elekro Exclusive Interview w/ Dzeko and Torres + ‘HEY’ EP Out Now

Out now on Dim Mak Records is Dzeko & Torres' brand new EP, "Hey," a 3-track release that will most likely put this Toronto-based duo on your map. The EP's title track quickly gets its listeners associated with this production duo. Premiering on Steve Aoki's Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1, this track is an electro-house production that brings festival-smashing energy. Melodic key and synth progressions supply the base for the track's uplifting build, leading into the bassey, blood-rushing drop. The marching percussion and chainsaw bass effect give this track the ability to move crowds wherever this song is played. Following the EP's opener is "Buppy," a track that keeps the energy level high, complete with a dancey, rolling beat drop that combines electro-house and moombahton for a dancefloor banger. The final track of the release is "Check This Out," which showcases the duo's progressive side with its wobbly electro drop. Check out Dzeko & Torres' "Hey" EP below.

INTERVIEW:

Who is Dzeko & Torres?

Dzeko/Torres: Dzeko & Torres are two best friends, Julian Dzeko & Luis Torres.

How did you two meet?

Torres: We met promoting all ages events in Toronto, Canada when we were really young, i think Julian was like 14? haha.
Dzeko: Yeah, we both loved house music and I had just gone and saw Tiesto play for 8,000 people in Toronto, and decided to buy DJ equipment and learn how to DJ. Luis was starting to learn production at the time and we decided to team up and learn from each other.

What is your musical style?

Torres: What we play and produce is a combination of Big Room electro and progressive house. But apart from what we play and produce, we are MASSIVE music fans. We love tech, deep house, indie rock, and everything in between.

How did it feel when the "King and Lionheart" bootleg hit number one on hype machine?

Torres: When we made that song we really loved the original and were just looking for a way to incorporate it in our sets, so we made that bootleg to play for fun.
Dzeko: Yeah it felt awesome. We didn't even know the track was in the top 10 on Hype Machine, let alone on the website at all, until some blogs started tweeting at us and it just went up from there.
Torres: It was a really cool feeling that people found the track and shared it and Hyped it on their own and made the track #1.

When you first heard the likes of Tiesto, Chuckie, Steve Aoki and more were playing your tracks, what was that like?

Dzeko: It was an amazing feeling. Having the DJ's that were the reason you started DJing in the first place playing our songs was like a dream come true.
Torres: It made me feel great and gave me a sense of accomplishment because our production was now at a level that was good enough for the biggest DJ's in the world to support.

What can fans expect from your up coming EP?

Torres: The EP is 3 tracks, "Hey", "Buppy", and "Check This Out". "Hey" and "Buppy" are more big room electro/house where-as "check this out" we experimented with some more hardstyle/track elements that we've never done before.

Any collaborations coming up in the near future?

Dzeko: We have a collaboration coming out Cr2 records with Jus Jack called "Any Day". The Release date isnt announced yet but it should be out sometime in late january/early february.
Torres: We also just had David Guetta premiere another collab we did with our Toronto friends Crossways. Theres lots of other talks with some peers and big names in the industry but nothing we can officially mention yet!

If you could collaborate with any artist that you haven't already who would it be and why?

Torres: For me i would love to collaborate with Foxes. Ever since i heard "youth" its been something i've wanted to do. When i heard Zedd did "clarity" with her i thought it was genius.
Dzeko: Jay-z is someone I would love to work with. He's such a talented hip-hop legend and I think he would be amazing and inspiring to work with. You could learn a lot from a guy like that.

What are your thoughts on the EDM explosion in 2012?

Torres: For us, we've always been huge "EDM" fans, i mean before that term even existed. I think theres so many shows now and theres so many people going to them, and its a positive thing!
Dzeko: Yeah i think its awesome that everyone is embracing "EDM". The explosion of the sound is opening a lot of doors for us and our peers, its exciting to see where it will go!

What can fans expect from you two in 2013?

Torres: Music wise were going to continue developing our sound. I think we're finding our stride as producers and were going to keep working at it creatively.
Dzeko: We're currently working out what agencies we are signing with, literally as we speak. So were really looking forward to touring and playing clubs and festivals around the US and Europe in 2013!

Review By: James Hampton
Interview By: Brandon Koppel