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Mat Zo

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Mat Zo
Mat Zo performing in 2013
Background information
Birth nameMatan Zohar
Also known as
Born (1990-04-30) 30 April 1990 (age 34)
London, England
Genres
OccupationElectronic musician
Instruments
  • Keyboards
  • mixer
  • synthesizer
Years active2006–present
Labels
Member of
  • Kill the Zo
  • The Mary Nixons
Websitematzomusic.com

Matan Zohar (/ˈmɑːtən ˈzoʊər/ MAH-tən ZOH-ər;[citation needed] born 30 April 1990), better known by his stage name Mat Zo, is a British DJ and electronic music producer.[5] Zohar released his debut album, Damage Control, via the Anjunabeats and Astralwerks labels on 5 November 2013.[6] His second studio album, Self Assemble, was released on 25 March 2016 under his own Mad Zoo label.[7]

Early life

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The son of artist Israel Zohar, and half-brother of Israeli singer Alma Zohar, Matan Zohar was born in London on 30 April 1990 and lived in Ohio until the age of eleven before returning to his birthland. He was raised by his mother, Wendy Caron Zohar, a professional violinist who nurtured Matan's early love of and inclination toward music. His father, who was a Kazakhstan-born painter, gifted him a guitar at the age of eight which eventually shifted to him forming musical bands and playing with drums and bass. Zohar began to explore electronic music in his teens by self-learning music production with Logic Pro and taking inspiration from artists like The Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk.[8][9]

Career

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Mat's releases on Anjunabeats have earned substantial critical acclaim, and his collaboration with Porter Robinson, "Easy", reached number eleven on the US Dance Club Songs chart, and number one on Beatport.[10][11]

On 28 August 2013, Mat Zo announced the title and artwork for his debut album Damage Control as well as a teaser track called "Little Damage". Damage Control was released on 5 November of that year. It garnered immediate critical acclaim and established Mat as an extremely versatile artist who could produce electronic music of all types and genres. Dancing Astronaut called it "an inspiring and timeless artistic debut".[12] The album went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album.[13]

On 25 March 2016, Mat Zo released his second studio album titled Self Assemble, which he speculated to be his "farewell to the [EDM] industry" due to his disenchantment with the EDM scene as of 2015.[7][14] "This album is sort of my last send-off before I go and do other things in life. It feels like I’m ready to go and venture off into other realms," stated Mat Zo to Billboard.[7] As of January 2017, Mat Zo appeared to have changed his mind about retiring due to a "renewed sense of vigor and passion",[15] and continues to tour and produce with his main name in addition to two new collectives; Kill the Zo with Kill the Noise and the Mary Nixons with the Knocks.[16][17]

His earlier drum and bass productions are under the pseudonym MRSA on Hospital Records. He also has several unreleased tracks under the MRSA moniker playable through his Myspace account.[18] Mat has also continued to produce occasional drum and bass releases under his current name, such as "Games" for UKF10 and "Blessed Be Thy Name" for This Is MAD TOO.

Mat Zo revealed through a Reddit "Ask-Me-Anything" on 6 July 2018 that he was working on a third studio album.[19] He returned to Anjunabeats in the same year with the release of his No Words EP, ending his five year hiatus from the label.[20] Mat Zo's "classic" trance and progressive sound within the EP were praised by critics.[20] Mat Zo released his third album, Illusion of Depth, through Anjunabeats in 2020. In 2021, his song "Colours (feat. Olan)" was featured in the racing video game Forza Horizon 5.[21]

Mad Zoo Records

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Following the establishment of his own label Mad Zoo in August 2014,[22] Mat Zo has focused his efforts onto expanding his label and creating a platform for upcoming artists. The first compilation on Mad Zoo, This Is Mad Zoo was released on 5 July 2019, which included 12 tracks from various artists including Mat Zo, himself. [23] The second compilation, entitled This Is Mad Too, was released exclusively on Beatport on 20 January,[24] and on all other major streaming platforms on 24 January 2020.[25] This Is Mad Too includes a total of 17 tracks from Mat Zo, Tsuruda, Rohaan, Acrillics, Gladez, Anti.Negative and others.[26] A release party for the compilation was hosted by Bass Waffles in Highland Park, Los Angeles, on 26 January.[27]

Discography

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Main article: Mat Zo discography

Studio albums

Awards and nominations

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Grammy Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
2015 Damage Control Best Dance/Electronic Album[13] Nominated

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Soundclick artist Unripelemeon". Soundclick inc. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  2. ^ "Biography". Myweb.tiscali.co.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  3. ^ Evans, Steph (31 July 2018). "Mat Zo remixes Breakbot & Ruckazoid's 'Another You'". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  4. ^ Bein, Kat (13 June 2018). "Mat Zo Shares & Breaks Down 'This Is A Mad Zoo House EP': Exclusive". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  5. ^ "MAT ZO". The DJ List, Inc. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  6. ^ "Mat Zo Makes a Playlist of Music That Moves Him". Billboard. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Sundius, Michael (8 February 2016). "Mat Zo Talks New Album, 'Self Assemble': 'This Is Sort of My Last Send-Off'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  8. ^ "Mat Zo - Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Mat Zo - Artists". Insomniac. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Mat Zo Chart History". Billboard Charts. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Porter Robinson & Mat Zo – Easy (Bring The Noise Remix)". Youredm.com. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  12. ^ "Mat Zo's 'Damage Control': an inspiring and timeless artistic debut [Interview + Album Review] - Dancing Astronaut". Dancingastronaut.com. 5 November 2013.
  13. ^ a b "Grammy Nominations for deadmau5 Mat Zo and more". Blog.lessthan3.com. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  14. ^ Hernandez, Christina (25 March 2016). "Mat Zo exudes maturity and finesse on sophomore album, 'Self Assemble'". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 28 December 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  15. ^ Hernandez, Christina (9 January 2017). "'Self Reassemble': Mat Zo tackles dance music with renewed ardor [Interview]". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  16. ^ Downs, Chad (11 August 2017). "Kill The Noise & Mat Zo release gripping, bass-heavy collaboration 'Part I'". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  17. ^ Rishty, David (14 July 2017). "The Knocks & Mat Zo Form New Supergroup 'The Mary Nixons', Watch Lyric Video for Debut Single 'Adrian': Exclusive". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  18. ^ Zo, Mat. "MRSA DnB". Myspace.com. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  19. ^ Hernandez, Christina (9 July 2018). "Mat Zo had an AMA! Here are 10 exciting takeaways, including new music". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  20. ^ a b Evans, Steph (26 October 2018). "Mat Zo returns to Anjunabeats for the extensive 'No Words' EP". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on 28 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  21. ^ "Forza Motorsport - Forza Horizon 5 has Gone Gold". forzamotorsport.net. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  22. ^ "MAD ZOO". Facebook.com. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  23. ^ "Various Artists - This is MAD ZOO". SoundCloud. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  24. ^ "Mad Zoo brings drum 'n' bass to forefront with 'This is MAD TOO' compilation [Stream]". Dancing Astronaut. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  25. ^ "MAD ZOO". Facebook.com. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  26. ^ Alzgheibi, Husam (27 January 2020). "MAD ZOO Finally Unveils 'This is MAD TOO'". EDMTunes. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  27. ^ @MAD_ZOO (25 January 2020). "📡 Now that 'This is MAD TOO' is finally out, it's time to celebrate! Come out to @BassWaffles tomorrow night in Hig…" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 January 2020 – via Twitter.
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