We caught up with Zak to find out a little bit more about one of our new contributors.

JNTM: Who are some of your favorite producers right now?

Zak: I’m really into GRiZ right now, Breakbot is a favorite of mine, [as well as] Oliver.  Anything with some funk in there.

JNTM: If you could see any DJ/artist perform live, who would it be?

Zak: I missed Gesaffelstien at HARD Summer, and I’ve been getting into him lately. So, that’s the first thing that comes to mind.  Wouldn’t mind seeing Dillon Francis again soon either.

JNTM: What’s the last show/festival you went to? Who was your favorite artist there?

Zak: HARD Day of the Dead.  And this is a tough question; with so many artists, it’s tough.  However, Pretty Lights really vibed with me in a surprising way.  The groovy subtleties in his set really got me moving.  Jack Beats was also surprisingly heavy.

JNTM: What are some genres you really like and some you really hate? Any that you hate you like?

Zak: For a long time, I was the guy who fully denounced electronic music.  I saw a lack of live instruments as a huge weakness in the music, like so many people do.  It wasn’t until I discovered the emotion and creativity that can be unlocked with the limitless sort of potential that EDM provides that I fell in love.

That being said, I still have an affinity for live instruments fused with electronic music.  GRiZ’s Rebel Era is a perfect embodiment of this.  Funk, groove, soul.

But hey, who doesn’t like to go hard?  Dog Blood, Bassnectar, Zomboy, ect…

Hate?  I’d have to go with trance.  I can stick with it for a few minutes, but 8 minutes into the same beat, and I get bored.  Maybe that makes me an uncultured neanderthal, I don’t know.

Hate that I like? I’ve heard it called “brostep”; That slow, 1-2 beat that Skrillex is all about.  Entry-level? Maybe.  Dope? Probably.

JNTM: If you could produce a track or DJ with any producer who would it be and why?

Zak: As far as him musical prowess, I’m not sure, but It’d be an absolute riot to spend a day with Dillon Francis. Ooh, or Gary Richards (Destructo).  That guy knows everything.

Want to join Zak on the JNTM team? Send us a message on Facebook and we’ll be in touch!

The post Welcome to the JNTM team, Zak! appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

His most recent single from the new album, “Treasure,” has also seen some early success upon it’s release and shows Mars’ appreciation for funkier side of things. The song, however, seems eerily similar to a probably lesser-known producer/dj’s work.

French producer Breakbot, who was made famous with his remix of Justice’s “Let There Be Light,” is known for his funky style of spinning and sampling and has been recording under Ed Banger Records since May 2009. In America, Breakbot hasn’t made too much of a name for himself. He’s had multiple appearances at HARD and Coachella, but has only been the supporting act on a few tours throughout the states.

His song, “Baby I’m Yours,” which was released as a single in 2011 and also appears on his 2012 album By Your Side, shares almost the exact same music qualities as Bruno Mars’ “Treasure.” Listen below:

Bruno Mars — “Treasure” 

Breakbot — “Baby I’m Yours”

“Treasure” vs. “Baby I’m Yours”

Right?! You better believe Breakbot noticed. He posted on his twitter saying:

Breakbot was also quoted saying:

“To those who think that it’s just a coincidence, or that “we are both inspired by the same artists”, let me just tell you that Bruno asked my label if he could cover “Baby I’m yours” a few months ago and we said no. Then he recorded “treasure”. To be perfectly honest, I’m not mad at all, if anything I am rather flattered that someone selling millions of mp3s is interested in my music.”

After reading that quote, it has to be hard for anyone to actually believe this wasn’t a TOTAL rip-off of Breakbot. It seems as though Bruno Mars, after finding out he couldn’t just take the song to make his own, decided to write an extremely similar sounding song. This is normally the part of the article where we promote both artists and their albums and where to purchase them, but this time it makes more sense to only promote one:

For more Breakbot check out his soundcloud or find him on Beatport. 

The post Breakbot vs Bruno Mars appeared first on Just Noise To Me.