Electronic music heavyweights Zeds Dead return with a striking new collaboration, teaming up with Rotterdam-based producer IMANU and Toronto vocalist MKLA on their latest single, “Runaway,” out January 26 via Deadbeats.
Blending future bass atmospheres with high-impact drum & bass energy, “Runaway” unfolds as a cinematic and emotionally charged production. Lush, glowing synths sit alongside deep, pulsing low end, while MKLA’s ethereal yet commanding vocal performance anchors the track with a sense of tension, vulnerability, and release. From its opening moments, the single defies convention, moving from an airy yet weighty first drop into a blistering second act that fully embraces IMANU’s sharp, forward-facing DnB aesthetic.
The result is a dynamic sonic journey that highlights the shared creative vision between all three artists, each pushing past genre boundaries in pursuit of something timeless.
“Runaway” also marks a reunion between Zeds Dead and MKLA, following their previous collaborations “Alive” (2021) and “In My Head” (2022). Her performance once again proves central to the track’s emotional resonance, seamlessly weaving together the contrasting production styles of Zeds Dead and IMANU while amplifying the song’s themes of longing and escape.
The single arrives as Zeds Dead’s first official release since their acclaimed 2025 album Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness, a project that further solidified their reputation as boundary-pushing electronic visionaries. The Canadian duo recently sold out their 12th annual Deadrocks event at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, underscoring both their lasting cultural impact and fiercely dedicated global fanbase.
“Runaway” follows a creatively defining year for the duo, which also saw the release of their immersive audiovisual project Channel Flipping 2: Only You. Premiering exclusively via Billboard, the piece expanded the conceptual universe of Return to the Spectrum of Intergalactic Happiness and was praised as “heartstring-pulling… whipping up nostalgia, inspiration and a spirit of purpose.” That same narrative ambition now carries forward into “Runaway.”
For IMANU, the collaboration lands amid a major career moment. In October 2025, he headlined his De Verte showcase with Mixmag LAB during ADE, recording a live performance at Melkweg set to debut January 25. The showcase captured the rapid evolution of his live vision: genre-fluid, emotionally charged, and visually immersive, blending drum & bass, leftfield bass, and breaks through a distinctly European club lens. Alongside a growing catalogue of high-profile releases and a fashion-forward creative identity, IMANU continues to establish himself as one of electronic music’s most forward-thinking artists.
About Zeds Dead
Visionary producers and undeniable cultural forces, Zeds Dead have spent over a decade shaping the landscape of modern electronic music. Formed in 2009, the duo’s genre-blending sound and expansive discography have earned hundreds of millions of streams and a fiercely loyal global following.
In 2016, they released their debut album Northern Lights, featuring collaborations with artists including Diplo, Pusha T, and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, and receiving widespread critical acclaim. That same year, they launched their influential label Deadbeats, now one of dance music’s leading independent imprints with more than 300 releases from trailblazing artists such as REZZ, Subtronics, GRiZ, Levity, and Zeds Dead themselves.
Beyond the studio, Zeds Dead continue to redefine the live electronic experience through ambitious touring concepts, including the Deadbeats Tour and their flagship Deadrocks show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre — an annual event that has sold out every year since 2014.
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