Exclusive Interview with Mat Zo

Siam2nite had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with Mat Zo, shortly before his performance at Levels on 5th March.

You come from a creative background - your father is a painter, your mother a professional violinist. You grew up in London and you play several instruments such as guitar, bass and drums. What led you to focus on electronic dance music and how/where was your first encounter with electronic dance music?

I guess Daft Punk and Chemical Brothers were the first electronic acts I heard. I was 13 when I first touched a sequencer and I was instantly hooked. It actually all started with digital art. To me back then composing a picture in photoshop and producing a track in fl-studio were part of the same thing, I just loved making shit on computers.

After just 3 years of producing music, you got picked up by Above & Beyond's prestigious Anjunabeats record label. Now - at the young age of 24 - you have already released a critically acclaimed debut album, took Beatport’s #1 position with “Easy” (a collaborative track with Porter Robinson) and spent 4 consecutive years in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs list. Is it a gift or a curse to be so successful at such a young age? How do you manage to keep your feet on the ground?

The fact is, my feet are nowhere near the ground. You can't go from being a loser in high school to superstar DJ without getting a least a little fucked up along the way.

You refuse to be pigeon-holed to a certain genre and produce a wide range of electronic dance music – from Progressive Trance & Progressive House, to Electro House, Drum&Bass, and even Dubstep, Trap and Garage. How would you describe your music? Is there a common denominator among all the music your produce?

The only common denominator is me. Sometimes I don't feel it, but people say they can tell when I've produced something, no matter what style. I don't think you can avoid leaving your mark on something you've made, because the way you make music will be different to anyone else.

What track, remixes and/or mix-sets would you recommend to someone that is not yet familiar with your music?

I'd probably let someone else do that who knows that someone better than I do.

You have played at the biggest clubs and festivals all over the world, including EDC and Ultra Music Festival. What were the most memorable & the most terrible gigs you played and what were the funniest things occurring during your performances?

I think the gig I had in Macau wins all 3. I was playing in some fancy room with no dance floor but hundreds of bottle service tables. About 20 minutes into my set some drunk guy, accompanied by bouncers, stumbles into the booth while I'm playing and tries to play with the decks. I told him to get the fuck out of there, and he pushed pause on the deck that was playing, I pushed him and he fell over. He tried to kick me and missed, and that's when his bouncers escorted him out of the venue.

On 5th March you will make your Thailand Debut at Levels. Have you ever visited Thailand before? What can the Bangkok crowd expect of your upcoming performance?

I've been once before but it was at a smaller club. Expect loud music, people dancing and drinking.