|
Interview with Mat Zo ( 22.06.2008 - 19:00 GMT UTC )
1. Let me ask You this Matan, speaking from an artist perspective a lot of producers try to send You beats, in order to make remixes for them, especially when You on the come up and on the grind. What do You look for in a beat, what type of sound You need ?
Mat Zo: I look for catchy elements or anything that sounds inspiring. When I do a remix i'm just trying to take something i like out of the original track and turn it into my own ideas.
2. Speaking about You as an artist, Dj, producer and remixer, what made You decide that You want to follow this road, the EDM industry ?
Mat Zo: I have always wanted to create music since i was little. When i got into producing and djing there was no doubt about it, this was what i wanted to do for a living. The fact that its slowly happening is a dream come true.
3. I know, that on 21st of July, within a month from now, You will be opening for Dj Tiesto @ Privilege in Ibiza, please tell me more about it.
Mat Zo: Well, I opened for Tiesto at London's Indig02 in February, after I played they told me they wanted me to open for Tijs in Ibiza. I told them that I was more than interested. It's going to be an amazing night and it will be my biggest gig to date. You can imagine how excited I am.
4. Please tell me more about the Zoned project and what is that all about, thanks mate
Mat Zo: I used to have a weekly 2 hour show on Pure.fm called 'Forecast' but as I got more and more busy, I had less time to do the show every week. So Afterhours.fm offered me a monthly show and I accepted. After the first show I decided i wanted to do something different. So from Wednesday the 25th of June, it's going to have a different concept, different from any show I know. There will be commentary on some of the track from my friend Alex De Ville who is an MC and has the ability to hear music and come up with a visual picture in his mind that describes the music. I thought it would be funny for him to tell the AH.fm listeners his interpretation of the sounds he's hearing. Another addition to the show will be a track, produced by me, that Alex would give a descriptive criteria for me to work with (usually a crazy futuristic scenario). So, every month there would be an exclusive descriptive Mat Zo production. I'm hoping it will work.
5. For the track 'Nutcracker' along Eddie Sender, please tell me how did this happen and how come You 2 came up with this name ?
Mat Zo: When I heard Maya, one of Eddie's tracks, I immediately knew that this guy was gonna be big. I got his MSN and I told him that I wanted to collaborate. I started on an idea and Eddie added the magic. The name is just a play on words, not very funny I know.
6. If You don`t mind asking, I realize it`s a bit hash to ask, but for a young lad like You, can You speak on the ups and downs with You pursuing your career in the EMI (Electronic Music Industry) ?
Mat Zo: There are too many ups to mention. But, some of the downsides are to do with pursuing a serious career in the music industry and not going to university. I guess I will be missing out on student life, but as far as I see it, I am doing something that I love and that's better than any student bar.
7. You dropped a project earlier so how would You compare the new to the last ?
Mat Zo: I try and make every new project different from the last. I guess I just get bored with one sound and I constantly need new ideas to keep me interested in music. I cant really describe what's different, I just use different sounds.
8. I was playing one of Your last remixes on Your MySpace profile from Mark Pledger vs Matt Hardwick, along the angelic voice from Melinda Gareh called 'Fallen tides', but I wonder how did You came up with this remix ?
Mat Zo: I love remixing tracks with angelic female vocals, even though the result is always something incredibly cheesy. My remix of "Fallen tides" is very cheesy, but I tried to give it harder, dirtier elements to contrast the cheese.
9. Looks like on 5th of July, which is within almost 2 weeks from now, You`ll be playing in The Netherlands for one of my friends event, Bo van Eck from Luminosity events, along big names such as Leon Bolier, Kyau & Albert, Airbase, Sebastian Brandt, Tenishia, Manuel le Saux, Galen Behr, just to name a few... will it be a live pa and what are a few of the tracks from that night`s playlists or will be a random chosen playlist ?
Mat Zo: I am doing a 1 hour set, and I have no clue what I'm going to play until I play it. I never have a set tracklist, I like to go with the flow. Besides, DJing is supposed to be fun, it's not fun when you know what's coming next.
10. Please tell me about any upcoming projects You might have and who will take part, what names have You got so far on Your list to collaborate with ?
Mat Zo: Recently I have been stuck in my room making DnB and Hospital records are in the early stages of signing some material, but we will see about that. Trance wise, I have many originals which will be released later this year along side many remixes. I believe that Eddie Sender and I will do more collaborations in the future. I have also completed some electro projects with Tyler Michaud which should come out on Definitive at some point.
11. Please drop a few lines to the ones reading this exclusive interview, especially the TranceSound.net members community, thanks
Mat Zo: I want to say thanks to anyone who likes my music and supports me. I am still baffled by the fact that there's people out there who listen to my music. Thank you.
Interview made by Cosmin Lukacs aka Dj K8oard (TranceSound.net admin/founder)
Links:
Mat Zo @ MySpace
|
|
|
|
|