Having had his childhood vision of becoming an airline pilot shattered due to a battle with brain cancer, Dj Zo (Tom Carroll) is currently a graduating student at Grand Valley State University as well as an inspired deejay in Grand Rapids. In the 1980’s, Zo sparked an interest in electronic music at a really young age when his parents gifted him a record player and several records which included such releases of Herbie Hancock’s “Rocket”, Newcleus’s “Jam on It” and M/A/R/R/S’s “Pump up the Volume”. Since then, he was further influenced by the sounds of Depeche Mode, New Order, Daft Punk and various Chicago house deejays. In high school, his draw toward electronic dance music (EDM) was nurtured by having a German exchange student introduce him to German house and techno. After finishing flight school near Dallas, TX, Zo worked as a flight instructor. One of his flight student’s, who introduced him to Dallas’s trendy rave culture, was a house disc jockey who sold him a pair of cheap deejay turntables. They soon became friends and went to Dallas venues where electronic music deejays performed. After seeing Sasha and John Digweed during their Delta Heavy tour in Dallas, Zo’s passion for EDM exploded. Currently based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Dj Zo’s current sound ranges from soulful deep house through hypnotic tech house to energetic techno. Magnate - What were you thinking going into this mix and what direction did you decide to go with it? Zo - Pretty much all my mixes have the same basic idea. That is to be dance floor-worthy, with a gradual build then resolution and the song key signatures complementing each other. Magnate - Who are some of your favorite producers and DJ's at the moment? Zo - Oh gosh! That’s a long and complicated question. But in a nutshell, I love what Maya Jane Coles has been putting out. Every track she releases has been consistently sexy. Also I amazed by works of Jamie Jones, Franck Roger, Kruse & Nuernberg and definitely DJ. T. All of them have been consistent in releasing, in my opinion, hot tracks. Magnate - Who are some of your biggest musical influences that you have a personal relationship with? Zo – I have to put John Digweed and Sasha at the top of my ultimate innovators. As far as those I have had personal relationship with, it would be all the DJs involved with Magnate and Sub-terran[e]an who have been a big support despite my misgivings, my friend who goes by Uno and my long-time friend who got me started in this game, who goes by DJ Red. Magnate - What are some of your favorite gigs you've played? Zo – Playing at the weekly Bassbin event at Billy’s Eastown in Grand Rapids during this past summer. Never before I have received so much of a rush and energy from such eclectic crowd as that night. Andrea has a good thing going on there every Monday night that inspires me. Magnate - What do you have planned musically in your future? Zo – Although it feels as though my future is taking me more into the direction of a professional career in the information technology field….blaaaah…haha…my real passion is music. My true desire is to be more focused on deejaying and eventually producing – even if it’s only a part-time gig. Special Thanks Tom! Free Downloads: http://soundcloud.com/dj-zo For bookings: bjones@magnate616.com discjockzo@gmail.com