Zeds Dead Unveil Channel Flipping 2: “Only You” — A Nostalgic Mashup of Voices and Film
As the holidays arrive, Zeds Dead tap into the season’s reflective mood with Channel Flipping 2: Only You — a six-and-a-half-minute collage that threads together iconic songs, film clips and spoken-word moments to produce a stirring, cinematic experience.
The new piece stitches samples from artists such as Nas, Talking Heads, The Hollies, The Platters and Dionne Warwick with excerpts from films like The Mask and Midnight Cowboy, alongside commentary from comedian Bill Hicks and poet-activist Tupac Shakur. The duo spent more than a year assembling and refining the mashup.
Channel Flipping 2 plays like a flattened jukebox of time: musical fragments, vintage dialogue and unexpected textures fold into Zeds Dead’s signature psychedelic bass sound. It follows last year’s Channel Flipping installment and extends motifs first explored on their March album, Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness.
The following is an edited conversation with Zachary Rapp-Rovan of Zeds Dead about the new mashup, the album’s reception and the pull of nostalgia.
How does Channel Flipping 2: Only You build on the world and ideas you introduced with Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness? Why release it now?
It’s essentially the same universe. For a few years we’ve been imagining an old television set drifting through space, picking up fragments of broadcasts from across the last century. The Channel Flipping pieces and the album live in that same concept — they’re an homage to DJ culture and to the collage-based spirit of hip-hop. We released it now because it finally felt finished: it’s the culmination of work that’s been on and off our desks for years.
Eight months after the album’s release, do you feel listeners have connected with the concept? What reactions have stood out?
The reaction’s been great. People don’t need to unpack every idea to enjoy the music, but many listeners do pick up the concept and respond to it. We’ve heard from people who say the record and the visual pieces transported them or unlocked memories — which is always rewarding.
The project leans heavily into nostalgia. What does that say about where you are creatively and personally? Has performing these songs live changed the way they land emotionally?
Nostalgia is a powerful tool. When you manipulate samples, sometimes you conjure a feeling of familiarity for things you never personally experienced — that strange, resonant sensation. We don’t force it every time, but when it surfaces it’s exciting. It adds another emotional layer to the music, and playing that material live amplifies those reactions from the crowd.
Were you disappointed Channel Flipping didn’t receive a dance/electronic Grammy nomination?
We treated it like a long shot but submitted it regardless. We’re pretty underground, so a nomination would have been surprising. Ultimately, we don’t make music for trophies — being able to create and share it with people is reward enough.
Channel Flipping 2: Only You is available to stream and watch online. The original Channel Flipping mashup can be viewed on YouTube.
Watch the first Channel Flipping mashup on YouTube
