After unfortunately skipping the first date, I dusted off my web raver kit and, on Saturday the 5th, I did my triumphant return in the pixeled world of Minecraft. Accustomed as I was to the musical madness of the Open Pit branded events, the first hour masterfully conducted by Nox Vahn with a fine progressive house tracklist was a noteworthy warm-up. Seeing how even softer and more melodic genres are still suitable for this type of event was definitely a nice discovery. Between regular visits to the stage to see people’s reactions to the opening act, I also took the time to wander around the stage and the whole map.
 

When Mat Zo himself took the stage, I abandoned my ambitions as an explorer and teleported right in the middle of the pit, ready to enjoy the show. For the next two hours, it was delirium. While the sublime musical selection and on-point mixing skills formed the foundation of the party’s success, what really made the difference was the positivity of the participants and an exceptional set of visual effects. I understand that you need to be a bit of a nerd to fully enjoy these things, but there really was something for everyone. The more classic Eric Prydz-style lasers and strobe light shows were joined by surreal gimmicks such as sudden gravity variations, heavy screen distortions and even dragons. Dragons flying around the stage, dragons on the console, dragons everywhere. This is exactly why I’m into this kind of event so much. While on Twitch you can “just” watch, in Minecraft you live an interactive experience where you have a certain degree of participation. As in real venues, a lot depends on how the host curates the whole thing, but I can guarantee you that the Mad Zoo team did an exceptional job and took care of every single detail, from the toilets in the lobby to the majestic mainstage. Now do you understand why I wrote the ticket is well worth the price?

While I was enjoying a particularly hilarious visual trip, I imagined the skeptical and disgusted faces of club and festival purists, but then I also realized: whoever said that clubbing has to be a serious thing? History teaches us that everything was born as a form of escapism from oppressive conditions and music basically serves to accompany and improve our lives. There is no “right” way to do this. What I saw in those three hours were many people happy to be able to get together to celebrate something they love. Clearly, everyone would have wanted to be sweating in flesh and blood in front of a real stage, but the real strength lies in not giving up in front of nothing and continuing to perpetrate our passions even against all odds. For this reason, I’d like to congratulate all the staff who allowed the event to take place, from the developers to the admins and moderators who were impeccable and always available throughout the whole show. Like so many other attendees, I admit that now I wouldn’t hesitate a second to buy a ticket to a Mat Zo live show. A further example that makes it clear that this is not just a game.

The next (digital) tour date is scheduled for Saturday 12th December with Fatum as opening act. You can grab your tickets here.

The post Another Night In Minecraft: Illusion of Depths Tour Review appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

I started working on Illusion of Depth because I wanted to make a body of work that was cohesive. I’m usually known for being all over the place, but I wanted to make an album that had unifying qualities. In this case, partly it’s the tempo. Everything on the album is in the 124-128 bpm range, but within that constraint, I still managed to be all over the place stylistically. There’s also a lot more live/non-digital elements on this album than my previous work. I was getting really tired of how clean everything is in this corner of dance music. Above all else, I wanted to make an album with grit, texture, and attitude. I wanted to make a fuck you statement to the safe, sugary, fluffy world of a post-EDM trance.

Matan Zohar aka Mat Zo

The sentiment reigns true in the record. Zohar artfully works through the norms of trance and creates an album that lovers of all dance music can enjoy. As someone who doesn’t normally listen to trance, I was hesitant to go through a full Anjunabeats release, but I can attest that there’s truly something for everyone. I’ll even let you in on a few of my favorites.

‘Fly While You’re Still Free’ is magical and appropriately named. Guided by celestial synths, the soloist starts the song by singing the title name, “Fly while you’re still free, like the winds and the sea…” Then, the track takes you on a voyage, pulling you through an otherworldly sky as the singer chants, “I’ll be your sweet song” until the end. I don’t doubt this is something we’ll be hearing at festival stages across the digital and physical realm, once they return.

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Mat Zo collaborates with Olan three times on the album, but ‘Paralysis’ was certainly a standout for me. The song shows a different side of the Illusion of Depth, focusing on the singer’s chilling vocals rather than electronic elements that you would find in other tracks. ‘Paralysis’ ends powerfully with a classic rock anthem staple: an electric guitar solo—which we honestly weren’t expecting at all.

Though, this isn’t the first time the two have worked together. Zohar gave insight on their professional and personal relationship.

A big part of the conception of the album came from working with Olan. She’s a highly skilled singer, songwriter, and producer and we’ve known each other for years. We had been in the studio working on a bunch of material before this, and that helped us grow a common musical identity. When it came to writing this album we were already comfortable with each other. This allowed the songs on the album, to be honest, opposed to a bunch of toplines plastered on top of already formed tracks. Every song we wrote together is personal, sincere, and holds a lot of meaning for both of us.

Mat Zo

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The post Mat Zo Defies Post-EDM Trance in ‘Illusion of Depth’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

With the announcement of their first compilation featuring both label favourites, FUXWITHIT favourites and up-and-coming stars, the idea of This Is MAD ZOO made our insides tickle with excitement. Fans of dark, bass-riddled music are in for a treat in the first half of the compilation, as the aforementioned artists along with Craze, Kayoh, anti.negative and DWAM offer unique takes on halftime and midtempo to get your blood pumping. The remaining artists, namely Left/Right, Tank Parade, Rome in Silver, HELLBOUND! and Vhsceral slightly stray from those genres, without escaping the beauty of bass and musicality.

Don’t miss the entire compilation below, you won’t be disappointed.

The post MAD ZOO Unleash Star-Studded Debut Compilation ‘This Is MAD ZOO’ appeared first on FUXWITHIT.

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