Empire of the Sun’s “Alive” is already shaping up to be one of summer’s biggest and brightest hits, but what happens, you may be asking when Mat Zo takes the reigns? Good things. This sounds like the Mat Zo of 2011 — using big room tricks in a savvy manner, sweeping builds, clean effects, and complete joy to the listener’s ear. Enjoy a listen below. The remix package will be out on May 28th. Empire of the Sun’s album will be released on June 18th, you can preorder on iTunes now.
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When Mat Zo and Porter Robinson’s collaboration “Easy” was initially released its pristine production and captivating top line made it an instant classic. Now courtesy of Astralwerks, the Beatport chart topper will see its popularity renewed with the release of the 6-track “Easy” EP. With the upcoming release in mind, Mat has given Dancing Astronaut a sneak peek teaser of his original version of “Easy,” one that predated Porter’s involvement and the chart topping success that followed. Zo’s garage rendition is much more reserved than the original, whose festival-friendly builds dominated the charts and tents all last summer. Instead it takes a funkier approach, substituting big room suitability for a garage breakdown of flighty percussion and a lush, low end groove. It’s an entirely different track than the original, but is as equally gripping and infectious. Although not on “Easy’s” upcoming release EP, this cut has thankfully found a home on Mat’s full length due out later this year.
After remaining relatively quiet regarding Will.i.am’s blatant plagiarism of Arty and Mat Zo’s “Rebound,” Anjunabeats has just released an official statement on the matter. While it is true that Will.i.am. credited Arty in the sleeve notes (but not Mat Zo), Anjunabeats attests that he did not receive permission to use the track. As of writing, there has been no official paperwork filed by either party for the use of the track, further implicating Will.i.am in this ongoing case of copyright infringement. It seems you actually can’t take someone’s work without them knowing and then thank them for it later. Who knew? See Anjunabeats statement after the break. (more…)
In an interview with Associated Press, Will.i.am speaks out about the accusations that have been thrown his way regarding the use of “Rebound” in his latest track “Let’s Go,” claiming “you can’t steal if you credited somebody.” Heavily on the defensive, Will.i.am defers blame to both his legal team and Arty himself.
“What do I know, I give it to legal. I’m not an attorney, I did my piece. I gave credit to the person who did it. It’s not my fault he didn’t tell me about the other guy. So who’s to blame? I don’t know I wasn’t in the room when you made it. You should have told me you had a collaborator.”
Will continues to defend himself by claiming that this issue is something that commonly happens in music due to red tape and bureaucracy. “That happens a bunch of times. Where legal takes so long but creative is instantaneous.”
Will.i.am’s fourth studio album, #willpower, indicates strong electro-pop influences with lead singles including the Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello produced “This Is Love” and the Basto written “Scream & Shout.” Other than these collaborators, Will.I.Am had no other EDM producers come to his aid — at least to their knowledge. Today, Will’s VEVO uploaded the fifth track from the album, “Let’s Go” alongside Chris Brown, and the preview has the dance music community up in arms. ”Let’s Go” appears to be a blatant ripoff of Arty and Mat Zo‘s Anjunabeats release, “Rebound,” and not just a sample, the entire track. Listen for yourself after the break.
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Mat Zo and Porter Robinson’s acclaimed collaboration, “Easy,” has been one of the hottest tracks since its release in December, and it won’t cool down anytime soon. The boys, in tandem with Ministry of Sound, have released the official music video, giving visuals to their pride production. “Easy” now has a storyline told through artistic animation as the video follows a girl struggling with the burdens of fame and looking for escape. She seems to have found it with Mat Zo and Robinson’s “Easy.”
As most of you will remember, Mat Zo and Porter Robinson rounded out their 2012 with the epic collaboration “Easy.” The track was originally set as a demo for Zo’s forthcoming album, but after Porter heard the sprawling production, the solo venture turned into a collab. Different from the typical sounds heard from either producer, “Easy” incorporates vocal house vibes with its catchy “’cause lovin you is easy” vocal hook. The Norwegian team of Ketil Jansen and Ulrik Denizou Lund, better known as Lemâitre, have crafted a remix that begins with a soft bubbling beat before adding wobbling electro bass plugs. Turning up the tempo, the production pair create a harder-hitting remix while keeping this disco vibes intact.
Best of Instagram is a feature from Dancing Astronaut that showcases our favorite pictures from our favorite DJs on Instagram each week. This week, we’ve got gems from Chuckie, Diplo, Axwell, Seth Troxler, and more.
Mat Zo’sEssential Mix was full of tracks from various genres and styles, ranging from drum n’ bass to trance and progressive. Wedged between a five-year-old trance tune and the recently released “Wakanda” was “Karmma,” the latest offering from relatively unknown producer John Dish. The stuttering beats, heavy bass, and rolling drums caused us to do a double-take — err listen — and thanks to BBC’s handy dandy accompanying tracklist we were able to identify the song. The tune has received support from the likes of Fedde Le Grand, Hardwell, W&W, and more.