Zachary Rapp-Rovan
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
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 |
Zachary Rapp Rovan | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Hooks |
| Born | Toronto Ontario Canada |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Dylan Mamid Zachary Rapp-Rovan |
| Website | zedsdead |
Zachary Rapp-Rovan, who uses the stage name of Hooks, is a Canadian DJ, musician, record producer and visual artist from Toronto, Ontario. Along with Dylan DC (Dusty Crates) Mamid, he is one half of the electronic music duo Zeds Dead, which Andy Kellman described as "one of the most successful EDM acts to originate from Canada in recent years".[1]
Early career[edit]
Rapp-Rovan met his musical partner DC Mamid in high school in 2003. The two had a shared interest in "beat music" and have been sampling and re-mixing singles since then. They collaborated to create Zeds Dead. Early in their friendship Hooks painted graffiti in DC's garage. They began producing music under the name Mass Productions. Their first EP was Fresh Beets in 2007. Soon after[when?], they released their debut album Somewhere Else, which combined elements of hip-hop, dubstep, drum & bass and electro house. Rapp-Rovan and Mamid made their European debut in June 2010 playing a string of dates around the electronic music festival Gottwood in Wales.[2] The first official North American tour was in December 2010.[3] The Graveyard Tour in 2011 was their first major tour.[4]
Mass Productions[edit]
Rapp-Rovan got his start as a dubstep musician. Originally signed by the dance label Mad Decent headed by Diplo, Rapp-Rovan and DC Mamid created hip-hop music under the name Mass Productions. In a 2013 interview Hooks said; "Mass Productions was going to be the thing that we used for hip-hop stuff, like if we were 'gonna send our beats to rappers, which is what we were doing at the time."[5] Mass Productions did not garner much attention outside of the local Toronto music scene so "we just completely went with Zeds Dead, 'cause it kind of encompassed everything."[5] His genre of choice became EDM.
Graffiti artist[edit]
Since he was a teenager, Hooks has been doing graffiti art, and displays art at the venues where he performs.[6] He told Westword in 2015, "I always like to paint anywhere I go. When I’m traveling, it’s cool to leave your mark on a place."[7] In a 2021 interview with Forbes, Hooks said: "I've been painting a lot recently since I have this time off of touring to pursue that, as well, and may do an art show at some point."[8] While in Chicago performing at The Salt Shed in December 2023, Hooks displayed his artwork at Gallery 6 in a show called Lost and Found.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ "Zeds Dead". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "RA: Gottwood Festival 2010 at Carregewlyd Estate, West + Wales (2010)". Residentadvisor.net. 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ^ Mao!. "Zeds Dead Grave Yard Tour (Playing Sd & L.A. This Week) And New Mad Decent Release!". Tilt Mag. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ^ "The Graveyard Tour: Zeds Dead". AM Only. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ^ a b Freyman, Falyn (2013-08-02). "Zeds Dead's Hooks on Their Early Days: "We Made Our Own Scene" | New Times Broward-Palm Beach". Browardpalmbeach.com. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
- ^ Nishimura, Kent. "Hooks, of Zeds Dead paints graffiti-art murals at the Larimer Lounge". Getty Images. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ Harris, Kyle (2 July 2018). "Hooks of Zeds Dead Will Paint Globe Hall at Today's DeadBeats Popup". Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ Kocay, Lisa (26 March 2021). "Zeds Dead Drops Sonically Diverse Experimental Electronic Music Mixtape 'Catching Z's'". Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ Heather, Kade (December 11, 2023). "Zeds Dead's 'Hooks' showcases artwork in Chicago gallery ahead of Salt Shed gig". Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved 9 March 2024.