Saturday Night Session 026: From being a die-hard Tiësto fan to playing on the mainstage, GATTÜSO talks about his entrance into electronic music
Few moments are more sacred than the reprieve Saturday night provides from the daily grind of school and work. Its importance is meant to be emphasized, and thus, a feature dedicated to “doing the night right” was born. Saturday Night Sessions are set around energizing mixes meant to get the party started. New or old, each episode has one cornerstone thing in similarity: they serve as the perfect backdrop for the weekend pregame.
The journey of becoming a successful DJ and producer is different for everyone, but almost always unified by years of hard work. It’s a grind, and for many, an uphill battle to get booked, grow a fanbase, and score radio placements. Reem Taoz is as familiar with the hard work part of this story as the best of them, but the electronic music industry seemingly woke up one morning and decided that he was going to be a household name. Taoz arrived to the forefront of the electronic music scene the second he got into the studio, and this is almost certainly thanks to his infectious spin on progressive house and club music.
Taoz performs under artist alias GATTÜSO, and the Israel native actually credits legendary producer Tiësto as his inspiration to become involved in the electronic music industry.
He mentions, “I have to credit Tiësto as my biggest inspiration. I heard him play first in Israel, and when I first started to really travel – it was to go to a Tiësto show, and I ended up following him to shows around the world.”
This led him to Peru, where he started working in the nightclub industry. The more time he spent around the music, the more certain he became that he needed to start creating his own. In 2017, a now New York City based Taoz stopped everything to focus on making music. Two years later he has 12 remixes and seven originals under his belt with 10 new original releases in the works. He has released music on Dim Mak, Armada, Enhanced, and he has his own record label called T&T Records. He has also done official remixes for an extensive list of tier one artists including forthcoming remixes for Galantis, Yellow Claw, and Sam Feldt among others.
The sheer volume of music Taoz has put out despite being a music producer for only two years is impressive. His output begins to make more sense after discussing the amount of time he spends in the studio and what he does outside of work to unwind. He notes, “The past month, I spent 300 hours in the studio, which hasn’t left a whole lot of time…I really try to spend every minute outside of the studio enjoying food, family, and staying healthy. I’ve said it before, but Im a HUGE fan of sushi, and working out, and I hit the gym and run at least a few miles every day. I also love tequila and champagne, although I try not to do that every day!”
For those trying to figure out what led to Taoz’s meteoric ascension, one stunt comes to the forefront. Taoz chose the artist name GATTÜSO because he was a huge Genaro Gattuso fan, who is an Italian soccer player from AC Milan.
When asked how he chose his artist name, he explains, “It’s ironic, because the name just came to me one night. I wanted something that sounded strong and forceful. I’m a huge football fan (soccer), and I knew that there was a former player for AC Milan, who was a major star, and then went on to coach the team. I figured that somewhere down the road, we might cross paths, and as it turns out a huge AC Milan fan, with a big instagram account, realized that we had the same name, created a bunch of buzz on it, and we ended up collaborating on a song called ‘Scuza Gattuso,’ which started as an inside joke and went on to be featured in tons of global press outlets, featured on top playlists, and brought me a loyal fan base of Italian listeners.”
GATTÜSO’s inside joke has certainly garnered him a strong Italian fanbase. He also touts an ever-expanding group of loyal listeners in the U.S. and throughout the world. When asked what kind of a Saturday Night his Saturday Night Session will get listeners ready for, Taoz comments, “Life with GATTÜSO is always a party. Life is meant to be enjoyed – every minute of it, especially this Saturday night! So get ready for good vibes and a playlist you’re going to play again and again.”
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You kind of came out of nowhere- releasing your first original in 2018, and all of the sudden you’re doing remixes for major artists and your originals are amassing millions of streams. Tell us about your entrance into dance music and why you started producing.
I have to credit Tiësto as my biggest inspiration. I heard him play first in Israel, and when I first started to really travel – it was to go to a Tiësto show, and I ended up following him to shows around the world. Thats what led me to Peru, where I spent a few years in the nightclub business. The more time that I spent around dance music and DJ’s, I realized that it was time to turn my passion for music as a fan into finding myself as an artist. I played music as a kid and had messed around with some production software over the years, but in 2017 I stopped everything and turned to focus on producing full time. My first original releases, “Who We Are” and “Dance Stay High” were really personal songs for me, as was “I Will Play.” This writing was directly from my personal life and was very cathartic for me. Seeing these songs with millions of streams now is very satisfying because I think it shows that other people feel the way I do, and I’m happy to see my music resonating with people around the world.
How would you describe your musical style to those who haven’t heard you before?
I love progressive, with big drops, catchy melodies, and driven by memorable vocals and great songs. Thats what I try to do! I balance this out with club tracks, and Im going to be releasing more of those in the near future, since I have a lot of fun making them.
Given your first original came out in 2018 and you have since released a plethora of remixes and originals- you must spend quite a lot of time in the studio. What do you do to unwind?
As of this week, Ive actually released about or exactly 12 remixes and 7 originals. I have another 10 originals that I’m working on now, and about 5 are ready to release. The past month, I spent 300 hours in the studio, which hasn’t left a whole lot of time. That said, I love to enjoy my life, and I make sure that I carve out time to do that. I love making music and that time is very special to me, but I really try to spend every minute outside of the studio enjoying food, family, and staying healthy. I’ve said it before, but Im a HUGE fan of sushi, and working out, and I hit the gym and run at least a few miles every day. I also love tequila and champagne, although I try not to do that every day :)
How did you choose the artist name GATTÜSO?
It’s ironic, because the name just came to me one night. I wanted something that sounded strong and forceful. I’m a huge football fan (soccer), and I knew that there was a former player for AC Milan, who was a major star, and then went on to coach the team. I figured that somewhere down the road, we might cross paths, and as it turns out a huge AC Milan fan, with a big instagram account, realized that we had the same name, created a bunch of buzz on it, and we ended up collaborating on a song called “Scuza Gattuso,” which started as an inside joke and went on to be featured in tons of global press outlets, featured on top playlists, and brought me a loyal fan base of Italian listeners.
Do you have any specific releases or remixes coming out soon that you are particularly excited about?
Yes! All of them. August was a huge month for me, with 4 remixes back to back. There’s a Two Friends remix coming this month, “Dollar Menu” (Dim Mak 9/6), and then Im finishing up great remixes for Icona Pop (who I have always loved), and Starley, which should be out in October. It’s been amazing to work with such great songs and artists, that I’ve been following and listening to for some time now. They have all inspired and influenced me, so its really awesome to have these kinds of opportunities. I’m in the process of finalizing some label deals on a handful of originals, and I’m going to release one this month on my own label, T&T Records, called “Love Is Not Enough.” I LOVE this record and the singer S.A.L.E.M just kills me. She’s amazing, has something very special I think, which is hard to find.
I just did a swap with Mark Sixma. He’s awesome. My song with Disco Killerz, “Million Things” was on Dance Rising with his song “Million Miles.” I loved his style, and when I released “When In Rome” on Armada in July, when it came time to get remixes done, I hit him up and we decided to trade. Really excited for that to come out September 20th.
Other releases and remixes I have coming out:
Breathe Carolina X Asketa & Natan Chaim “Get Away feat. Rama Duke” (Spinnin Records)
Steve Void & Louisa – Aint Got You (Strange Fruits/Universal 8/23)
Sam Feldt – Post Malone (Spinnin Records 8/29)
Galantis & Yellow Claw – We Can Get High (Big Beat/Atlantic 8/30)
What is your favorite song of all time?
Thats a tough call. Lets go with top 3
Radiohead “Creep”
Dash Berlin “Till The Sky Falls Down”
R3HAB “Lullaby,” and I was fortunate to do a remix for that one. I have always been a big fan of Fadil’s and he has now become a friend.
What kind of a Saturday night is your Saturday night session going to get listeners ready for?
Life with Gattuso is always a party. Life is meant to be enjoyed – every minute of it, especially this Saturday night! So get ready for good vibes and a playlist you’re going to play again and again.
Photo Credit: Richard “Parlay” Copier @OneiPhotography