Interview: Zomboy Speaks on Dubstep, Pre-Planned Sets, and the Art of Making an Album

Thoughtful, humble, driven, and grounded are just a few of the ways you could describe Joshua Mellody, the 23-year-old producer better known as Zomboy

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Thoughtful, humble, driven, and grounded are just a few of the ways you could describe Joshua Mellody, the 23-year-old producer better known as Zomboy. After bursting on to the scene in August of 2011 with his debut, Game Time, Zomboy found himself in the thick of EDM's biggest explosion yet. He's since released another EP, The Dead Symphonic, toured the world playing festivals everywhere, and he's only really beginning to heat up.

Despite all the success “Zom” has thus far avoided the pitfalls that often come with being a DJ. Staying after his shows to meet each and every fan, "Zom" listens to his fans tell him the same thing over and over as he heard it the night before in another city, candidly offering that his fame was "all a bit silly, really.” More than that, Zomboy travels light; no tour manager and no photographer, Zomboy operates as a one-man band. Just hearing Zomboy talk, it’s clear that he’s keenly aware of his position; a self-awareness often missing from today’s biggest stars.

He takes his craft seriously and treats it with professionalism, but at the same time he exhibits a sense of wisdom and laidback intensity. He’s a musician who’s worked hard and, with a bit of luck, he’s been able to turn it into a living. Air-scratching, womping, and head-banging as hard as his fans, Zomboy brings a bass-face mean as anyone and he puts on a show. But after the shows he's back to being Josh. He’s not an idol and doesn’t want to be treated as such. Quick to hit you with his spot-on Hank Hill impression ("damn it Bobby!") or giddily showing off his forays into iPhoneography, his smile widens as he shows the countless filtered pictures he's taken on his travels. Surely he has his label Never Say Die Records behind him, but at the end of the day he's the one making all the decisions and all the right moves.

From Metal to EDM

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Learning to DJ and His First Gig

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Controllers vs. CDJs

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Performing as a DJ

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Pre-Planned Sets

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Drugs and Alcohol as a DJ

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Writing Music

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Dubstep

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Releasing Music

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EDM's Commercialization and Future

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Albums as Art

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The Future of Zomboy

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