Exclusive Interview: Dzeko & Torres
Canadian electro-duo, Dzeko & Torres, have come a long way in the past few years of their career. From the front row of a Tiesto show to landing a spot on the legendary DJ's management roster, Dzeko & Torres' story is full of chasing dreams with strong determination.
Luis Torres and Julian Dzeko got their start in music differently. Torres started taking piano lessons when he was only seven years old, and received classical training for 11 years after that, right up until he started university. Dzeko, on the other hand, played guitar when he was a kid, just for fun. When in school, he joined the school band and played trumpet and trombone.
Luis Torres and Julian Dzeko then found each other through an online forum about club events in Toronto. At the time, Torres was working as a photographer and graphic designer and Dzeko was working as an event promoter. The two quickly developed a friendship and started DJing around Toronto, spending time in the studio whenever time allowed, drawing inspiration from big-timers in the electronic dance music industry.
“We draw a lot of inspiration from a lot of places,” the duo explained. “Of course there are the obvious ones that relate directly to the kind of music we make (Tiesto, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso), but then we also take a bit from the deeper sounds of Maya Jane Coles and older, classic Morillo. Those influences are more apparent in small touches in our tracks, like the double kicks and skipped beats!”
In 2011, the duo released their remix of Jus Jack's "Can't Wait" featuring Black Dog, which caught the attention of Tiesto. The duo continued to work towards their dream and released a number of standout remixes of indie favorites on various record labels. Gaining a loyal fan base, Dzeko & Torres began to headline big-time festivals including Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland and TomorrowWorld. While progressing towards creating their style and improving their production performance, the young duo always kept Tiesto in the loop. With extreme perseverance, Dzeko & Torres was signed to Tiesto's Red Light Management at the end of 2013, making their hard work "a dream come true".
When asked who in the industry they would most like to collaborate with, the duo was quick to respond, “We’d love to be able to do something with guys like Laidback Luke or Carnage, anyone that could really bring something different to the table.” As for vocals, “John Martin, Michael Zitron, Ryan Tedder or the guys from Animal Kingdom are all amazing.”
Dzeko & Torres have spent their entire summer on the road touring around North America. While on the road, their summer play list consists of “anything that has good energy, without being too dark or over-bearing”, the duo said. “Kiesza’s “Hideaway and and edit we did using the Sam Smith vocals from “Latch” vs. Calvin Harris’ “C.U.B.A.”, both of those have been killing it all summer. The duo has made stops in over 20 different cities in the past few months, performing at a number of different music festivals and nightclubs from Los Angeles to Miami, Las Vegas to Toronto.
“Our favorite city to perform in is obviously our hometown, Toronto,” the Dzeko & Torres stated. “We also love playing in Vegas, Washington DC, New York City and pretty much anywhere in Texas. There are honestly so many fun cities to name because we've built such great friendships with a lot of promoters all over the place, and so we always have a blast wherever we are.”
The duo is making a pit stop along the Jersey Shore this Saturday, and we are sure to be in attendance! Stay tuned for exclusive photos from the event, and a brief catch-up with the rising duo before FADED drops on Monday, September 1st via Spinnin’ Records.
“Be on the lookout for some upcoming remixes and tracks over the next few months to go hand in hand with the Parental Advisory Tour we’re doing with Carnage,” Dzeko & Torres concluded. “..and come to one of the shows, it’s going to be absolute madness!”
Website | Facebook | Twitter | SoundCloud