Mat Zo and Arty

Today we're heading towards the EDM and electronic side of music. I recently went to a show where Mat Zo was the headlining artists, and my goodness was I blown away. As an artist, Mat Zo has been known to dabble in genres that are kind of all over the place. Specifically though, he started out with trance music, and that is exactly the kind of show we got.

Electronic music has taken on this interesting evolution, growing and shaping into different styles all the time. And there are definitely some things I love about the electronic music scene now, and there are definitely some things I am not a huge fan of as well. Now Mat Zo takes us back more old school. His set list was full of the progressive house and trance style we had around 2008. The pronounced beats, runway style sounds, and smooth synths to polish it off. I mean this show had everything! And I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed jamming out to the kind of electronic music which made me fall in love with the genre in the first place. The beautiful blend of music, fading in and out between trance and house was simply spectacular.

Mat Zo's production skill is magnificent and masterful beyond belief. The man is Grammy nominated producer after all. But even from his debut album, we get more than just a taste of his skill and dexterity as a producer. For starters, this song is about 8 minutes long. Seems like a long time, doesn't it? When it comes to trance music though, this is completely normal. Part of the beauty of trance music is in creating an atmosphere, an aura and vibe that you can fully immerse yourself in. There are some standard elements of trance music which can be found in this track. The way Mat Zo somehow creates a mid-track climax, to the way the beat is "dropped." In this song, there is no crazy beat drop or heavy synth sounds going to work. In fact, Mat Zo strips those sounds away for pieces of the song. We get to feel and hear more of the ambient melodies and the ethereal vocals.

Generally in trance music we also hear female vocalists with voices softer and lighter than a feather. Yet there is something incredibly theatrical and grand about their performances, which somehow arms the track with a transcendent kind of power and strength. Linne Schossow lends her voice to this song, and she brings so much grace and dainty beauty to the table. It works so well with this track because her voice skates over the top of the instrumentation. It is gentle enough to create a mood and set the tone, but her voice also has the power to penetrate the rest of the music and weave its glassy sound throughout. And this is where the trance-like characteristics really show themselves.

It is interesting though, because there are also some interesting Daft Punk sounds going on in this track. To be fair, I would consider it to be more retro than anything else. Mat Zo was on a mission with this album as a whole, capturing the vibe from 90s artists like Daft Punk and The Chemical Brothers while giving these classics a modern twist. And I think it worked brilliantly! Though this track doesn't fall into the normal or classic scope of Daft Punk or The Chemical Brothers, there are still elements of this retro vibe hidden in the track. This one is the dreamiest off the album, the more trance influenced and therefore, also the longest. But there is an enchanting and mesmerizing artistry to the track. It is exciting and emotional, powerful and strong all at the same time. The way Mat Zo carefully crafts this track into a progressive trance one is absolutely wicked.

For those of you who haven't spent much time with Mat Zo, I highly recommend it. The music he has created goes beyond the two albums he has released. Remixes galore also fill his dossier of music. Mat Zo is a DJ who very well may be bringing back the best of classics, and this will be such an interesting ride to be on.

Today's instrumental track is by another DJ who follows Mat Zo's line of musical thought, Arty. He has been around for a while, but his name has been in and out of the light. I know that I haven't spent much time talking about him, and wanted to shed some light on his name. Arty tends to take more of a trance approach to his music, but that isn't to say there is no progressive house elements to be heard. In this track though, we especially here that wonderful early trance sound. We can almost feel the percussive and bass layers get stripped away and slowly brought back in, creating these moments of growing intensity. Then, we get dropped into an atmospheric and exciting wave of sound. I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!



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