always learning and growing, Leo continues to use music as his tool to express his experiences, proving there are no boundaries, with the goal to elevate minds through sound.

In this diverse new 4 track EP for Druid Records‘ 33rd instalment, Leo shows he is producer with something to prove both in the quality of his production and in the variation of styles this EP showcases. It was, apparently, one of those absolute must-sign releases that come round every so often, and Druid Records are sure you’ll love it as much as they and I do!

Kicking off the EP is the titular track ‘Trust’, which has a spooky intro that sends chills up your spine. When it drops, cleverly layered bass patterns bounce on top of catchy synths and focused drums, bringing the track to life and encompassing listeners throughout. From the get go this is a guaranteed headnodder.

Next we have the wobbly bassline of ‘Tradition’ which is our premiere today. Cheeky on it’s own but downright devastating over the clicky drum patterns, creating a simple yet effective track that can be played any time in a set. Moody bassline variations rising and dropping over the clever fills really keep this tune fresh to the very end.

With arguably the best vocal on the whole release, ‘Feel Me’ purposefully marries together deep jazzy elements with glitchy neuro basses, crackly static FX and lyrics that will get stuck in your head for days. All over tasty percussion choices that propel the tune forward while allowing the unique melodic elements to keep centre stage.

And last but not definitely not least, rounding off the EP we have ‘Better Place’. Hints of cyberpunk flavour strewn throughout the intro offer an uplifting vibe before the melancholy vocal and hard bass licks bring you back down to earth. This is the more groove-laden side of Leo Zen‘s style and reminds us of sunny festival days in fields with the music cranked up to 11 and not a care in the world!

Check out our premiere of Leo Zen ‘Tradition’ below. The ‘Trust’ EP drops via Druid Records on 16th April on Juno and Spotify and will be available everywhere else on 30th April. Make sure you grab a copy using the purchase button beneath the Soundcloud player!