Home Uncategorized STEVE Z discusses latest release, views on the industry and upcoming music in exclusive interview
Young Italian producer STEVE Z

STEVE Z discusses latest release, views on the industry and upcoming music in exclusive interview

Home Uncategorized STEVE Z discusses latest release, views on the industry and upcoming music in exclusive interview

Young Italian producer STEVE Z has certainly had an impressive start to his career, releasing an array of massive productions. His latest release, a 2017 remode of Supermode’s ‘Tell Me Why’, received a huge amount of support from some of the biggest names in the scene, including David Guetta, Hardwell & Martin Garrix. The remode clearly demonstrates STEVE Z’s undeniable talent in production, as it completely revitalizes the iconic hit. We caught up with STEVE Z to discuss his views on the current dance music industry and his future plans.

Artists usually identify with a particular style of production. What is your musical style?

Right now my style is a mix between a big room and an electro sound, with a strong groove touch. This is a new direction I am exploring and I am particularly satisfied with: indeed, I can make all the different moods from the genres I most like coexist by creating something that represents me and feels mine. This is what I I have tried to do with Tell Me Why Remode.

You’ve just released your groove take on Supermode’s classic “Tell Me Why”. Could you tell us more about how the idea for how the track came to life?

Like many others, I always loved Tell Me Why: the vocal, just like the main leed has got something magical. So I tried to create a contemporary, fresh version that could represent the musical direction I have undertaken and, at the same time, that could be suitable to be played during my sets and those of my fellow deejays.

Speaking of your recent Remode for “Tell Me Why”, we’ve noticed you’ve also reworked Eiffel 65’s iconic “Blue” – What’s your idea behind reviving the classic?

This a time of transition, it is hard to understand what direction music is going towards. There is a lot of confusion and dispersion around, not to talk about the huge number of tracks released every week. I always loved classics, they are what pushed me toward deejaying and producing. Therefore, I thought that revisiting some of those would be a successful idea for different reasons: first, breathing new life into tracks that made history is paying a homage to their creators. Having new generations appreciate tracks from the past thanks to a new and refreshed version is really rewarding. In Blue, for instance, I tried to gather three different genres: big room, progressive house and trap. Hopefully I succeeded.

Your tracks received support from the likes of David Guetta, Hardwell, Martin Garrix and Nicky Romero. How does it feel to know your own productions get spun by some of the world’s biggest DJ’s?

It is an incredible sensation. I think it is every producer’s dream to witness what you created being appreciated and supported by big deejays. It shows you are on the right path and it gives you motivation to keep pushing forward and improving day after day.

With dance music as a whole as large as it’s ever been, what are your views on the impact and prospects your generation has had to date?

Considering the huge number of tracks released every day, I think it is ever more difficult for my generation to enter the game.
I am convinced that, at this time, you need different things in order to succeed: a fresh and recognizable sound identity to make your tracks inimitable; a high quality product, both under the technical and the artistic point of view. Finally, little luck.
That is why I am thankful Art&Music Recording always supported me in the production, flanking me with top producers, sound engineers and arrangers when needed, and letting the Art&Music Studios at my disposal to work on and finalize my projects.

Have there been times in the studio when you felt like you’ve run out of ideas/directions to go in with a particular sound? If so, how have you dealt with it in the past? Any advice you can offer to producers who face the same issue?

Right now the music market is fully saturated. On one hand it is loaded with valuable producers, on the other, there is plenty of “bedroom producers”, many of which do not have neither skills nor talents. I am not saying that they are not valuable at all, because I am sure that a lot of them have something to say: nonetheless, truth is that the majority of them doesn’t produce quality stuff.
This translates into labels receiving millions of demo everyday and in thousands of tracks published every day. Also because of this, there has been an inflation on all EDM subgenres: another reason why it is so difficult to emerge with your own sound identity at this time. Therefore, my suggestion is to never let go, but to keep laying down your ideas trying to create something new: sooner or later the right intuition will come.

What are your plans for the upcoming year? What can we expect with regards to new music? Any new tours/festival scheduled?

I just want to keep producing and improve. This has been a time of changes: I took a year off during which I reconsidered my whole production line. Not that I did not like my old one, but I felt the time was right to introduce a different sound, a more evolved and mature one, with which I could identify more.
I have a number of new tracks up my sleeve that will soon get released: I will soon release a track on Freeway Recordings, John Christian’s label.
For the future, I will keep working hard in hope to receive many other supports and in order to get to deejays as well as the people, because our final mission is making people have fun through music.

Listen to STEVE Z’s 2k17 remode of ‘Tell Me Why’ here.

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