At 24 years of age, Mat Zo has already conquered more genres than most producers manage in a lifetime – refusing to be put in pigeonholes. Ever since his teenage days topping the trance and drum & bass charts simultaneously, the producer has been destined to rip up the rule book and break new ground.
Released on Astralwerks and Anjunabeats in fall 2013, his debut artist album “Damage Control” realised his multi-layered visions in the most emphatic style; the culmination of a young life’s work. A #1 Billboard Heatseeker and iTunes Dance album, the LP included his electric Porter Robinson collaboration “Easy”, the euphoric blasts of “Lucid Dreams” and the chunky drops of “Pyramid Scheme” (feat. Public Enemy’s Chuck D), but was arguably most exciting for its excursions into hip hop, French house, UK garage and so much beyond.
Critically acclaimed, the praise for the bold debut came from all angles too. Rolling Stone exclaimed “Zo is an innovator in the electronic genre who blends cultures with finesse,” while Vibe even went so far to describe Mat as “One of the best things to emerge out of the UK since The Beatles.” LessThan3 really put it best when they said “The eclectic and outspoken Mat Zo can pretty well crush any kind of track he wants, and if you don’t believe us, check out his genre-bending debut album, Damage Control.”
Both before and since, acts as varied as Skrillex, Tiesto, Diplo, Avicii and Above & Beyond have championed his sounds (often at the biggest events on the planets), while Zo himself spends his time zig-zagging a¬¬¬cross the planet – rocking the crowds at festivals like Insomniac’s EDC, Miami’s Ultra and Belgium’s Pukklepop, as well as club shows the world over.
Renowned as an artist in the truest sense of the word, the prodigious producer has also added his unique remix touch to the likes of Empire Of The Sun, Chromeo and even the Lion King’s iconic “Circle Of Life” for Disney, as well as contributing a soundtrack composition to forthcoming film Our Robot Overlords (starring Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson).
Now a label owner himself, Mat’s experimental Mad Zoo record label is again going against the status quo – promising to explore both new sounds and new models for music consumption.
Launched with the funky disco-jam of “Get Down 2 Get Up” (feat. The Knocks) and electro-breaks banger “Left To Right”, it will follow with tracks like the reggae-sampling trap of “Bad Boy”. Beyond that? Who knows. When Mat’s involved, there is only one rule: expect the unexpected.