Unless if you’ve been hiding out at some remote island with no access to the interwebs, then you’ve probably seen or at least heard of Mat Zo‘s big blow up on Twitter.
Also known as his tweet-a-thon, amongst other things.
Electronic music has rotten teeth that need to be pulled
— . (@Mat_Zo) May 29, 2015
You see, he took the liberty to call out some dance music top players on Twitter, pick fights with the likes of the notorious deadmau5 (Joel Zimmerman) and Diplo, as well as touching on every spoke of the industry’s wheel e.g. ghost producers, festivals in an attempt to pull out the “rotten teeth” of the dance music industry.
Oh, and while we’re on that topic, did you know that some DJ/producers pay a price tag of about $100,000 to headline at top set times at some festivals? True story, according to Mat.
He also retweeted something which could’ve easily cost him his career:
Source: twitter.com/Mat_Zo
Just in case you’re unaware, ghost producers are very much like ghostwriters. They basically write, produce, and release music, but they don’t get credited for it and it’s not illegal because they get paid for it. Word has it that a significant number of famous DJs (David Guetta, including) aren’t responsible for the music released under their names.
It’s not exactly new information as this has been happening for decades and across all music genres, not just dance music (read: pop/radio/”mainstream” music). However, the weight does fall heavier on dance music icons who call themselves not just DJs but also producers. Hence the controversy!
After retweeting the above list of DJs who supposedly use ghost producers, he quipped:
I bet theres a lot of angry shouting down the phone in dutch going on now
— . (@Mat_Zo) May 30, 2015
We’re guessing that the above is kinda valid because a large chunk of the world’s top 100 DJs are, yes, you guessed it – Dutch.
But does Mat care that he retweeted the above list of DJs who apparently use ghost producers? Nope. Even if anyone else tried to kill his career, he’s just going to “keep coming back“, he said.
Considering the fact that he also bravely called out dance music old timers like Tiesto, Markus Schulz, and Diplo, one would suggest that even if he or any other DJ/producer didn’t kill his career, he could very well be losing the shared fanbase, perhaps?
Everyone else I know thats worked with him thinks he's a dick
— . (@Mat_Zo) June 1, 2015
I'm just getting him back for those years of my life wasted @MarkusSchulz
— . (@Mat_Zo) June 1, 2015
.@tiesto once said to me "those trance guys are a bunch of old losers" maybe cus they stuck with their passion and didn't go chasing pussy
— . (@Mat_Zo) May 29, 2015
Or not.
Of course, not all hope is lost and we need to stress that not everything that Mat said about dance music during his Twitter rampage was bad per se. As much as he was very vocal about the industry, he also made it a point to shoutout to some big names that he respects such as Skrillex, Above & Beyond, Eric Prydz, and deadmau5.
His “parting words” (for now) included, “Sometimes it’s good to sit down, shut up, and make music, but other times its good to stand up, stick your middle finger out, and be heard. At the end of the day, I’m not in this for the money or fame, I just want to make great music and give frustrated young producers a voice so you can judge anything I say how you like, but you’ll see that what I’m doing with my life is right.”
And last but not least:
I'm just a nerd standing up to the jock who stole all the nerd's homework
— . (@Mat_Zo) June 3, 2015
Alright, a show of hands please those who were rudely shocked and awakened by the revelations above?
(Not us.)
Sources: inthemix, youredm (1), Mat Zo’s Twitter, LA Weekly, youredm (2).