Zedd shrank his stadium-sized show to a sardine can of synth-fueled euphoria over the weekend, turning a humble New York warehouse into a secret rave he called his “smallest show yet.”
Only 25 people gathered at The Little Shop, a tiny neighborhood store that lives up to its name in Manhattan's South Seaport neighborhood. The bar was set high thanks to WORLDwhose renegade reggaeton and amapiana raves have been taking the Bronx by storm.
The EDM met up with ATM at the store, the location of which had been kept secret as part of an elaborate scavenger hunt initiative organised in partnership with 5gum. Fans had to decipher a series of clues and hints on social media, then show up to receive a pack of 5 Zedd-branded glow-in-the-dark gum, which also served as their ticket. One attendee even said he camped out overnight to secure access to the rare party.
According to Maria Urista, Mars' vice president of gum and mints, the event took place over a 10-month period. Her team, she says, set out to “deliver an extremely stimulating sensory experience that fans couldn't get anywhere else” while also celebrating dance music culture.
“We keep coming back to the energy and excitement around secret raves, performances for a dedicated enough group of fans to seek them out,” Urista says. EDM.com“That's what led us to develop our own underground event, but adding the tension of hiding in plain sight, with one of the most recognizable talents in the genre, in a place where you can already find 5 gum.”
“From there, the hardest part to tackle was the ingenuity of our fans and Zedd's fans – they thoroughly researched every clue we gave them, shared theories with each other, and used incredibly novel ways to tie it all together,” he continues. “We actually ended up changing our clues and the cadence of information we gave out in response to the fervent fan response.”
c/o 5 Rubber
The scene was surreal to those in Zedd's pocket universe. And the irony was palpable: A man accustomed to commanding crowds at the world's biggest festivals was now trapped in an arm's length interaction with barely two dozen fans.
Remember the wild 5gum commercials? The ones that showed the world “what it feels like to chew 5gum,” which apparently meant spontaneous levitation, the ability to perceive colors, and the uncontrollable urge to do parkour. Crammed into a single, narrow hallway in a warehouse and dripping with sweat as Zedd put on the most intimate show of his career, we finally understood what they meant.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me,” Zedd said at one point. “I can't thank them enough because I've never been able to do this.”
c/o 5 Rubber
We experienced an exclusive nosedive into the stratosphere. TelosZedd's first album in nearly a decade, out Friday, is a new album. As previously unheard music and generational dance anthems like “Clarity” and “I Want You to Know” echoed across linoleum floors, The Little Shop transformed into a hypnotic dream where the ordinary spectacularly collided with the extraordinary.
In this tiny slice of delirious paradise, he proved that true musical magic is measured not by the size of the venue, but by the electricity shared between an artist and his fans.
“It exceeded my expectations and the energy and vibe was unmatched,” said Flo Patino, one of the attendees. “From Zedd thanking us for being there, to talking to us, to the new songs that haven't come out yet, everything was amazing, it was like having a best friend in front of me playing. It was so beautiful that I came home, thought about everything that had happened and had tears in my eyes because I felt like it was a once in a lifetime experience.”
According to Urista, the party tapped into 5gum's long-standing goal of harnessing the energy of electronic dance music to engage its consumers. The partnership, he says, was the latest in the brand's mission to “be a part of life's most exciting moments” through music events and activations with beloved artists.
“Music means a lot to our consumers, and our product can be found at concerts, festivals and shows across the country; it's only natural for our brand to look for ways to enhance that experience,” Urista explains.
After a series of compelling brand activations in the hip-hop world — like a one-of-a-kind jewelry collection featuring an actual piece of gum chewed by Yungblud and a custom cassette track featuring JID that only five fans were able to listen to just five times before the tape shattered — it was now EDM’s turn.
“We’ve wanted to play into the electronic music world for years, and partnering with Zedd for this year’s campaign was an obvious choice,” he continues. “His fandom and our audience complement each other perfectly, he’s been creating some of the most exciting music moments for over a decade and he’s about to release his first new album in almost 10 years – the perfect time for the brand to celebrate him.”
Zedd fans can pre-save Telos hereThe album is scheduled for release on August 30, 2024.
Follow Zedd:
UNKNOWN: x.com/zedd
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TikTok: tiktok.com/@zedd
Facebook: facebook.com/zedd
Spotify: spoti.fi/2CoYpk2
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