ZHU has released his new album ‘BLACK MIDAS‘ today, April 24, 2026, via Broke and BLACKLIZT Sound Syndicate. The Grammy-nominated producer frames the 14-track project as a return to his dancefloor roots. Notably, the album opens with a Turkish kahve falı coffee reading recorded in Istanbul last December, where a fortune teller answers “all black” to the question “What color do you see in my future?”
Meanwhile, the project carries the weight of a turbulent year. ZHU told LA Weekly that 2025 was “survival mode” and that the album represents survival. The Southern California Palisades wildfire displaced him from his home and studio, leaving the structures intact but smoke-damaged and unlivable. He spent the next year rebuilding everything, music included.
Crucially, ZHU produced ‘BLACK MIDAS’ on the road. He travelled the country in a Mercedes Sprinter Van, accessing different cities and connecting with artists online to build the record from scratch. In turn, the BLACKLIZT warehouse concept emerged alongside the album as a real-life nightlife companion.
The 14 productions span deep house to melodic techno. Single ‘BLACK MIDAS’ leads the rollout. Furthermore, the album features collaborations with Joyia on ‘BURN’, South Africa’s GCBestBelieve and HNTR on ‘LEVELZZZ’, and Mahmut Orhan and ZONLY across other cuts. The closer ‘RAINDOWN’ steps off the dancefloor for a slower groove.
ZHU has also pulled ‘5STARR’ as his nod to R&B duo THEY. and their cut ‘5 Star’. Equally, the album sits inside a 12-month run that pulled together sets with Mathame in Bogotá, deadmau5 on Coachella‘s Quasar stage, surprise pop-ups in Nashville, Brooklyn Storehouse and Lightning In A Bottle, plus shared bills with Paul Kalkbrenner.
Still, the closing run on ‘BLACK MIDAS’ positions ZHU back in the centre of dance club culture. He returned to Ultra Music Festival earlier this year for the first time since his 2017 debut, with an in-the-round presentation surrounded by mannequins and a flame-lit stage. SXSW, Australia and Alaska dates followed.
Finally, ZHU sums up his current frame as anywhere but the middle. ‘BLACK MIDAS’ is out now across streaming platforms.
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