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ZU


For over fifteen years, ZU's modus operandi of straddling and abusing musical genres has resulted in over fifteen unique album releases across labels such as Ipecac, Atavistic and Headz (Japan).
Their experimental amalgam of metal, math, no-wave, noise and electronics, led acclaimed composer John Zorn to describe their sound as "a powerful and expressive music that totally blows away what most bands do these days".

In the running for the title of 'the world's hardest working band', ZU have performed over 2000 shows throughout Europe, US, Canada, Asia, Russia, Mexico and even Africa, touring with the likes of Mike Patton (as the Zu/Patton quartet), sharing the stage with Faith No More, Fantomas, The Melvins, Lightning Bolt, Sonic Youth, The Ex, etc..
They have also collaborated with a vast number of musicians including Mike Patton, The Melvins, Dälek, Jim O' Rourke, FM Einheit (Einsturzende Neubauten), Peter Brötzmann, Eugene S. Robinson (Oxbow), Steve MacKay (The Stooges), The Ex, Thurston Moore, Stephen O Malley, Damo Suzuki (Can), Mats Gustafsson, NoMeansNo, Joe Lally (Fugazi).

In 2011, after 12 years of hectic activity, 14 albums and something like 2000 gigs in every part of the world (200 of those only touring in support of Carboniferous, the album released via Ipecac Recordings feat. The Melvins and Mike Patton), Zu found themselves in a sort of "burn-out" and entered an indefinitve hiatus.
Jacopo quit the band and joined the live line-up of the Bloody Beetroots.
Luca formed the duo Mombu, baptizing a new musical genre named "afro-grind" and continuing to fire up the european audiences. Massimo took a long break from music, going to live for one year in a Himalayan hermitage and subsequentely in an amazonian village. Three very different life paths for people who spent inseparably together the previous decade.
But Zu has always been an anomalous creature where the friendship bonds were the only real rule.
So at one point, Luca and Massimo chatted on Skype from 2 very distant parts of the world, and found themselves to be still quite close to each other and understood right away that there are still many things to be said and done together, and that the Zu trajectory had not ended at all. They both agreed that there is only one drummer they would really love to join forces with: Gabe Serbian.
They shared some Uk gigs and an ATP appearance with his band - The Locust - and his drumming did defentively impress them. By chance, The Locust were in an indefinitive hiatus too, so Gabe was immediately eager to join the band. They set a period of practise and recordings in San Diego, California, Serbian's home, and the result is a new 10" ready to be released in spring 2014.
Made of 4 new tracks and a cover of experimental music gurus The Resident, the limited Ep will be released via La Tempesta Dischi in Italy and Trost Records for Europe in spring 2014 on vinyl only.
You can expect many surprises from the new line up, a totally new live set, unusual collaborations plus 2 records from the Zu archives which are ready to be published.
Zu are gearing up for a short summer tour as the beginning of a whole new exciting phase.



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