Balancing Act: Even With Another Big Year on the Horizon, REZZ Insists That Less Is More in ’24.
From her early days as a high-school-dance DJ to headlining major tours and playing festival mainstages, REZZ has come a long way and can now be counted among the electronic-music elite.
Born Isabelle Rezazadeh, the 28-year-old DJ/producer began releasing music in 2015 and boasts a discography that includes five EPs and (very soon) four full-length albums on labels like deadmau5’s Mau5trap and Skrillex’s Owsla. She’s built an ardent fanbase with an ominous, eerie downtempo sound that really has no peer in the scene.
And now with the launch of her new label, HypnoVizion, REZZ is eager to showcase not only her own creations – like her 2023 departure EP, IT’S NOT A PHASE – but also up-and-coming talent and established artists. So far in 2024 alone, REZZ and her label have released a pair of crunching collabs – “Black Ice” with Subtronics and “DYSPHORIA” with Holly. And soon on the horizon is Can You See Me, REZZ’s fourth full-length album.
Known to many dance music lovers for her spiraling light-up goggles, REZZ is enthusiastically gearing up for a big 2024, but one that is more measured than in times past. As she says about the coming year, less is more.
Taking time out of her busy schedule, REZZ connected with DJ LIFE between her tour dates and putting the finishing touches on the album. Here’s what she had to say about what she has in store for her 2024…
DJ LIFE: With new songs released, an upcoming album, a new label, and show announcements, 2024 is looking like quite a year for you…
REZZ: For 2024, it’s going to be focused on the concept of less is more. It’ll be bigger events, more rare, but a lot more thought and sort of themed. The shows that we’re going to be doing will be album-themed. The album is called Can You See Me, so we’re going to be doing some major dates – some medium-sized plays, but also some larger plays. We’ll be doing Can You See Me live at Red Rocks, [as well as] Miami, Phoenix, and [probably] theme my Brooklyn Mirage show as Can You See Me, as well.
DJ LIFE: How far along are you with this album?
REZZ: With the new album, I’m wrapping up the final two songs and it’s going to be a 10-track album. Originally, it was going to be eight tracks; but, at the last minute, I’m actually finishing up two more today. This is without question the best album I’ve ever made. Nothing even compares, in my opinion, but I don’t know if that’s just me being biased and filled with serotonin and dopamine. I’ve just been working and cranking these tracks out so fast. In terms of capitalizing on electronic-dance-music elements, bass music, and just everything that I love about electronic dance music… there are barely [any] vocals on it and it’s a lot of instrumental, heavy stuff. Every single track is meant to be heard in a live setting.
DJ LIFE: How does it differ from your previous releases?
REZZ: Spiral, which came out in 2022, was more or less that I had just made a bunch of songs and I was like, “This is an album!” That’s usually how I go about it. I make music, I make more music, I put it together, and then that is my next EP or my album. I usually go into it pretty aimless in terms of sound; I make what feels natural. In 2023, I released my IT’S NOT A PHASE EP, because I just naturally started making stuff that sounded like it had a different vibe to it than my usual stuff. So, I complied those songs together and called that an EP. But with this one, things were slightly different because as soon as I released my last EP, I felt this unbelievable need and urge – and I cannot stress how immediately clear the vision was – that I needed to make a ton of trippy, heavy, bass music that was going to go off in a live setting.
DJ LIFE: Why?
REZZ: Because on my IT’S NOT A PHASE project, it was the polar opposite of that. None of those tracks were meant to be played live – they were meant to just be listened to in a way that was sort of like, “Hey, look at this new style I can make, just for fun.” Whereas now, I miss making music that I can play live. I want to play this shit, I want people to hear it, and I want it to smash in a live setting. I have made some tracks in my past that fit this Can You See Me era; however, I never really went in on it or thought that this was going to be my next sound or next thing that I want to do. I knew about seven months ago that this was exactly what was going to happen; I knew I was going to make this album.
DJ LIFE: What can you tell us about your recent collabs and your creative process on them?
REZZ: It definitely depends on the song, but especially with these tracks. They all started where it was either I had an idea – a drop idea, a melody leading into a drop – that I would send and ask what they thought about it, or asked them to add to it, and then we complete it. But then sometimes someone sends me an idea first and asks me if I can add to it.
DJ LIFE: Any examples?
REZZ: With “Black Ice,” Subtronics sent me the idea first, and I was like, “Oh yeah, for sure.” I literally opened the project up in my studio and finished it within six hours. Every situation is a little bit different, so it depends, you know? At the end of the day, someone sends someone an idea, the other contributes to it, and then we just wrap it up. The best-case scenario is that it’s usually very fast – somebody sends something, and then somebody sends something back ASAP. That is literally my favorite type of collaboration ever because it just shows the initial spark of inspiration and drive to complete the track is there – it just gets done!
DJ LIFE: Is there a downside to it?
REZZ: My least-favorite collabs are the ones that drag out because someone is overthinking something. I am not an overthinker when it comes to music, and I’m very much, “This is the way it is, or this is the way it needs to be.” To me in my head, things always feel very black and white [laughs]. Some people are different, and I respect that, too, because I think that’s what happens when you have such a big brain for production and there’s so many different options for things, thousands of different ways to work on one song. For me, I work very minimally, and I try not to use too much equipment or too many resources. A lot of my collaborators have really appreciated that with me because that in itself is sort of a quality. It was a super-smooth process on these collabs, and all of these tracks have gotten done so quickly. I basically started making these tracks six, seven months ago in a new studio that I’ve just had built in my backyard, so I’m pretty much in here every single day.
DJ LIFE: What’s your studio set-up?
REZZ: It’s funny because it’s technically a shed [laughs]. The guys that I had build it – it’s actually a shed-building company – I told them exactly what I needed, almost to serve as an office space. I chose the all-black exterior and made it super-ominous. Inside, I made the walls white because I wanted all red lighting – so, the whole thing is lit up in here… it’s very red and very ominous. There are decorations everywhere, like creepy decorations – and that’s just like the atmosphere.
DJ LIFE: What about the gear?
REZZ: I use monitors that are 8.5-inch JBLs. I use a MacBook with a monitor above it – a screen that definitely isn’t needed, but it’s nice – and then I use a Focusrite sound card, but I don’t use it all the time. I’m usually a sitting-on-my-couch-with-my-laptop-and-headphones kind of person. But now that I’m in the studio – and I’ve gotten a really comfortable chair – I’m able to sit here for like seven, eight hours at a time and not have it be a problem.
DJ LIFE: What else? Headphones? DAW?
REZZ: The most important part of all is that I use Sol Republic headphones. These headphones are super-dated, but Sol Republic is simply the brand that I started with back when I was 19. They’re the only thing I’m used to using, so I know the ins and outs of them. I know what the music is supposed to sound like with them. I could sit there with my laptop, headphones, and Ableton Live and be totally cool with it. In terms of my JBL monitors, I use them as a secondary reference for when I want to hear the music loud in my studio. They actually remind me of my Sol Republic headphones because they’re a bit heavier on the bass, so it kind of feels nice to listen to music loud on them.
DJ LIFE: As far as DJing, what’s current set-up? What was it like when you first started out?
REZZ: When it comes to DJing, I use [Pioneer DJ] CDJ-3000s now with a [Pioneer DJ] DJM-900 mixer, which is pretty standard for most people. I just use my USBs on the 3000s and DJM-900. Actually, [Native Instruments] Traktor was the first platform I used. There was a little MIDI machine I started out with, but I believe that I was also Traktor-related. I used to bring the Traktor controller to shows with my laptop.
DJ LIFE: What were your early days of DJing like?
REZZ: The first set I ever played in front of an audience was my high-school Halloween dance. I was dating somebody at the time who was a DJ aspiring to play places. So, I kind of got into it because of that and thought it looked really fun. At that time, I was already really obsessed with dance and electronic music – I just fell in love with it. I was also introduced to the really cool electronic music early on. I got into Justice and deadmau5 pretty early, and definitely looked up to real “artists” from an early age. I think that helped to develop my taste for a more obscure and eerie side of electronic music, rather than the mainstream or big-room stuff, which I wasn’t really into.
DJ LIFE: So how did the high-school dance go?
REZZ: I had to practically beg my principal to let me play at the dance, and he let me do it. I wasn’t really the best student – I wasn’t terrible, but I wasn’t the best – so, it was kind of surprising that they let it slide. The reason at the end of the day is because they didn’t wanna spend money on a DJ [laughs]. So, it was pretty much like, “Well, Isabelle will do it.” I remember getting off stage that day and all of the [students] were like, “That was the best dance ever!” I walked into my mom’s car, and I was just peaking from it, thinking, “Oh my God… holy shit!” I felt really moved and just absolutely lit up from the experience.
DJ LIFE: Is this when you realized that DJing would be your life’s path?
REZZ: No, this was still something I thought would be a hobby for me and something that was really fun, but I wasn’t considering this would be my career yet. At that point, I was getting random gigs, I was playing for free or anywhere that would pay me $100. I would take a bus to Downtown Toronto, sleep on random people’s couches, and play these underground raves. After that, I remember a lot of sketchy things happened in nightlife and I was exposed to some raunchy shit for a then-16-year-old, so I wasn’t sure if this was really for me. By the time I turned 17, I wasn’t really DJing as much, but I graduated high school and had all this time off.
DJ LIFE: What changed for you?
REZZ: That’s when I started going to a lot of music festivals and events, just for fun, as an attendee. I had also sparked interest in producing music, and my friend Connor helped me put Ableton Live onto my computer. I saw deadmau5 live at HARD Day of the Dead in 2013 – at this point, I was 18 years old. I felt so inspired that I went home to immediately work on a track that I had been working on for a couple of months.
DJ LIFE: What style of track was that one?
REZZ: It was very techno. I think it was at 126 BPM. I did grow up liking techno quite a bit. When I made that song, I didn’t do anything for a month or so, but after I got home from HARD Day of the Dead, I went back on my computer to make tons of shit to see what would happen. Then, I immediately started making 80-, 85-, 90-BPM tracks, where it’s like slow and trippy.
DJ LIFE: The REZZ sound…
REZZ: I literally became so addicted and obsessed that I would not hang out with people or talk to people. Even when I went out, say somebody would try to hang out or flirt with me, I would say, “Absolutely not, no way, I’m working on music, bye.” That was when I absolutely fell in love with producing dance music, and at that point it made me realize that I did really want to pursue DJing again, but I want to DJ my own music. I didn’t want to be the stereotypical DJ that mixed it up at every concert and play differently for each crowd – like dubstep one night, techno another night, etc. That was not something I wanted to do because I’m not that kind of curator. I’ve learned that and it just made me realize I want to make and then play my own music. I wanted to not only curate the music, but the entire environment. If I wasn’t able to do that, I don’t know if I’d care to be the DJ.
DJ LIFE: What other 2024 events have you excited?
REZZ: There are a few back-to-back sets that I’ll be playing this year. I don’t know if I can reveal them just yet, but one that was just recently announced is a back-to-back set with deadmau5 at Tomorrowland [in Belgium as REZZMAU5]. I’ve kind of learned my lesson over the last few years – and I’m also very fortunate to have the choice – to slow down on my touring schedule. And that’s exactly what I’m doing in 2024… where my schedule is less is more. More key, important plays, but also not where I’m like killing myself on the road [laughs].
DJ LIFE: How do you maintain a good work/life balance?
REZZ: There’s a really good balance that I’ve learned over the last year or so. I can’t really force myself to take every opportunity that comes to me anymore because that just doesn’t work for me and the longevity of my career. Even with the quality of my music, everything is just better when I’m able to have time to think and process what I really want my show to be like and what I want my music to sound like. For me, 2024 is really going to speak to that, in my opinion. You’ll see that I become a little more rare, but the shows themselves are going to be so much more thought-out.
DJ LIFE: Tell us about the new HypnoVizion label…
REZZ: The label is also going to take the same approach. I really want to choose quality over quantity for this label. I want to make sure that all the artists we sign and for whom we release their music, I want to genuinely back it… I want to like it. There have been a few times where my management has sent me some stuff they think is cool, but I don’t like it that much. I’m definitely very involved, and I feel like that’s probably going to remain the case because I think I’m just a little too insane, too much of a perfectionist.
DJ LIFE: You see it as an artist-friendly label?
REZZ: I definitely want the artists to have their own freedom. I love the idea of HypnoVizion evolving into a multi-genre label. Of course, I want to maintain and generally darker aura because that’s what I connect with. I don’t really like to listen to music that’ll make you happy or uplifting. I prefer that darker and grungy feel, so I want the label to emulate that. I also want artists who resonate with this eerie, creepy music – I want that kind of stuff on HypnoVizion. It doesn’t even have to be in proper electronic-dance-music format. It can also be in punk tones and all sorts of different genres – as long as it’s giving a creepier or eerier vibe.
DJ LIFE: And that’s on the live side, too?
REZZ: Definitely going to do some HypnoVizion events and have the HypnoVizion artists supporting the shows that I’m playing. Basically, I wanted to create a home for sound and music like this. Some of the artists that I’m super into or inspired by sometimes feel like they don’t have a place to release their music. The major labels don’t want it, other labels don’t want it because it’s focused on trance, or house, or techno. So, I want my label to feel like a perfect home for the specific artists that make music that’s somewhat down the same lane as the music that I make.
DJ LIFE: How did your musical approach evolve into what it became?
REZZ: The first music that I ever got into in my life was punk music – Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Nirvana, Marilyn Manson. These kind of artists were like my everything when I was like a kid. From there, I started to get into dance music, and I always wanted to create dance music because that’s what inspired me to create. I’ve never had the desire to create punk music, nor have I had the desire to be a lead singer or be a guitar player or a drummer. As I continued to only make electronic dance music for years and years, I thought that it might be kind of fun to make other stuff, too. I didn’t want people to think that I only make one style of music, so at that time, since I was also being so influenced by punk music, I wanted to try to incorporate some of it into some of my tracks. Now, I’m not saying I wouldn’t ever do that again, because I might do that again [in the future], but I think I’m just sticking to electronic dance music [production] for the foreseeable future. Bass, beats, trippy sounds!
DJ LIFE: Anything unreleased we don’t know about?
REZZ: I do have a bunch of unreleased tracks, like one with ILLENIUM and one with Grabbitz – both are very much mainstream or commercial-sounding. Those are very accessible to a broader audience and are definitely not trippy, dark, or grungy at all. I just kind of make whatever I want to make in the moment, honestly! I think me making the punk project was inevitable because that’s where my roots were, but nothing – and I mean nothing – compares to my love for electronic-dance music.
DJ LIFE: From the artist’s standpoint, what’s your view on social media now?
REZZ: I can definitely see why some artists don’t want to be online as much because it’s kind of a scary place. You’re opening yourself up to be perceived by so many people with so many different opinions. I’ve seemed to have had a pretty pleasant experience on social media. Sure, I’ve had a few instances where people might “shit on me” or whatever, but for the most part, I see the love, positivity, and that most people have been impacted by what I do. I try to pay attention really only to those people, so in those cases I like to be pretty accessible to them. At the end of the day – me as a person – I’m not that mysterious. People sometimes take it so seriously. They want to be like Daft Punk and not go on social media. But for me, as much as that sounds kind of nice [laughs], that doesn’t feel authentic to me.
DJ LIFE: Why not?
REZZ: I’ve always been a very social and sociable person that hung out with tons of people and didn’t mind the spotlight or being in the midst of all of it. If I wasn’t online as much as I am, I also wouldn’t be tapped into the new talent or what’s going on. I like to interact and correspond with my fans, and it sort of comes naturally to me. Some days I might not like what I see [laughs], but I think that just comes along with the territory. If you’re putting yourself out there, your art out there, and people know who you are or you’re a public figure, it’s inevitable. Some people are gonna think you’re corny. Some people are gonna think you’re the coolest person in the world. Some people are gonna think your music is the shittiest thing they’ve ever heard in their lives, but it just is what it is. You can put gold in front of 100,000 people and 50,000 of those people will still say it looks like shit [laughs].
DJ LIFE: Any advice for aspiring DJ/producers?
REZZ: With creating music, a lot of people will hop on trends because that’s what’s popping. I think it’s very obvious what’s popping right now – that’s drum-n-bass and techno. When I see a trend happening, I run the other way and do the complete opposite [laughs]. It’s great to be inspired by someone, but don’t copy somebody else’s sound.
DJ LIFE: Anything else?
REZZ: Also, if you know for sure that you want to do this as a career, it’s so important to be very patient and loving towards your passion. Everybody experiences writer’s block. There are going to be good days and bad days. Some days you’ll make music that you love, some days you’ll make music you don’t like, and some days you might not make any at all. But always remember to be respectful to the fact that you have a passion. Know when to take risks and when to push harder on that gas pedal… Make music that you want to make and do not even consider what anybody else is thinking. You’ll find that most artists that people admire and look up to, they’re so respected because the music they make is what they like – it’s what they think is cool.
