What genre is Rezz?

The widely popular experimental EDM artist Rezz has spearheaded a genre all her own.

Rezz, a Ukrainian Canadian DJ known to family as Isabelle Rezazadeh, first rose to fame with her debut EP ‘Insurrection’ in 2015 via a small Owsla record label. Less than a year later, she signed with prominent record label mau5trap, Canadian DJ deadmau5’s pipeline project from up-and-coming DJs.

Rezz released her EP ‘Silence is Deafening’ in 2016 and became an overnight sensation. Her sound was different: spooky, ethereal, minimalist, and hypnotic. Through this release among others, Rezz has trailblazed a new genre within electronic dance music.

Rezz’s genre has been described as midtempo bass and/or dark techno. Midtempo bass is a style of music that features 85-110 beats per minute, imbuing the sound with this deep and spooky vibe. Artists who champion the sound include Blanke, Kayoh, LICK, LSDream, SNEEK, Whipped Cream, ZEKE BEATS, and Divinite.

Dark techno, on the other hand, refers to electronic music that emphasizes sub-bass, or the deep, low-register pitches 70 Hz and below. Dark techno can also be described as the heavy metal of the electronic world. Artists that showcase this sound include Livai, Ness, Under Black Helmet, and others. 

Although both midtempo bass and dark techno, especially when combined, give a germane description of Rezz’s work, there is no one else in the industry like her. She’s inspired many a copycat with her unique control of the chilling, but no other has exactly replicated it. There are whole fleets of electronic artists that propagate traditional dubstep, hypnotic house, trance, and commercialized EDM… and then there’s Rezz. 

Rezz’s music is unique to the industry, with her coy lyricism that any fan of EDM would recognize: “Just take a nice breath in. Exhale that breath. Just allow yourself now to relax more and more because the nicest thing about hypnosis is that wonderful feeling of physical and mental relaxation that can now spread throughout your entire body. Because from this moment in time, there’s nothing… nothing of importance for you to do except… Relax.” Her music is edgy, slower compared to most EDM, and hypnotic. Rezz often performs with hypnosis shades, turning tables as glowing red whirlpools churn atop her eyes – her music, essence, and uniquely dark genre personified. 

About The Author

Saracha

Heralding from sunny South Florida, I am a proud Florida Woman. In my free time, I surf the swamp, wrangle gators, open fan mail, and tend to my pets. In the wild, I’m most often spotted at immersive art spaces, step tappin’ in a shadowed corner of the club, hater blockerz on, totally incognito as your resident EDM spice girl. Although I generally tout my spicy side, if there’s one thing I’d love to impress upon the world, it would be this: it’s not a waste to give love to those who do not deserve it – it’s a gift. The world would be a better place if we gave, in kindness and in mercy, to those who need it most with no expectation in return.

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