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Electronic Artist Naz Discusses Her Accomplishments, Talents, Nostalgia and Favourite Venue

Social: Electronic artist Naz joins us for a “get to know you” kind of interview in which we discuss her accomplishments, other talents besides music, favourite venue, nostalgia, and more.

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Naz

Rather than excessively focusing on technique and method, Naz lets feeling, and mood be her guide when it comes to her music-making. The Amsterdam-based Naz is an up-and-coming producer and DJ who is starting to impress with the character and emotion she brings to her music, with her production style heavily influenced by her passion for making people feel something. She believes that music has its own powerful language that runs far beyond any words, which results in some very lively DJ sets rife with crazy, wide-ranging sounds and very enthusiastic dancefloors.

Originally from Sydney, Australia, Naz is most passionate about melodic house, with her now a well-established commodity within the underground scene. She has been getting noticed beyond that scene, with her beats being recognized and receiving endorsements from Above & Beyond, Ferry Corsten, Darude, Rodg, Ruben De Ronde, Matt Fax, Solarstone, and others.

Today we are joined by Naz herself in a “get to know you” kind of interview in which we discuss her accomplishments, other talents besides music, favourite venue, nostalgia, and more. Check out Naz online at: https://linktr.ee/nazmusic.

What do you think is your greatest accomplishment?

Naz: “That would definitely have to be giving birth to my son.. My now 6-year-old Pomeranian Jimmy. My biggest accomplishment to date, for sure! It was a really easy labour, thankfully. He was small.”

What’s something you know isn’t real, but wish existed?

“Oh, Hogwarts, for sure. But do we truly know that it isn’t real? I still have hope that I’ll receive a letter, but I feel like now that I am in my 30s, the chances of this happening are becoming less and less. I’d totally be in Gryffindor, I think. Imagine DJing in the dining hall… what a venue; the acoustics would go mad in there, I think. (Th photo below is from my first visit to Harry Potter World, I think in January 2022. One of the greatest days of my life).”

What is one thing that you’re good at that people don’t expect?

“I’m quite good at backgammon. It’s something I picked up when visiting family in Iran, and I was really, really bad at it, so I downloaded the game on my phone and just spent an embarrassing amount of hours playing and so the next time I went back to Iran to visit, I was so excited to just humbly kick everyone’s ass. It was my special comeback moment for sure.”

What’s a fear of yours that you think is fully justified?

“Butterflies. You know that episode of The Simpsons where Bart says nobody ever suspects the butterfly? It’s true. I had an unfortunate incident with a butterfly when I was younger, and it scarred me, so now I just have a general distrust towards butterflies. I will run in the opposite direction; it’s actually quite bad.”

What were the longest five minutes you’ve ever experienced?

“That five minutes before your set is supposed to start.”

What’s the best venue you have ever played in and why?

Brooklyn Mirage. That was such a bucket list venue for me, and to have gotten the opportunity to play there so early in my career is just so incredibly amazing and I am so grateful to have experienced that. The venue is absolutely insane, and my mum also got to be there! It was just a really special gig all around!”

What were you doing in the ’80s?

“Well, I was born in 1989, so I was pretty much chillin’ in the ’80s, but in the early ’90s, I was doing this (I’m on the right).”

If you had the chance to know when you died and how, would you take it?

“What an interesting and dark question. It’s a weird one because if I knew when and how I died… would I spend every living moment just fully sending it and living my life to the best, or would I be living in a constant state of anxiety and depression just knowing my impending doom? I think some things are better left unknown, and this is one of them for sure.”

What always makes you nostalgic?

“If I smell my dad’s cologne somewhere… it had a really distinct smell and just takes me back to my childhood and memories of him. This is him from his wild days in London in the ’70s. The moustache and chest hair are very much giving Persian Tom Jones.”

What will always be funny to you?

“My skater girl phase. I remember it all started from this crush I had on this boy at the skate park near my house… he was so beautiful and majestic on this board; I was totally in love. So I came home one day after school and told my parents I suddenly had this newfound passion to skate. My parents bought me my first skateboard, and then one day; I put on a pair of the baggiest cargo jeans I could find, put my cap on backwards (cringing so hard), and made my way to the park. The boy was there, and I remember we sort of had this moment (or so I thought) where we locked eyes, and I was like, ok, this is my moment.

“So I put one foot down on the board with all the confidence in the world and just completely face-planted it and grazed half of my face. I ran out of there, blood pouring from my nose, and my heart, skateboard and dignity broken into pieces. (Pictured: me standing on said skateboard, I think this was actually the night before it all happened too (laughs).)”

Favourite childhood musical memory?

“Putting on concerts for my family, friends and my stuffed toys. I would be a one-person band, where I would sing, play the piano, and bang on a pot with a wooden spoon for percussion. I used to do Whitney Houston impersonations so well that in primary school, they would get me to perform at school events, and I was just like this 9-year-old Persian kid living in Brisbane, Australia, who could belt out Whitney Houston songs from god knows where. It was a wild time.”

Born in 2003, V13 was a socio-political website that, in 2005, morphed into PureGrainAudio and spent 15 years developing into one of Canada's (and the world’s) leading music sites. On the eve of the site’s 15th anniversary, a full re-launch and rebrand takes us back to our roots and opens the door to a full suite of Music, Film, TV, and Cultural content.

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