Digging Deeper with Matthias Tanzmann’s Exclusive Spotify Mix
Looking for something groovy to get you through the week or help you escape reality for even just an hour? Gray Area invites house music newbies and die-hard fans alike to join us on an expertly curated house music odyssey from 20+ year veteran DJ/producer Matthias Tanzmann. With this exclusive Spotify mix, the German native showcases his deep and tech house influences mixed with originals off his Moon Harbour Recordings label, as well as his Better Lost Than Stupid trio collab with Martin Buttrich and Davide Squillace.
We caught up with Tanzmann about his new Spotify mix that perfectly reps the roots of proper house mixed with an international flavor, a dash of warm wonkiness, and even nods to hip-hop.
“I wanted to create a mix that bridges both home listening and club vibes,” says Tanzmann of his new Spotify offering. “My DJ sets are usually very groove driven; for my Spotify mix, I wanted to make sure it includes more musical elements so the set also works on home sound systems.”
With a proliferation of classic dance music tracks being sampled (and even re-sampled) for pop superstars, now’s the perfect time for a mix like Tanzmann’s that channels the roots of the Chicago-originating sound while sharing its ability to make nearly anyone move. “House music came up at the end of the 1980s and was mainly created by young producers in their home studios with very limited equipment,” explains Tanzmann. “It kind of followed up on disco music. Due to the technical limitations, there was a lot of sampling involved, so house music naturally merges a lot of musical styles, which makes it very versatile.”
Fast forward to the present day, and quantity vs. quality is often debated—yet another reason why now’s the perfect time for Tanzmann’s mix as he’s done the legwork for us of showcasing the best of fresh deep house and tech house. But if he had to pick one, Tanzmann cites the Michael Bibi remix of Guy Gerber’s “Bocat” as his favorite on the mix. “This was one of the stand-out tracks of 2022 for me,” he says. On the flip side, there was also the difficult decision of which tracks would ultimately make the final cut. “I wanted to include Deetron’s ‘Glass,’ but in the end, it didn’t really fit in.”
If Tanzmann’s Spotify Mix has piqued your interest for more from the artist, look out for even more original music as the year progresses. “I have been working a lot at the studio lately, so I will be releasing more than ever this year,” he says. “I’m looking forward to getting all the music out soon.”
Until then, enjoy Matthias Tanzmann’s masterclass in seamless mix creation, available now on Spotify.
