The inner EDM lover in you is totally psyched that Fort Lauderdale will get a taste of Winter Music Conference this year with Vibe Music Week. As part of this week's festivities, Miami producer and DJ Joe Maz will be returning to the venue to follow up his epic New Year's bash.
Among other things, Maz has released music on Ministry of Sound and Slow Roast Records, put out official Kanye West and Britney Spears remixes, and held down residencies at Set and Mansion. We spoke with this man on the up and up about gay marriage and politics.
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County Grind: First things first, where are you from?
Joe Maz: Originally from Minneapolis, and moved down here in 2010 to further my opportunities. It's been amazing. Miami is definitely a great place to network and inspire.
Where did you go to High School?
Waconia in Minnesota. Very small, graduated with a class of 138.
How do you classify your music?
House-meets-indie-meets-hip-hop-meets-disco.
Out of all the artists with whom you've worked, which have been your favorites?
Kanye West. He makes some of the best music in hip-hop. I did a remix of his tune "Homecoming" years ago with my brother (who goes by Gigamesh) and Danny Daze under the name DiscoTech. It also featured Chris Martin from Coldplay who is another amazing artist in my mind.
Which clubs are your favorites to play?
So many favorites. So hard to pick! Mansion in Miami, Hyde at Bellagio Vegas, MurMur at Borgata Atlantic City, and the Roof in Chicago, all amazing venues with a great crowd and great energy. I also really like Vibe in Las Olas. Great little venue where I feel I can go a little deeper on the house tip.
How to do feel about the whole celebrity DJ thing?
I think it's great. I love how it's become big because years ago it was much harder to have the ability to play house in the US for the majority of the night. It was either hip-hop or rock. I've always been a house-head so it's a very exciting time for me personally.
I saw a tweet on your website regarding Rand Paul and the use of drones on US citizens. Are you a Rand Paul supporter? Or are you more against an infringement on constitutional rights?
I guess you could say that. I just support liberty and personal rights and our constitution. He stood for 13-hours for an important cause in my estimation. It was also the number one trend on twitter.
So do you consider yourself to be a libertarian?
I would say it's difficult for me to define my political affiliation, because people are always forced to agree with every single position of each of the political parties. Knowing this, my positions on issues dont always line up perfectly for any one of them.
What about legalization of marijuana and gay marriage?
I'm for gay marriage. Let people live. I support the legalization of Mary-Jane.
You've played Vibe before, why have you decided to come back?
I love it. The crowd is older and I can bust out some '80s and '90s house edits that I can't really get away with in many other venues. The first time I played there, they were chanting and raging until the lights came on. Was a blast.
What are your ultimate goals?
I'd ultimately like to continue to develop more as an artist and producer. Things have been going great lately and I want to continue to develop a "sound" and deliver original music to people around the world.
What would you like readers to know about you?
When it comes to music, I have an insane memory full of knowledge. Some may say it's useless, I think it's quite valuable.
Joe Maz will be appearing at Vibe Friday, March 22. There is no cover for the event. Call (954) 713-7313, or visit the website here.
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