Calm, precise, and deeply process-oriented, Gabor ZEZE moves with intention. Based in Basel, he builds his sound through live hardware jams, clear limitations, and a steady trust in groove. There is no rush in his approach. Earlier this year, he brought that mindset to the Sihl x Plazma In-Store session in Zurich, presenting a live set that felt focused, controlled, and quietly powerful.

April 7th marks the arrival of his debut EP on Plazma, Organic, our first release of the year. It introduces a refined, minimal energy into the catalogue — spacious, measured, and subtly confident, arriving just as the season begins to shift.

In this conversation, Gabor speaks openly about his workflow, from Digitakt and Digitone jams to final arrangements in Ableton, about shaping live sets as evolving narratives, and about why trusting the process matters more than chasing validation. There’s plenty here for aspiring producers and live performers, not just in terms of gear and technique, but mindset.

If you’re interested in what happens when technical discipline meets emotional awareness, read on.

Firstly, what is your full name, age, and where are you from?

I prefer to keep my full name private. 🙂 I’m 31 years old and based in Basel, Switzerland.

What was the first experience or moment in your life that made you fall in love with music, even before you decided to pursue it professionally?

This goes back to my childhood. My father used to listen to jazz on his vinyl record player. Records by legends like Miles Davis and John Coltrane always gave me a warm, comforting feeling.

When did electronic music first catch your attention? Was there a specific track, DJ, or moment that opened your ears to this genre?

This was during my teenage years, when I first discovered nightclubs. I was deeply impressed by the feeling house music created on large sound systems. The culture around it also struck me, everyone was just dancing, and it did not matter who you were.

Do you remember the moment when making music shifted from listening and collecting to actually producing your own sounds?

Over time, I became increasingly drawn to house music. When I was 25, a conversation with my brother marked a turning point. We realised that we could create electronic music ourselves, shaped by our own taste and feeling. That was when we decided to get a groovebox and start producing our own sounds.

What role does your hometown of Basel play in your music if any? Do you feel a connection between the city’s energy and your sound?

My circle of friends in Basel had a strong influence on my music. Many of them are DJs and producers, and being surrounded by this scene clearly shaped my sound and motivation.

How has your personal journey and experiences influenced your music, and how do you express your individuality through your sound?

I see my music as a snapshot of who I am. It is a way to express both past and present life experiences, shaped by my evolving taste and the sounds of my everyday environment, which I absorb and transform into my own musical language.

When you’re producing music in the studio, do you think in terms of conveying something — a feeling, an idea, or even a story — or is the focus more on sound and structure itself?

When I produce music, I let myself be guided by my feelings and by inspiration drawn from life and other great artists. It is a meditative process for me, more a journey of exploration than a clearly defined path. In the end, it naturally comes together and tells my story.

How do groove, emotion, and restraint interact in your current work, and has that balance shifted over time?

Groove and emotion are closely connected in my current work. The groove often adapts to my life circumstances and even to the seasons, which naturally shifts the balance over time.

Walk us through your typical creative process when producing a new track. How do you start, and how do you know when a piece of music is complete?

It usually starts outside the studio, through inspiration from music or other forms of art such as painting. In the studio, I translate these impressions into a live set. I work with different ideas on my sampler and synthesizers, exploring them in a performative way.

My live setup is very flexible but also gives me clear limitations, which makes it an ideal environment to shape ideas. A live set usually contains around 16 different tracks. Once the set feels complete, I select the tracks that resonate with me most on an emotional level.

I then record these tracks into Ableton, build the arrangement, and work on the mix. After that, I test them in different contexts. I play them in my DJ sets, listen to them on headphones, and repeatedly return to the DAW.

A track is finished when it feels complete to me, when nothing seems missing, and when it makes sense as a whole while conveying its emotion and story. It is less a matter of knowing that a piece is finished, and more a subjective conviction that it has reached its final form.

What are your go-to music production tools and instruments?

My go-to tools are the Digitakt for sampling and the Digitone for synth sounds during the jamming process. I know these machines very well, and they allow for a fluid, intuitive workflow where I can let myself drift creatively.

In the later stages, especially arrangement and mixing, Ableton plays an important role. I use very few plugins, but I know them in depth.

How do you deal with creative blocks or periods where nothing seems to move forward?

When I face creative blocks, I focus on finding new inspiration and sometimes experiment with unconventional ideas, without the expectation that they need to lead anywhere specific. Overall, I trust the process and stay patient, allowing ideas to emerge naturally over time.

Who are some of your biggest artistic influences, both within and outside the music industry? How have they shaped your approach to creating music?

Jazz musicians like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans are daily sources of inspiration for me. I am also strongly influenced by Senegalese music, especially groups like Orchestra Baobab, with their sense of groove and musical depth.

Within electronic music, artists from the minimal house spectrum such as Silat Beksi, Staniz, Swoy, Legit Trip and Arkady Antsyrev have shaped my approach. In addition, local DJs and their sets have had a strong influence on me, especially through how they build flow, tension, and atmosphere over time.

You describe your work as rooted in Minimal House. What does that term mean to you personally in the context of your productions?

For me, minimal house is a very broad term and a large subgenre. Its common ground lies in a focus on simplicity, restraint, and exploration. At the same time, it represents openness and a sense of boundlessness in sound design.