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4/17/13 @ 9:45 AM EST: Arty says there is still no agreement between Anjunabeats and Interscope; Laidback Luke wishes Arty the best.

4/17/13 @ 1 AM EST: Laidback Luke claims to have spoken with a producer via Twitter.

4/16/13 @ 3 PM CST: Arty, Mat Zo and Chris Brown acknowledge “Let’s Go” via Facebook and Twitter; other artists weigh in.

4/16/13 @ 1 PM CST: Anjunabeats responds via Twitter, and our best guess at how this will end.

Original Story:

For those who follow Mat Zo on Twitter, you know that he is one of the most interesting DJs on there. He holds nothing back as he tweets a total stream of consciousness. Since yesterday morning, though, he is no longer present. And – brace your ears – This may be why:

‘Let’s Go’ is Mat Zo and Arty ‘s emotive track ‘Rebound’, bastardized by will.i.am for his new album #willpower which is set to release on April 19.

Listen to the original below.

We know that Pop music has always sampled good electronic tracks ( looking at you, Flo.rida ), capitalizing on the creativity of DJs and producers to quickly manufacture a radio hit. And will.i.am has an uncanny ability to fabricate catchy beats and match them with meaningless, grammar-defying lyrics. ‘Let’s Go’ mixes all of these trends together. Chris Brown batters the beauty of ‘Rebound’ in a situation so terrifying that I have to shield my ears.

Zo apparently knew nothing of the rip, and deleted his Twitter account in protest. The question is, though, did Anjunabeats know? ‘Rebound’ was released on Above & Beyond’s label in April of 2011, and will.i.am must have had to obtain rights to the song through the label, right? Apparently not.

Arty came out in defense of Mat Zo and Anjunabeats through his twitter.

It seems ‘Let’s Go’ is not the result of a breakdown in label / artist relations, but rather a case of copyright infringement. We’ll keep you updated on developments with Mat Zo, Anjunabeats, and will.i.am.

UPDATED 4/16/13 @ 1 PM CST:

Shortly after posting this original article, Anjunabeats responded to an angry tweet on the subject:

And followed up with a tweet saying “We are looking into the situation regarding Rebound, but can’t reply to each message individually. Thanks for all your support.”

The bad news is that ‘Let’s Go’ will not be going away – but Arty and Mat Zo will probably come out with a good share of profit from the track. In a conversation with Arty on Twitter, DJ John B shared his experience when Nicki Minaj sampled his track “Red Sky” for her song “Here I Am” on the Black Friday album. The DJ came out of negotiations with a satisfying revenue stream.

Talks with the artists and label have commenced, but the final outcome is unknown at this time.

And while trance fans will be upset knowing that will.i.am’s mind-numbing version will not be erased from history, as it should be, the settlement may not be a terrible situation for the artists. As Trance producer Matt Lange says:

UPDATED 4/16/13 @ 3 PM CST:

We were concerned about the disappearance of Mat Zo, but earlier this hour, he came back to Facebook, witty as ever:

And clearly the Trance Family is supporting him. Fans have come out through all forms of social media, apparently disgusted by the work of will.i.am, and showing their support of the artists who were unknowingly deceived. Trance love runs far and deep!

Arty described the situation as “frustrating” and posted on Facebook that he was entirely unaware of will.i.am’s work until it appeared on VEVO this morning:

Meanwhile, DJ/Producer Mikkas poked fun at the situation, offering up his own work for sacrifice via Twitter:

And finally, Chris Brown, the vocals of ‘Let’s Go’, spoke out via Twitter. Here’s what Chris Brown and his fans have been saying about the situation:



Though at least Christian Garcia knows what’s up…

UPDATE 4/16/13 @ 4 PM CST:

But this copyright incident may not be the root cause for the silencing of Mat Zo’s Twitter account, according to a brief conversation with Juventa via Twitter. He told us that he believes Zo trashed his account due to numerous incidents in the past. His account has been gone since Sunday.

UPDATE 4/16/13 @ 6:30 PM EST:

The outrage from Arty and Mat Zo’s fans is visible on Facebook and Twitter, and many of the comments are highly dramatic. While some people wrote inappropriate things on will.i.am’s Facebook wall, others reacted with racial slurs and hateful language. In a well-timed posting on Facebook, Mat Zo asked fans to restrain themselves from negativity, and focus on supporting the trance fam rather than bashing the opposition:

UPDATE 4/17/13 @ 1:23 AM EST (We don’t sleep):

Laidback Luke says he contacted will.i.am’s producer, and alleges that Arty is part of the record and is getting producer credits.

@astateofchern I wrote the producer a long email about stealing, and he said Arty is getting producer credits and everything. It’s cleared. — Laidback Luke (@LaidbackLuke) April 17, 2013

UPDATE 4/17/13 @ 9:46 AM EST:

@laidbackluke there is no official licence agreement, signed contract or anything else between me, Mat Zo, Anjunabeats and Interscope — Arty (@arty_music) April 17, 2013

@arty_music Alright, thx for your response. Seems we have your word against their’s. I hope you will get the credit u deserve. — Laidback Luke (@LaidbackLuke) April 17, 2013

A statement from Interscope Records would be helpful…

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