Dzeko and Torres

2006–10: Founding

The production and DJ duo Dzeko & Torres first formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada around 2006. Members Luis Torres and Julian Dzeko had first met as teenagers on an online forum for all-age club events in Toronto. Torres at the time was working as a graphic designer and photographer, while Dzeko was promoting events. Stated Dzeko, "we both loved house music and I had just gone and saw Tiesto play for 8,000 people in Toronto, and decided to buy DJ equipment and learn how to DJ. Luis was starting to learn production at the time and we decided to team up and learn from each other." Through 2007 and 2008 they continued to attend all-ages parties in Toronto, getting acclimated to the club scene and focusing their interest in house and its subgenres. They soon started DJing together and co-producing original material. Around 2008 they released their single "Confronted" on DJ Chuckie’s Dirty Dutch Digital Vol. 4.

2010–12: Singles and remixes

Their song "Again" was remixed by Joe Ghost in 2010. As of January 2012 they had opened for a number of major touring DJs in the Greater Toronto Area, including in London, Ontario and for DJs such as Sebastian Ingrosso, Hardwell, Marcus Schossow from Sweden, Porter Robinson, Erick Morillo, Michael Woods and Quintino.

In early 2012 they released an unofficial remix of Of Monsters And Men‘s “King and Lionheart,“ which reached No. 1 on Hype Machine. The Top Sound called the bootleg "incendiary" and said "absolutely shredded every relevant internet measure imaginable. And if you have not acquainted yourself with Julian Dzeko and Luis Torres, you’re missing out on one of Canada’s most beloved acts. Bright and melodic and undeniably fun, these guys just crush lives on every track they work on." Also in 2012 the duo had a track released on Michael Woods’ Diffused Records, and released a remix of Trey Songz "Heart Attack" on Atlantic Records.

By late 2012 their tracks had been played on shows such as Tiesto’s Club Life and Paul Oakenfold’s Planet Perfecto. They also premiered an unreleased track, "Togi," on David Guetta's radio show Radio DJ Mix in 2012. In 2012, they had their track "Hey" premiered on Steve Aoki's BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix 2012, a two-hour house mix including Aoki and Dim Mak Records artist.

2012: Hey EP

After premiering "Hey," Aoki asked for the duo to create a full EP, leading to the three-track Hey. Released on December 18, 2012 on Dim Mak Records, The Dancing Astronaut website wrote that the title song "Hey" "features a grinding bassline and a continuous build before dropping to a lighter synth melody." Elektro Daily called the track an "electro-house production," explaining that "Melodic key and synth progressions supply the base for the track’s uplifting build, leading into the bassey, blood-rushing drop," also complimenting "The marching percussion and chainsaw bass effect."

The EP's track "Buppy" had first appeared on blogs in late fall of 2012, with EarMilk saying the song had a "very refined grind," and the Dancing Astronaut writing the song "contains similar hard-hitting electro [to 'Hey'] but with a lighter more pulsating build." Elektro Daily wrote that "Buppy" has a "dancey, rolling beat drop that combines electro-house and moombahton... the final track of the release is 'Check This Out,' which showcases the duo’s progressive side with its wobbly electro drop." Dzeko named "Check This Out" as the duo's favorite single from the album, saying that it "it’s a bit of a departure from the style/sound we’d normally produce....[it] has a lot of old school trance/hardstyle inspiration in it.”

2012–14: Recent years

They signed to the AM Only booking agency in December 2012, and that December also released an official remix of "Strange Attractor" by Animal Kingdom. In January 2013 the duo appeared in the web series The Aoki Files.

By the end of 2012 the band had toured in both Europe and throughout North America. By March 2013 they had debuted at The BPM Festival, also appearing that year at the Ultra Music Festival and Winter Music Conference as they toured North America. Other gigs in 2013 included the Chasing Summer Festival, Electric Zoo Festival in New York City, Coachella, and Tomorrowland.

In 2013, they released their collaborative single with Crossways, "Togi" on Monstercat. In April 2014 they were working with Tiësto's Musical Freedom label, releasing several singles. In 2014 a music video for the Tiësto and Dzeko & Torres Remix of "Anywhere For You" by John Martin was released on YouTube. The video shows scenes from John Martin's original video along with added footage of the DJs in action and lyrics. In February 2014 they returned to Monstercat to release their remix of Pegboard Nerds' "Bassline Kickin'". They continued to tour as of July 2014, performing at the Annual Summer White Party in Salt Lake City.

2016–present: Going solo

Dzeko and Torres announced that they will be halting their collaborative partnership as a musical duo to focus on their solo careers. Dzeko will be touring and producing music while Torres wants to focus more on being a 'producer/engineer'. As a solo act, Dzeko released "Liberty" as a single on 12 December 2016.

Style and equipment

Their style is a combination of progressive house and electro, with influences as diverse as Avicii, Lazy Rich, Umek, and Alesso. About their style, Torres stated "What we play and produce is a combination of Big Room electro and progressive house. But apart from what we play and produce,...we love tech, deep house, indie rock, and everything in between."

Both members learned to mix using FL Studio, with Torres, who taught piano before leaning to produce, also handling keyboards. The group was listed in the Top 100-200 DJs by V-Moda, a headphone design company based in California.

Members