Mat Zo – Damage Control Album Review – BUY – iTunes
An unmistakeable view of Manhattan in the background; the crowd was fidgeting full of anticipation – the second day of Electric Zoo was upon show goers. The DJ’s booth was lifted high on a rotating pedestal – when something unexpected hit the crowd. The lights dimmed, a song queued – Superman appeared from behind the stage and took to position with his fingers on the controls. The words Mat Zo flashed onto the marquee above, the sound and the energy level dropped to the floor. Mat Zo delivered one of the best live shows during the next hour, leaving a crowd stunned and star-struck in disbelief. Zo’s set was full of tracks that the crowd was expecting, but it wasn’t just those tracks that left an impression. What Electric Zoo patrons just heard were a slew of original sounds forthcoming from Mat Zo’s debut album.
Growing up in London with an accomplished violinist mother, Matan Zohar found himself with parents who taught him from a young age to appreciate music. Strumming his first guitar at the age of eleven – Zo found himself intrigued by the likes of Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers. Emerging from this foundation of music, Mat humbly began assembling his influences into a working piece that would one day become known as Damage Control. Released in November, the album made a massive worldwide presence on internet radio shows ranking on the top of charts on online stores including iTunes and Beatport.
Damage Control drifts across a variety of sounds from his hip hop inspired “Pyramid Scheme” featuring Chuck D himself, to a collaboration with Porter Robinson that launched “Easy” to Beatport’s #1 single chart. The album also features songs from Zo’s past such such as “The Sky” which we were first introduced to in 2012 featuring Linnea Schossow on vocals – a staple in many trance and progressive DJs sets. Another surprise on the EP began as a drum & bass production, “Lucid Dreams” has evolved through Zo’s set as a big-room trance track that’s been echoing in radio shows for the past month. One of our favorite directions Zo took with Damage Control is the French House influence with tracks like “Only For You” and “Hurricane” featuring pulsating melodies and atmospheric productions.
We’ve tried our best to explain Zo’s Damage Control but the album is so full of original sounds, words really can’t do justice. What we mean here for example is “Time is on Your Side” is a track that reinvents a familiar 90’s pop-alternative rock sound fused with an electro-trance element: imagine power house trance meets the New Radicals. More than that, Damage Control is a sneak peak into the musical career of Mat Zo and we regard him as one of the most promising artists we’ve covered on the blog. Rolling Stone’s John Luerssen describes Damage Control as bringing “an amalgam of styles to the world of EDM.” We couldn’t agree more. This release is not only huge for Mat Zo, but also it proves to the electronic music industry that music doesn’t have to be just about drops, bass and bangers. What it does prove is there is underlying, quality talent within the dance music scene and Damage Control is undoubtedly ahead of its time.
– TK
Mat Zo ft. Rachel K Collier – “Only For You”
Mat Zo ft. Porter Robinson – “Easy”
Mat Zo – “Caller ID”
Mat Zo ft. Chuck D – “Pyramid Scheme”
Mat Zo ft. Linnea Schossow – “The Sky”
Mat Zo Featuring Janai – “Time On Your Side”
Mat Zo – EZ
Mat Zo ft. Eyes That Lie – “Hurricane”
Mat Zo – “Time Dilation”