As a man who consistently reinvents himself time and time again, Mat Zo has become one of the most prolific and inspiring EDM producers of our current generation. Known from his wildly eccentric sets that span a wide range of genres, his amazing co-productions with Arty and Porter Robinson, (as well as his unusual solo productions and remixes), Zo has been constantly pushing the envelope through future musical trends and is an artist who is predominantly against the grain from many of his peers. While he presents his own brand of Progressive House music today, he is most recognized for his astounding Trance roots through his good friends at Anjunabeats. However, even before his first rebirth, Mat Zo was already bashing walls down with his prolific Drum & Bass career under the name of MRSA. Creating stunning classics such as Different and Chemicals, his unique, precision based ideologies as well as his implementation of padded atmospheres stood out among the rest while even holding it own to this day. However, in 2013, Mat decided to dust off the archives of his older sound with a DnB remix to the brand new single by Above & Beyond entitled Love Is Not Enough. Featured on A&B‘s Group Therapy album, it was a highly successful single that contained high iconic value as well as quality vocal writing. With a new alias called MRZO, he crafts a beautiful left field interpretation and injects some Future Funk DnB vibes through his mix.
Starting out with an incredibly clean percussion section mechanically rolling the piece along, a simple, but effective melodic ostinato connects with filtered vocals and impressively reverbed vocal timbres. As the lyrics of Zoe Johnston finally emerges from its muted confines, rising laser beams puncture the soundspace before a fantastic addition of a moving bassline breathes some full bodied character throughout the phrase. The conversation between the elegant vocal timbres and the mint, but slightly ferocious drive of Mat‘s drums provides excellent variety while also giving each section more clarity and space to shine through. This notion becomes even more interesting when he flips the track on its head with the addition of thick block waves and growling snarls with alternating harmonic accompaniments. The ‘breakdown’ isn’t a breakdown in the ordinary sense, as the drums and melodic ostinatos still systematically chug along; (but without low EQ, mind you). Flowing pads tease our senses as the cascading vocals return to the forefront to deliver its heartfelt message. As the return of those brutal, yet refined lasers returns, he smoothly transitions back to the constant flow of percussive magic that seems to emanate throughout his fingertips. The entire piece has a certain, glowing feature to it, as the serenity and peacefulness of MRZO‘s tone purveys throughout the warm vocals and tight knit orchestration.
MRZO‘s remix of Above & Beyond‘s single, Love Is Not Enough, is available now on Anjunabeats on Beatport, so make sure you pick up this superb musical work today. Make sure you check back next week on Sunrise Sessions where we relax with some beautiful Progressive for your Sunday morning.
Keep the music alive. -Q
Beatport: http://www.beatport.com/track/love-is-not-enough-feat-zoe-johnston-mrzo-remix/3384753
Sources
http://www.1001tracklists.com/artist/37449_mrsa/index.html
On Sunrise Sessions, we find tracks that best exemplifies the chilled, low energy vibes of early Sundays to start your day off on the right foot. We want to show you what many are missing and help you discover an entire ecosystem of music that’s waiting to be explored. Not to be held down by genres, we look into music in a variety of styles, including Progressive, Deep House, Ambient and even tracks that aren’t a part of EDM! Singles, remixes, mashups, bootlegs, edits and collaborations will be featured as well as a wide variety of artists ranging from established, well known names to people who purely reside in the underground.
