The renowned compilation series ‘Colorscapes’ returns for its third volume, once again featuring three stellar DJ mixes from PRAANA, Matt Fax, and Dezza. The trio put a spotlight on the most exciting acts and the best tracks coming out in the worlds of progressive and melodic dance music.
Matt’s extensive catalog behind him offers an unparalleled diversity of sounds firmly rooted in his melodic, atmospheric pedigree.
For a producer who has only just hit his twenties, he’s able to boast a host of career achievements; releases on labels like Enhanced Music, Armada, and Anjunabeats.
For his part, Canadian Dezza has been in scintillating form with a unique sound that can be heard in the sets of today’s most heavily toured forward-thinking DJs, having become a favorite of names like Above & Beyond, and releasing on world-renowned imprints, such as Spinnin, Anjunabeats, or Zerothree.
To celebrate the release of ‘Coloscapes Volume Three’, and their subsequent USA tour, we catch up with Matt Fax and Dezza.
Electronic Groove: Hi Matt! Dezza! Welcome! It’s great to have you with us. How are things at the moment?
Matt: Things are good at the moment. Hard to complain.
Dezza: Everything is going great thanks, thank you for having us.
Electronic Groove: And you guys are right in the middle of your USA tour, right? How are you guys navigating through it all after so many barren months?
Dezza: It has been amazing to be back on the road again. Some aspects of travel are a bit more hectic with regulations, but I can confidently say it is well worth it. It’s amazing to see the airports filling back up as well as the clubs and venues.
Matt: The touring is so great after spending so many months locked down in my studio making DJ sets on Twitch. It feels great to find back a real audience, interact with them and make them happy. It’s overall a bit tiring with all the travel, but it’s part of the game!
Electronic Groove: And how are people reacting to it? Is there more energy on the dancefloors than before? Do you feel people are still getting slowly back into it?
Matt: I feel like people are so happy to be back in the clubs. Apart from the energy they give on the dancefloor, I feel like we all became closer. It’s like they understand what we have been through with this pandemic and our shows getting canceled, so they are so kind to us.
Dezza: I very much agree with Matt on this one. I’ll also add that it has been amazing to see so many familiar faces in some of the cities I have already played pre-covid. It’s like we are all picking things up where we left off when the pandemic hit.
Electronic Groove: The tour, of course, is in support of your ‘Colorscapes’ compilation for Colorize, which was mixed in collaboration with PRAANA. What’s it like to finally be able to share something as big as this?
Matt: It’s amazing. The ‘Colorscapes’ series has been going strong for the past three years, so it feels great that our hard work led us into a tour in the US.
Dezza: Since the start of the ‘Colorscapes’ Series, the goal has been to put it on tour and we have finally achieved it. After the first phase of dates, I have a really good feeling about the future of the compilation and tour.
“I feel like people are so happy to be back in the clubs. Apart from the energy they give on the dancefloor, I feel like we all became closer” – Matt Fax
Electronic Groove: How much work goes into a compilation like ‘Colorscapes’. Did you have a vision for it before you started or did you get a sense of what could be done by listening to what was already there?
Dezza: The A&R team at Colorize does an amazing job of setting aside demos they receive throughout the year that we might fancy for the compilation. Then we get to pick the ones we want for our mixes. I also added a couple of new collaborations of my own in the mix too.
Matt: We work closely with the label Colorize to choose the tracks we want in our mix. Personally, I like to include my personal stuff and stuff from my close friends, but I listen to everything and if I feel it I’ll include it in my mix.
Electronic Groove: And how many of these are ‘unreleased’ tracks? Did you guys have to ‘commission’ any particular pieces?
Dezza: The great thing about ‘Colorscapes’ is that mostly all of the music is unreleased.
Matt: Almost everything is unreleased or just got released by the time the compilation is out. We do have to put a couple of our highlight tracks in there, so it helps with the compilation spreading, which explains why ‘Torn’ and ‘Found’ are in my mix.
Electronic Groove: What has the reaction been like so far? Were you thinking about how they would sound live when compiling the album? How much of that is going in your live sets at the moment?
Dezza: The reactions have been wonderful. It still blows my mind when you look into the crowd and see people singing the lyrics to some of the songs.
Matt: The reaction has been great. Usually, when I play the tracks, the crowd just goes nuts on them – It feels like they already know them. We don’t really think about the club aspect of the tracks, it’s more about being cohesive when making the mix.
Electronic Groove: What is your dynamic on tour like? Have you guys had enough of each other by now? (laughs)
Dezza: I am extremely grateful to be touring with Matt, and also Estiva and Bandes. The back-and-forth banter between us all can be utterly hilarious at times. We have a lot of fun, but we also respect each other’s space, unless it’s 5 am and the guys want to eat cheeseburgers in my hotel room. Hahaha! Touring can be extremely lonely at times so to be with these guys makes it feel like you are with family. Our sets have been flowing great together making a nice journey of music throughout the night. The B2B2B2B sets have been a blast as well.
Matt: I love touring with Derek, he’s a fun guy. We always have fun, and we respect each other so much. It’s family.
“The reactions have been wonderful. It still blows my mind when you look into the crowd and see people singing the lyrics to some of the songs” – Dezza
Electronic Groove: What else can we expect from Matt Fax & Dezza in the future? What new milestones are you looking forward to in the coming months?
Dezza: Gig wise, Dreamstate SoCal, a ‘Colorscapes’ show in Denver, and a bunch more that we can’t unveil quite yet but keep your eyes peeled. I have a two-track collaboration EP out soon on Colorize, the two tracks were also in my ‘Colorscapes Volume Three Mix’.
Matt: I’m going to do a couple of solo shows besides the tour, including Dreamstate and a show with Gabriel & Dresden in November. Also going to release a new EP on Anjunabeats very soon and keep making music.
Electronic Groove: Thank you for your time guys! We wish you all the best for the future!
Matt Fax & Dezza: Thank you for these questions!
‘Colorscapes Volume Three’ mixed by Matt Fax, Dezza, and PRAANA is out now on Colorize. Purchase your copy here.
Follow Matt Fax: Facebook | Soundcloud | Instagram | Spotify
Follow Dezza: Facebook | Soundcloud | Instagram | Spotify
