Naarm-based producer ZK king 劉 creates straight up mesmerising electronic music.

A project of multi-talented writer Jamie Marina Lau, known for her novels ‘Pink Mountain on Locust Island’ and ‘Gunk Baby’, her tracks are created in Ableton in between writing projects. She utilises lo-fi electronic production and rippling harmonies to create vast worlds, such as in 2019’s ‘Typhoon’, a delicate meditation on perceptions of female bodies. 

Her latest release ‘trance!’ is a swirling electronic dream. Thundering drums and flickering glitches sit under hypnotic vocals as Lau demonstrates her skill in layering small loops to build a sonic world. Impressively, the track was produced in just one day. Lau says:

“‘trance!’ “was created to celebrate getting braces, bleaching my hair, moving spots and starting to produce again.” 

These themes of change and transition are evident throughout ‘trance!’, both lyrically and sonically. The track is a slow burn that stays true to its name, never quite reaching a climax, but always keeping the listener engrossed. With ZK king 劉, Lau continues to prove that she’s a true multidisciplinary artist, creating spellbinding art across many mediums.

Listen to ZK king 劉 intro herself on Up For It up top. 

Tune in to Up For It with Courtney Ammenhauser every Monday from 6am to meet your Independent Artist of the Week!