Introducing: Zedd

Introducing: Zedd

25 October, 2010 | 6.32AM

• Written by: Beatportal
• Filed under: Music News: mau5trap, remix contest, skrillex, zedd

Last week, rising talent Skrillex made his debut on Mau5trap with the Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites EP. Alongside remixers Noisia and Bare Noize there’s another name you might recognize: Zedd. If the name sounds familiar, it’s with good reason: the artist may not have released much, but he has distinguished himself as the winner of not one but two Beatport remix contests.

Zedd (aka Anton Zaslavski) took the top slot in both Armand Van Helden’s “Witch Doktor” contest and then, not long thereafter, Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” competition.

That was just the beginning for the rising German producer, and now that he’s landed on Mau5trap, it looks like bigger things are in store for him.

Skrillex told us, “I came across Zedd on MySpace a few months back, when he had sent me some stuff he had been working on. From the musical detail to the mix quality I was really impressed, and first thing I thought was that I have to do something with this guy. Excited to see where he may end up in 2011!”

We asked Zedd to share some of the secrets to his success. Read on for the full interview, and check out Zedd’s new Beatport Top 10.

First of all, congrats on the Mau5trap release, that’s HUGE! How did that come about? I can only imagine that it can’t be very easy to get one of your demos heard by Deadmau5. How did you hook up with him?

Thank you! Well, I guess it truly not easy to have Deadmau5 listen to your demos since he’s usually extremely busy. A few months ago I hooked up with Skrillex and sent him a demo of my “This Year” remix which he enjoyed pretty much. He asked me to do a remix for his song “Weekends.” Seeing that I’ve always been a huge fan of Skrillex, I was obviously very happy to get the opportunity to remix the track.

Skrillex loved my “Weekends” remix and uploaded it onto his MySpace, site which got me loads of attention. Just a few weeks later, things came together that Skrillex was going to release his Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites EP on Mau5trap and he asked me to do a remix for it. I only had three days to do the remix as it had to be released within an extremely tight schedule.

At this point, I want to thank Sonny (Skrillex) for helping me so much with my career. He’s not only an amazing producer but also a great friend!


Being the winner of two Beatport remix contests, has it helped your career at all?

Yes, most certainly. After winning the Armand Van Helden remix contest it became a lot easier to find the right label for my first release, “The Anthem.” I generally felt that it gave me more recognition. Then, by winning the Fatboy Slim remix contest, a few more doors opened up for me and I was able to meet some fantastic producers and cooperate with others. To win the Beatport remix contest is a prestigious victory for me, especially in this day and age where the music scene is oversaturated and anyone can practically produce their own stuff without too much effort. It’s really an achievement.

Since you’ve won two contests, I’m sure a lot of people would like to know what your secret is. First of all, could you tell us a little bit about how you approached each one? How did you decide which parts of the original tracks to keep, and what to add to them? How long did the winning remixes take you? Were they difficult to make? Did you know pretty much right away the direction you wanted to take, or did it take a while to find your groove?

I don’t really have a secret. In my view, the most important thing about a track is to maintain a clear structure. If I hear a good track then it has to be able to generate pictures, colors, forms, or feelings in my head. It’s really difficult to explain.

For my “Witch Doktor” remix I got the main parts done in my head whilst taking a shower. I woke up one morning, went for a shower and already had half of the song in my head. If the basics are there, I find it quite easy to implement the rest.

I hadn’t heard the original mix of the track “Witch Doktor” prior to the contest. To be honest, it didn’t really appeal to me; probably because its style did not meet my taste and because it was before my time. I decided to listen to all of the individual tracks and to use the, in my view, most characteristic ones. Unfortunately, only the voice remained after I had filtered out the tracks I didn’t like (ha!). I re-programmed a few other interesting elements such as some of the chord synths as their quality was poor in the original recordings. I was also working from the mp3 versions, which didn’t help that issue. I thought it was really important for the song to get its own dynamics and flow. That’s why no part of the song is repeated. I also thought it might encourage someone to listen to the track again as it wouldn’t get too boring without all the repetition.

The Fatboy Slim track “Weapon of Choice” was much more interesting and really appealed to me. I always loved the vocals and I used the original brass samples and all the things which generated the “color,” making all the difference to the remix. I went about tackling the remix in a way that I occasionally work: I create a beat and then play around with what works best. This remix really came together by trying out a few things. It’s got a straighter and more commercial song structure, too.

It took me two days to remix “Witch Doktor” and a sensational seven hours to remix “Weapon of Choice!”

I thought that loads of people would participate in the competition. About seven hours before the deadline, I listened to a couple of remixes and thought to myself, “You can do better than that!” So I stuck in a night shift and exactly seven hours later I finished the remix. The next day I found out that I had misread the deadline and that I had another 24 hours! Luckily, everything turned out well!

What kind of production setup are you using? Software, hardware, a combination? What DAW, etc…

I unfortunately do not have any hardware and only use software plugins. I produce in Cubase 5 and mainly use Sylenth1. I love this plugin above everything else and can work extremely well with it. On the odd occasion I might use Nexus2 or Omnisphere, but I mostly use Sylenth1 - even for some percussion. I am its greatest fan!

It’s probably unusual, but I have my own way of mastering which works very well for me. I generally master the tracks BEFORE I start the production. I give it its necessary gloss (high frequencies) and cut out all frequencies that are generally below 25Hz whilst introducing a limiter so that I can get the maximum volume out of it.

Other than that, I think the secret to getting a good sound is to get the right balance between the volume and the frequencies. It’s really important that all tracks have a similar spectrum in high frequencies. By that, I mean that the hi-hats should not be too sharp and that the kick should be reasonably muffled. You see, if you don’t do this then the usual mastering process will boost the commercial levels of high frequencies, meaning that the hi-hats will tear your eardrums apart.

Could you tell us a little about your musical history? If I recall correctly, you also play in a progressive metal (post-hardcore? Excuse me if I’ve got the terms wrong) band… How did you get started making music, especially electronic dance music?

Both of my parents are musicians, which meant that I was encouraged to play the piano when I was four years old. I then started recording my first songs at the age of six. I started playing drums at the age of 12 and have since played in a post-hardcore/rock/metal band, as you correctly described and however one wants to label it! Therefore, I have had a pretty much classical education. I have only really been producing electronic music for about two years, so I am still a relative newcomer to this type of music. I suppose I have been able to progress my development to a satisfactory level quite quickly because of my musical background. However, I still feel I am just at the beginning and look forward to each new track I produce and to learn more about the processes.

I know a lot of producers tend to prefer remixes to original material, simply because many of the crucial decisions have already been made, and you can focus on refining and perfecting. What are the main differences for you between remixing and producing your original tracks? Which do you prefer?

To be honest, I don’t think there is a big difference between remixes and original material. When I remix a song, I generally only take out the core element of the original track and pack it into a new robe. Personally, I love to work with vocal tracks. I am grateful for any quality vocal recordings. I believe that electronic songs in particular need something organic—preferably a voice. If that doesn’t exist then I at least like to use a violin, or guitar or piano or something similar.

We’ve got a great recording studio with our band but, sadly, I don’t always have the time to sit down and write the lyrics or work out a vocal melody and record it. That’s why I prefer to do remixes (for the time being).

Generally, I’d say that I’ll be doing less remixes in the future and working on my own tracks more frequently. That gives me total freedom and I don’t have to stick to the basic elements of other original songs! That doesn’t mean that I don’t like remixing. I love doing it and always see it as a challenge to get the best out of an existing track whilst imposing my own style onto it. 

Do you DJ and/or perform live? If so, could you tell us a little about your setup (Traktor, Ableton, CDJs, vinyl etc.) and what your sets are like?

Of course! My setup is quite simple. I DJ with my MacBook, Traktor Pro, and a Vestax VCI 100B. I am not the type of DJ who mixes in loads of effects when performing live. In my opinion, the art of live DJing lies in working with the most interesting and sensible musical crossovers with a view to creating a homogenous set that also hopefully doesn’t get too boring! I’m not the type of guy who deliberately plays a lame song to get the best possible boost out of the following track. If the song isn’t good enough in the first place then it doesn’t deserve to be played—full stop.

After the Mau5trap release, what’s next for you?

Oh, I’ve got a lot on my plate. My remix for Skrillex’s “Weekends” will soon be released on Atlantic Records/Big Beat Records along with one of my own songs that I finished a while back, coming out on BugEyed Records.

I’m also working on a remix for Interscope Records and for my friend David May (Kontor Records), just to give you a small insight into my future projects. I’m also planning a couple of co-operations, for example with Skrillex, Lucky Date and Lazy Rich, which I am keen to pursue because I am their greatest fan!

Scrillex, Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites [Mau5trap]

Zedd on Beatport

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