Zha’s new music video celebrates the ‘thankless’

Yesterday, Zha dropped the music video for ‘Let’s Throw It All Away’. It is his first in over two years, with the last being 2021’s Kurosawa-inspired ‘Harm’.

‘Let’s Throw It All Away’ is attached to Zha’s latest EP, ‘What Have You Done’, which released on December 1 via the artist’s Naan imprint (which the White Peach, Fent Plates, and Yellow Flower label head reserves for publishing his own Asian-influenced productions).

A dubstep instrumental that features the oud, Zha leaned into the melancholy affect of the track when it came to inspiring the MV, Mixmag Asia learned via email: “The mood of the track is quite sombre so I thought it would suitably accompany visuals that showed how lonely it can be working in a hedonistic environment, especially putting a spotlight on individuals who, in some cases, do thankless jobs or jobs that are not glamourised on social media.”

Shot, edited, and graded by Luke Horn, the music video shows Horn at work: wandering through crowded venues to shoot, travelling alone, hot-desking at nondescript cafes, and checking into anonymous hotel rooms. “Instead of having Luke behind the camera filming the action taking place in front of him, I wanted him to be in front,” Zha shared.

Considering that industry and artist feeds are constantly flooded with hype photo and video recaps of club nights and festivals, it’s a compelling reversal, especially when combined with the downtempo and introspective nature of the music. It’s a juxtaposition that leads the viewer to fill the psychological gaps and wonder at Horn’s emotional and physical state as he navigates these different spaces.

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Speaking with Mixmag Asia, Luke clarified that he “loves his job”, but that “the work can be tiring.” “There’s something dreamlike about the whole process of working and travelling,” he elaborates, “where the days begin to blend together as sleeping, eating, and working routines suffer.” This perspective is artfully portrayed in the video, which isn’t presented linearly but blurs temporal lines as the edits jump between night and day as well as different geographical contexts.

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For Zha, the video was an opportunity to give thanks to the ‘thankless’: “Videographers, lighting crew, photographers, and others like them, all contribute to artists’ and DJs’ success, so the video is not only an insight into what life might be like working in the underground industry but also a celebration of him and others who tirelessly help to build the underground music community worldwide.”

Watch the entire video below.

Mengzy is Mixmag Asia’s Music Culture Columnist, follow her on Instagram.