Exclusive Interview with Four Color Zack

Siam2nite had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with Four Color Zack, shortly before his performance at Red Bull Thre3style Showcase on 30th April.

You are a DJ from Seattle (USA) and the 2012 World Champion of the prestigious Red Bull Thre3style 2012 competition. What can you tell us about your background and cornerstones of your development as a DJ that led to winning the champion title in 2012?

I grew up playing guitar and bass in rock bands which somehow overtime transformed into making rap beats and mix tapes. I always treated DJing as a hobby, even still now that it is my career. I think because of that I'm able to get the most out of it and stay excited about being a part of the industry of DJing.

Besides your winning set at Red Bull Th3style, what other videos, mix-sets, tracks and/or remixes would you recommend as an introduction for someone that is not familiar with you yet?

Anything on my Soundcloud is a start. The Do-Over live mix on there is fun. It was from a day party that goes down in LA that is always packed with really great people and even better vibes.

What impact had the Red Bull Th3style champion title on your career and what were your personal highlights, the best and the worst gigs and the funniest things that occurred during your performances in the past 3 years since winning the title?

The win made me take it all a little more seriously, it made me treat it more like a career than a hobby. Although, I think its important for it to always be thought of as a hobby that just I'm just lucky enough to be my career. I've been able to play all over the world for all kinds of crowds. Experiencing how DJing is the same and how it is different is probably my favorite part of traveling. Going from a 40k person festival on the beach in Japan to a basement club in Atlanta to a van tour across Canada… its all such a wild time.

How does your current schedule look like, where and what kind of events do you play and what are you currently working and focusing on?

I end up playing a wide range of events from bottle service clubs to basement parties to festivals to private events. Id hate to have to pick just one to play, they all have something special about them so its great to be able to do them all.

In March 2015 you released a collaborative 4-track EP (with DJ Scene) on Fool’s Gold, the record label of A-Trak & Nick Catchdubs. What can you tell us about the EP and your ambitions as music producer?

Scene and I have known each other for a long time both living in Seattle. We both tour the club circuit heavy, so when we started making tunes together it was always geared at stuff we could play out. We had a handful of things we were excited about that was testing well and wanted to get some features on them, which we were lucky enough to get and that became M.O.P. and Mad Lion for both Slap It Down and Stomp. We both have great relationships with Fool's Gold and the fam over there so they were our first thought when finding a home for the records. It was a perfect fit. So yeah it came out a month or so ago and its been doing great. We're already hard at work on the sequel! Beyond that I've been continuing to make tunes on my own and with some of my friends just as an outlet. Playing your own music in your sets is a great feeling.

What can you tell us about clubbing and nightlife in Seattle? Do you have any nightlife-related suggestions for first-time visitors?

When I think of Seattle club life, for me, I think back to early 2000's era when the city was still a lot more underdeveloped (more so than now at least). We had a great scene and a handful of weekly nights that could keep you busy all week. It was made up of such an incredible variety of people, styles, music… it felt very homegrown, very lawless. It was before the DJ industry exploded to the level its at now so we would get all sorts of huge name guys back then for cheap, make amazing friends, share a lot of late nights. Thats what club life is all about to me, just sharing a ton of laughs and making a lot of great friends. The Seattle scene is still going strong but since I'm on the road so much, I'm a lot more removed from it. Id say come to Seattle and just hop from bar to bar, you're bound to find something cool to get into.

On April 30 you perform live in Bangkok at DEMO at the Red Bull Thre3Style Showcase Thailand. Have you visited Thailand before? What can the Bangkok crowd expect of your performance?

No I haven't been to Thailand before but I'm so excited! Its one of the places I've been looking forward to visiting. Bangkok can expect a really fun and open set from me, and I hope everyone is ready to party and have some laughs and dance their asses off cause thats what its all about.

The Red Bull Th3style competition will be held in Thailand for the first time ever in July 2015. How would you explain the concept to someone that has never heard of it and what advice would you give to the Thailand’s participating DJs?

My short explanation of Thre3style is an international traveling DJ competition that throws the best party you've ever been to while searching for the next legendary DJ. Its about having fun and letting loose, sharing some really unforgettable moments, and seeing some incredible showcase DJ sets.