ZARDONIC Talks Role Models, Collaborations, and “Antihero”
You’re very easily one of the heaviest EDM producers out there, what led you to take the unusual step of fusing metal with dance music?
I guess you could blame my background being as diverse as it is. I grew up listening to fast paced percussive music, as it is the case with Latin music. Then when I was a kid I loved playing with synths and would sample random stuff just for fun. Got tons of cassettes from the old days, obsessed with sampling sounds from nature and machines. Then we also had a very strong Metal scene and I fell in love with Metal during my teenage years because it related to the anger I had back then, and still have some of it now. I find the energy in heavy EDM genres and styles to be the same found in Metal. Drum & Bass, Heavy Electro, Breakbeat and Hardcore. I see it all fitting with Metal. I remember albums like Remanufacture by Fear Factory, for example, to be very influential in my work. Always wondered why no more DJs would do more of that stuff. So I did it, and there you have it. [separator style”line” /]
Who are your musical role models?
I’m actually going to split that into two things: one thing is music influence, another is person influence. I love the music The Panacea does, but I’ll die before that dude sets foot into my house. I hate the music Downlink plays, but I’d make him the Godfather of my wedding. So in that sense, I’m more likely to enjoy music I usually dislike if I like the person who makes it than the other way around. Obviously at the end of the day, when we all pass away, music is the only we leave behind. So 100 years from now no one will care if Deadmau5 was an asshole. His music is great. And I think I know he knows that and that’s why he gets away with being who he is. So ideally, anyone who both makes the music I like and is nice, I will have them as my main role models. If they make good music and they’re assholes, I let their music influence me. If they’re great leaders but make something I don’t like, I still let them influence me. If they make shit music and are shit people like Kanye West, they have no place in my life LOL. [separator style”line” /]
If you could collaborate with any rock or metal band/artist, who would it be? What would you envision the results as?
I actually love a lot of music I wouldn’t see fitting a dance track. Take Behemoth, for instance, you don’t shake your booty to “Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer”. It’s a different vibe, but that song breathes so much life into me I still hear it in my head the same way I did when I saw them live. Amazing show. But I think the kind of metal artists that would fit my music more would be probably stuff a la old Machine Head, Sepultura from the late Max era, Pantera, Rob Zombie, Rammstein, maybe even Deftones.
In looking at your discography, and that’s one hell of a long list of releases, how do you feel your music has evolved from Subsonic Stigmata to Antihero?
There’s always a bit of the old stuff there, but Subsonic Stigmata was an immature release. I give it a C. Antihero is an A++. Much more truthful to what I wanted to say while Subsonic Stigmata was me just having fun and being less angry. But to be fair, I do miss that sometimes. So maybe the next stuff is gonna have a bit more of the fun side of it. That’s what’s so special about Antihero. I’ve put things there and I’ve said things there I was not able to say before. It’s absolutely not your usual party dance album. Maybe that’s why some of these kids can’t stand it. It makes them think too much. And that’s what I like about my fans. The true Zealots, let me tell you, they’re smart people. And they’re unstoppable, just like I am. [separator style”line” /]
You’ve worked with what looks like a ton of labels, as well as self-released a lot of your work, how has it been different working with as large and respected an independent label as Entertainment One?
The difference is you invest no money and never lose, but you also can’t take anything to the next level without that extra push. Entertainment One is the bank putting the money into taking this project to a level that I could never think about before. And I am extremely happy with them and they are happy with me. The relationship is great and they hired an excellent team, including Dark City Media PR who handled me this interview with you. So I want to thank them and you for this. It is always a pleasure. [separator style”line” /]
Thank you so much for your time! Anything else you’d like to add?
Yeah. Buy the album. The label deserves it. To all of you guys out there who want to know how this business works, these people are not some big evil machine exploiting artists. I don’t know about shady record deals, but this sure ain’t one of them. These people work hard, invest money in this project, and they only way they will see it back is from record sales. I make my money out of touring, so when fans buy a ticket to one of my shows, I get paid. When they buy the record, the label gets paid. If all of my team is not seeing any revenue, they can’t make their money back, they can’t continue to work. So when I say Buy the album, I mean BUY THE FUCKING ALBUM. Like, now. After you read this sentence. Go to http://bit.do/AntiheroAmazon and you’ll find both the Digital MP3 and Audio CD formats. Get the physical copy. If not, get the digital. Buy one, buy two. Give them to friends. Every time you do it, we all get coffee to work harder for all of you. [separator style”line” /]
Antihero Tracklist:
[list style=”music”] [li]World At War (Prologue)[/li] [li]Against All Odds[/li] [li]For Justice[/li] [li]Crush It[/li] [li]Vigilante[/li] [li]Override[/li] [li]Pure Power[/li] [li]Raise Hell[/li] [li]The Time Is Now[/li] [li]Antihero (Epilogue)[/li] [li]Highway 666[/li] [li]Against All Odds (Instrumental Mix)[/li] [li]For Justice (Instrumental Mix)[/li] [li]Vigilante (Instrumental Mix)[/li] [li]Pure Power (Instrumental Mix)[/li] [li]Raise Hell (Instrumental Mix)[/li] [li]The Time Is Now (Instrumental Mix)[/li] [li]Against All Odds (Rusty K Remix)[/li] [li]For Justice (Counterstrike Remix)[/li] [li]Crush It (Dub Elements Remix)[/li] [li]Vigilante (Esparta Remix)[/li] [li]Override (Darksiderz Remix)[/li] [li]Pure Power (Heavygrinder Remix)[/li] [li]Raise Hell (Evol Intent Remix)[/li] [li]The Time Is Now (The Outside Agency)[/li] [li]Antihero (Voicians Remix)[/li] [/list]
