Heard It Here First

The up-and-coming phenom, Hamdi, has teamed up with multi-genre EDM veterans, Zeds Dead, to bring us their highly anticipated collaboration, “Criminal,” featuring Warrior Queen. “Criminal” is the newest Deadbeats label release and the track follows hot on the trails of Hamdi’s solo single “Counting,” which was released at the end of May and topped the Beatport charts, as well as generated major excitement on social media from fans.

Zeds Dead’s roster of diverse collaborations continues to grow and exceed expectations time and time again, and “Criminal” proves to be an insanely perfect matchup. This release hits the masses at the perfect time, as Zeds Deads 9th annual Deadbeats takeover graces the bass capital, Denver, CO. This takeover reigns true, with two back-to-back sold-out nights at Red Rocks on July 2nd and 3rd, the third annual Backyard Jamboree at Civic Park Center which will host over 10,000 people, AND a two-set performance at Mission Ballroom.

Hamdi makes his Denver debut on Monday, July 3rd, as a supporting act on night 2 of Deadrocks – a legendary itinerary after this huge of a team-up for the rising star.

Hamdi’s burly production style hits on everything from Dubstep, UKG, and Grime, and he continues to garner support from big names in the scene such as Skrillex, Fred Again.., Porter Robinson, Sherelle, and even dubstep pioneer Skream.

“Criminal” opens with Warrior Queen’s vocals tied to that classic bass sound that Hamdi nails. The build-up continues with repeated lyricism, and then it drops into the grimy blend of warbling synths, honing that UKG sound that we know and love. There’s been some serious hype about Hamdi hitting the electronic scene hard in the last two years, and this epic collab between the two distinct artists is sure to be played out amongst our favorite DJs at festivals for the rest of the year. This high-intensity production brings an infectious energy that’s sure to get you moving and grooving on the dancefloor.

Here’s what Hamdi had to say about his new Zeds Dead collab:

“We started sending over stems and had a really good basis for the track initially. I was in Toronto for a show then, so me and Dylan jumped in the studio for a day to develop the track and had such a great session. It was an amazing experience to work together in person, and everything just flowed really nicely.” – Hamdi

Hamdi is hitting the road for the second leg of U.S. tour and playing in select cities in July, as well as linking up with Zeds Dead once again as support on their Carolina Open Air weekend extravaganza in Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday, October 13th.

Let us know what you think of “Criminal” down below in the comments, as well as if you plan to catch Hamdi or Zeds Dead anytime soon. We hope this is the first of many collaborations between the two HIHF favorites!

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