Tag: deadmau5

Famed DJ Rezz Brings Her Dark, Doomy Bass Sounds to ‘Can You Hear Me’

July 20, 2023

DJ Rezz sitting on the floor cross legged in a black and white suit. There are red, black, and white graphic elements bordering the picture

Our series CAN You Hear Me returns to celebrate Canadian artistry and champion the music, unique talent, and diverse cultures found in the Great White North—from the jazz bars in Québec to the dance clubs in Ontario, all the way to the powwows in the West.

In this installment, we’re spotlighting Isabelle Rezazadeh, better known as the DJ with the lit-up eyes: Rezz. She’s one of the most highly regarded producers of downtempo soundscapes and strikes a firm balance between minimal original tech compositions and the all-heavy bass.

The Ukrainian-born artist moved to Canada at a young age and in her teens working as a local DJ in Niagara Falls. Rezz released free tracks online that caught the attention of electronic music icon Skrillex, who subsequently facilitated the creation of Rezz’s debut EP, Insurrection. Her music also caught the ear of famed DJ and fellow Niagara Falls local deadmau5, who put Rezz on his mau5trap imprint. She went on to release her sophomore EP, The Silence Is Deafening, to an ever-growing and appreciative audience.

Rezz’s highly anticipated debut album, Mass Manipulation, was released in 2017 and raised her to the upper echelons of the electronic world. It even won a coveted Juno Award for Electronic Album of the Year. Since then she has kept her fans well-fed with a steady stream of music on mau5trap and her own HypnoVizion imprint. This includes the albums Spiral, Nightmare on Rezz Street 2 Mix, and countless tracks and EPs that have seen the Canadian DJ collaborating with the likes of Metric, PEEKABOO, and fknsyd. And that’s in addition to the constant touring for festivals and sold-out concerts.

Rezz continues her rise in 2023. She moved to Toronto and announced her first HypnoVizion-branded event, Frostvizion, in Stanford, California. She will be sharing the stage with her now friend and longtime collaborator deadmau5 at VELD Music Festival. The latter is particularly notable among longtime fans as Rezz has cited that it was a deadmau5 set at VELD that inspired her to pursue music.

But it wouldn’t be Rezz without a release, and since April the artist has teased her EP IT’S NOT A PHASE, which marks a return to the DJ’s emo and goth roots. Singles such as “Signal” and “Embers” certainly make good on that claim, with heavy tones of goth rock and her signature deep bass sounds.

For the Record caught up with Rezz to talk a bit about her musical foray, the Canadian scene, and her creative process.

Can you tell us a little bit about your journey into music? 

I was originally a big fan of punk/rock music growing up, but around 12 I was introduced to electronic dance music. Artists like deadmau5 inspired me to create music of my own, and I became endlessly passionate toward it. Since then I get to tour and play my music everywhere and I feel really fortunate.

What’s your typical process for creating a track?

It’s different each time. Most of the time, however, it is just a process of searching for new sounds, creating the drums, adding some sort of melody, and then the track flows really quickly after that. Sometimes the searching for sounds or to find something to inspire me can take some time, so sometimes I either force myself to continue trying or wait a bit for inspiration to potentially come in other ways—like through watching a movie, etc. It depends on the day.

On your side of the Canadian dance community, what is it like? Do the scenes change throughout the country as you tour? 

The Canadian dance community is pretty awesome! I think being raised in a city so close to Toronto was hugely influential for me and the music I create. The crowds are very enthusiastic and awesome as well.

You’ve recently moved back to Toronto. What are you excited about in the music scene there that you haven’t been able to find abroad? 

My close friends! They are all here, and that alone is something exciting for me in relation to the music scene and also personal life.

You’ve often cited deadmau5’s VELD Music Festival set in Toronto as what inspired you to make music of your own. How has it felt working with him all these years? And how does it feel knowing you’ll be joining him onstage at VELD this summer? 

It’s definitely been pretty surreal. I’ve known him for a while now and most the time I am just going with the flow and not thinking too much about how big of a fan of his I am, but some moments it hits me, especially recently, as I have been working on this back-to-back set with him, alongside making an edit/remix of his favorite song of mine, called “Superliminal.”

Tell us about your upcoming EP. 

My upcoming EP, IT’S NOT A PHASE, is a punk/emo Rezz project. It really allowed me to reminisce on some of the music that I was initially drawn to. It’s made me grow so much as a producer working with all of the people on this record. It’s been extremely fun and I’m excited to show people a different side of Rezz, all in theme for the goth era.

What message do you hope your fans will take away from IT’S NOT A PHASE? 

Hopefully they can share in some nostalgia and remind themselves that IT’S NOT A PHASE.

Who are some fellow Canadian artists that have inspired you? 

deadmau5, Zeds Dead, and Metric.

What songs are on your On Repeat playlist? 

I actually love the new Melanie Martinez album, PORTALS.

Explore the dark world of Rezz by listening to IT’S NOT A PHASE now.

Join Peloton Instructors Olivia Amato and Kendall Toole for Their Power Hour Workout Co-Created With deadmau5

August 28, 2020

Throughout their lives and early careers, Peloton instructors Olivia Amato and Kendall Toole always had a love for fitness. Olivia started out working on Wall Street but quickly noticed that taking her clients out for exercise classes and green juices was her favorite part of the job. Kendall was in theater and tech in Los Angeles before becoming a boxing instructor and eventually moving east to New York for her role at Peloton. And they agree there’s one genre that’s perfect for getting in the zone and breaking a sweat: dance and electronic.

Starting today, Olivia and Kendall will be introducing two new Peloton classes to the sound of one of Spotify’s big dance playlists: Power Hour. Peloton members can stream Kendall’s Power Hour Ride on August 30 or Olivia’s Power Hour Run on August 31 for a guided musical fitness experience on the Peloton Tread, Bike or App. What’s more, electronic music producer deadmau5 will be joining the instructors and Spotify for a takeover of our Power Hour playlist, complete with a new single from the producer himself.

“It’s a cool track and was a total wild card of a collaboration,” says deadmau5 about his new single, “Pomegranate – Jay Robinson Remix.” “I’m glad people got to enjoy it this summer and I’m looking forward to having it be a part of people’s workouts. I think they are going to dig getting to experience it with Jay Robinson’s remix.”

We caught up with each instructor for a few minutes between classes to get to know them and learn how they incorporate music into their routines. 

How do you pick the music that goes with your workouts? What elements do you take into consideration? 

Olivia: It depends on what the workout is and what type of mood I’m in. If I’m going to do a HIIT run, I want to do 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, and then build from there. I’ll think back to songs I know with three drops that are 30 seconds each. That’s obviously not always possible, and it definitely takes longer to program that, but I think it’s worth being that specific, because music is the most important thing during a workout. It also depends on the cadence of the song, so the beats per minute, or BPM. A lot of electronic songs can be used while climbing up a hill or on a flat road because they’re usually around 128 BPM, which is good for sprints and pushes. And then you can use a different type of music to get a different vibe for cooldowns. 

Kendall: When I am programming a class, I usually start with what’s inspiring me music-wise, what I feel would be energetic to ride to, or even down to something as simple as the energy and vibe of the song. If there are lyrics in a song that I know I can pick up on or use as a jumping-off point for motivation, it always helps. I think a proper ride and a wonderful workout should have a beginning, middle, and end. It should be no different than if you’re at an incredible concert or listening to an album where every piece of music, every moment, has its place, and it’s building into that story. When a beat drops and builds, I want riders to drop it and go into an effort. 

Tell us about the experience of working with Spotify to create playlists for your class.

Olivia: I have worked with a couple of the people who work on Spotify’s mint playlist in the past. We went through the different songs and different playlists to collaborate on what we thought would mix well together and what would fit the vibe of the class. So similarly for Power Hour, we looked at high-energy, fun music that pushes you forward. So just making sure they all flow nicely into each other, that it tells a good story of starting out.

How did deadmau5’s curation of Power Hour inform the workout you put together?

Kendall: First off, there’s nothing better than seeing an artist that you admire put together a playlist. It’s almost like getting movie commentary from a director’s cut. Where you have someone who’s such a pro at what they do and has such a unique perspective, and is just so committed to their craft, almost giving you a behind-the-scenes piece of what they like and what they’re into and what connects to them. What he’s curated for Power Hour are suggestions for what gets him moving. Then we can put fitness into it. It’s cool because I feel like I get to bring my fitness expertise and marry it with his ability to create and craft incredible music.

How does music help bring the runners and riders together, especially when they’re all doing the workout on their separate treads, bikes, and screens? 

Olivia: I think music is a global unifier, which is exactly what we need, especially right now. It evokes memories and creates memories. So it can create or evoke strength, passion, encouragement. And as it’s doing that, it’s bringing people from all around the world together. It’s a universal language that anybody can understand just based on feeling. For example, I don’t just use music for inspiration when working out. When I need courage or motivation, I put on music. It’s really for everything, and I think a lot of people feel that way.

Kendall: What I love about Peloton is transitioning that love of riding on beat with learning something new. That cadence, that BPM is so important in the way that I structure and program my classes because of this ability to be a unifying factor, especially when you’re teaching people from the comfort of their own home. At times, it’s challenging because you’re not present with them to be able to make corrections or adjustments, so you know you can always rely on that beat, on that BPM to be almost an assistant or an assistant coach, if you will, to what you’re creating and wanting to help people take through in a story of a ride. 

Did you know you can connect your Spotify account to Peloton to save songs from class via the Track Love feature? Simply tap the heart icon on Peloton Bikes & Treads next to the song title, then look for your saved tracks under “My Peloton Music by OnePeloton.”

Check out our previous co-curated Peloton classes inspired by mint & Housewerk, available on demand via Peloton, and look forward to more rides inspired by Spotify’s owned and operated playlists coming soon.