The Colours Mix (mau5trap)
We recently had a chance to catch up with mau5trap Records up-and-coming artist, Enzo Bennet, asking a few choice questions regarding his signing to Deadmau5’s legendary label, and his newly released EP. To accompany this quick Q&A session, this youngster threw in a sweet little mini-mix to give you a soundtrack to read to.
TRACKLIST:
1 – Marek Hemmann – Zunder
2 – Jamie Woon – Shoulda (Fabich & Ferdinand Weber Remix)
3 – Worakls – Good Night My Love
4 – Go Freek – We Can Ride (Dom Dolla Remix)
5 – Monomotion – Coma
6 – Fehrplay – Everywhere You Go
7 – Enzo Bennet – Zen
8 – Pryda & Empire Of The Sun – We Are The Mirage (Roman Kay Intro Bootleg)
9 – Mord Fustang – Something Right Meow
TMN: Hey Enzo, thank you so much for taking a minute to chat with us. First up, let’s talk about this upcoming EP, The Colours. What was the inspiration behind this EP?
Enzo: When it comes to music, for me, it’s not about seeing something or hearing something, and feeling inspired to create something because of it. My brain doesn’t work like that. It’s more of a subliminal, unconscious build up of experiences and feelings that manifest themselves without me even realizing. My ideas come in bursts and at strange times. I could be sitting eating my breakfast when a melody will just pop into my head, so I rush to the computer and get it down in a really simple format. Once I have that, I will just flesh it out as it comes to me. Sometimes I’m walking around all day with just that original melody playing in my head and my brain will just add in something out of the blue. I spend the rest of the day replaying it in my mind so that as soon as I get home, I can add it to the track. Sometimes I even call myself and leave a message on my voicemail, singing the melody so I don’t forget, haha. But it’s taken me a long time to get my skill level up to this point. The production for Zen & Colours started 3 years ago, but it’s taken me this long to bring them up to the standard you hear now.
TMN: The first song, “Colours,” is an incredibly melodic and progressive body of work, focusing highly on a drawn out journey. On the other hand, “Zen” has a much dancier feel, sporting a driving bassline and some club friendly kicks. Walk us through how you approached the production for each song.
Enzo: Production is pretty similar to what I mentioned above, but essentially the melody will come to me at random times. Or sometimes I sit myself down and literally just play around with notes on FruityLoop, and the pieces kind of just fall into place. You would not believe how many demos I have. I get inspired by new melodies so easily that it’s almost like an addiction. I can’t leave my chair until I get the track to where I want it to be. There’s a track that I’ve been working on for a while now that I practically did just in one night. I was just on the computer, and this melody came to me. From that moment on, I couldn’t stop. I was up until 10am the next morning. I think my mum thinks I’m crazy, haha. She’ll be getting up to go to work and find me still awake working.
TMN: In listening to your music, we can definitely pick up on why you’re signed to mau5trap! What has that experience been like for you so far?
Enzo: The experience has definitely been insane, in this industry its so hard to get noticed and get your stuff out there, let alone to find a record label who’s willing to give you a chance. I still remember the message I got from Mau5trap on Soundcloud. It was surreal. To be honest, I still can’t believe this is all happening. My friends find it weird cuz I’m not going crazy with excitement, but to be honest, it’s because I feel like it’s too good to be true! I don’t want to jinx it!
TMN: Are their any inter-label collaborations you’re working on that we can be privy to?
Enzo: At the moment, most of the focus is just on the EP and all the work that goes into that, but in the near future I think anything is possible!
TMN: Back to your music, it seems like there’s layer upon layer which creates an incredibly atmospheric listening for the experience. While there are plenty of EDM associations we can call on, we can’t help but think you listen to a lot of Tycho and Bonobo. Are we on point there?
Enzo: To be honest, I literally listen to everything. Bonobo and Tycho and definitely in there, but so is a lot of other stuff. I actually have a Soundcloud page where I post all the amazing tracks I find. I know a lot of blogs and sites, that I search on regularly to look for new tracks. I love great rap and hip hop, especially when there is a great instrumental accompanying it. I listen to alot of deep house, progressive house and electro, pretty much everything. As a producer, you can tell when the artist has put alot of work and thought into the track, you pick up the little things. So, if the track is good, and it’s got good workmanship, it’s hard for me not to like it. Does that make sense? haha
TMN: You’re from France originally, but now living in the UK. What brought you to the decision to make the jump?
Well I got accepted into the Point Blank music college, which is an amazing music school. It was tough though, because everyone at the school had a really strong command of the language, but my English was quiet weak compared to my peers. So, it was a pretty steep learning curve for me, but I learned a lot. Living away from home and having to be self-sufficient and all that helped me grow up a lot. I learned a lot about the importance of self-motivation and how to stay focused.
TMN: How do you feel your studies at top notch music schools have helped your career?
Enzo: Funnily enough, I actually dropped out half way through my course. Don’t get me wrong, the school is incredible; best equipment, best teachers, amazing people, everything. The difference with me was that I had already taught myself a lot of the stuff they were teaching us. I’d watched a ridiculous amount of YouTube tutorials about mixing & mastering techniques, so when I started going to classes, I already knew a lot of stuff they were teaching us. I like to do things myself, so I like being my own teacher because you can learn exactly what you want to learn. It’s great. It’s like a tailored education, haha. By the time i dropped out, I’d had all of my computer stuff shipped to my flat in London so I was already producing like crazy (which is around the time I finished producing Colours), and school meant that I had to give up valuable production time. So, I decided to go it on my own, and it was the best decision i ever made. It feels great taking a decision like that and having it pay off. But I still speak to my friends from Point Blank, a lot of them are popular artists right now like Felix Jaehn and Gunes Ergun, and are based all over the world now. I made some amazing contacts and some amazing friends.
TMN: Is this something you suggest up and coming artists to look at if they want to further themselves as musicians?
Enzo: I think everyone is different, and you have to do what works for you as an artist. What I definitely do suggest, music school or no music school, is educate yourself independently. YouTube tutorials, like I mentioned, taught me an insurmountable amount of stuff, from mixing techniques, sound engineering, mastering, ect. All the information you need is out there, you just have to be willing to sit down for hours at a time, absorb as much information as you can, and apply it straight away. So that it sticks in your mind. Practical learning is the best learning, in my opinion.
TMN: Alright, let’s wrap this up by talking about what’s on deck for you, aside from this EP. Any shows coming up? Tour dates? More music? Thank you so much for your time.
Enzo: No shows or tour dates for the moment, but like I said, the whole process is still only in it’s early stages, so anything is possible. And music… there’s always more music. Theres a few at the moment that I’m about to finish, just putting on the final touches on. One in particular I’m really excited about. I think it’s gonna go down really nicely, just in time for the end of summer. Will keep you posted!
