Costa Rican artists, DJs, and label heads Prisma Deer and Vishap come together on their latest collaboration, ‘It’s Jazz’, released via their own Cross Fade imprint.
Photo credit: Prisma Deer and Vishap – Official
Joined by a remix from Mexican producer Hotmood, the track explores the meeting point between jazz influences and contemporary house music, combining classic saxophone and piano samples with a thick Moog bassline, vibraphone touches, and Vishap’s distinctive spoken-word delivery.
Both artists have been important figures in Costa Rica’s house and disco community, not only through their productions and DJ sets but also through their work with Cross Fade and their respective weekly radio shows on Amplify 95.5 FM. With ‘It’s Jazz’, they bring their individual musical identities together while paying tribute to a genre that has influenced generations of electronic music producers.
We caught up with Prisma Deer and Vishap to talk about the origins of the collaboration, the creative chemistry between them, the growing electronic music scene in Costa Rica, and what the future holds.
EG: Hi Prisma Deer and Vishap, welcome to EG. Let’s start with ‘It’s Jazz’. What was the initial idea behind the track, and how did the collaboration between you two begin?
Prisma Deer and Vishap: Thanks for the invite. The core vision was to create a track made for the dancefloor that still carried the fresh, elegant atmosphere you feel in classic jazz. We started by searching through obscure, hidden jazz gems, looking for distinct sampled elements, such as piano chords and saxophone sections that could serve as the foundation to build a solid house groove around.
EG: The track brings together jazz elements like saxophone, piano, and vibraphone with a chunky house groove and Moog bassline. What is it about jazz that continues to inspire you as electronic music artists?
Prisma Deer and Vishap: Jazz is timeless because its structural freedom creates a sense of movement and atmosphere that’s hard to replicate in any other genre. It offers diverse and complex rhythms where every single listen reveals a new detail or subtle texture you hadn’t noticed before. We wanted ‘It’s Jazz’ to evoke that exact feeling of discovery on the dancefloor.
EG: You’ve both been active in the Costa Rican scene for years and are also the founders of Cross Fade. How would you describe your musical relationship, and what do you think each of you brings to the creative process?
Prisma Deer and Vishap: While we share a similar musical vision, our individual tastes differ enough to create a synergy when we collaborate. Whether we’re producing in the studio, sharing the decks, or making decisions for Cross Fade Records, our distinct strengths complement each other and keep the project balanced.
EG: Vishap, your spoken-word vocal adds another dimension to the track. How did that element come into the picture, and did you already have the vocal concept in mind when producing the track?
Vishap: I came across a track with a speech that really stuck with me, and it sparked the idea. Jazz is a constant backdrop in my daily life, so I felt I had something personal to say about what that music means to me. I used the vocal as an opportunity to express my perspective and share that appreciation directly with the listener.
“While we share a similar musical vision, our individual tastes differ enough to create a synergy when we collaborate”
EG: You decided to bring in Hotmood for the remix. What made him the right artist for this project, and how did you feel about the way he transformed the original?
Prisma Deer and Vishap: Hotmood is an artist we’ve both respected for a long time. He’s a reference for everyone in the house and nu disco scenes. We knew his personal touch would elevate the release and give it maximum impact. He managed to completely reimagine the energy into an energetic, club-focused version while preserving the essence of our original sample work and mood.
EG: Beyond your own music, you’re both deeply involved in developing the scene through Cross Fade and your radio shows on Amplify 95.5 FM. What is happening in Costa Rica right now that you think the international electronic music community should be paying more attention to?
Prisma Deer and Vishap: Despite being a small country, Costa Rica has an incredible depth of local DJ and producer talent. While major international festivals and global acts arrive almost every weekend, the real story is the internal evolution happening right now. Local DJs are shifting heavily toward original music production, which is raising the caliber of the scene and drawing well-deserved international attention.
EG: Costa Rica has a very distinctive cultural and geographical identity. Do you think living and creating music there influences the way you approach house, disco, and groove-oriented music?
Prisma Deer and Vishap: As Latin artists, the rhythm, warmth, and nightlife culture naturally feed into how we structure our sets and craft our tracks. Costa Rica’s unique geography, the tropical climate, and constant proximity to nature create a specific lifestyle energy that you can’t replicate anywhere else. That diverse natural environment definitely translates into the warmth and feel of our music.
EG: As label heads, DJs, producers, and radio hosts, you’re involved in many different sides of the music ecosystem. How do you balance those roles, and which one currently excites you the most?
Prisma Deer and Vishap: It all feels like one interconnected ecosystem driven by passion, so it’s hard to elevate one role over the rest. Production, DJing, radio, and label management constantly feed off each other. Every single role helps us push the Cross Fade concept forward while building a stronger platform for emerging Costa Rican talent.
“Our distinct strengths complement each other and keep the project balanced”
EG: Looking at the international house, disco, and nu-disco landscape, what artists, labels, or movements are currently inspiring you, and where do you think the sound is heading?
Prisma Deer and Vishap: Labels such as theBasement Discos and Big Love inspire us because of how they’ve expanded their brand and identity through sub-labels while keeping a strong core sound. That is something we’d love to execute with Cross Fade down the road. We also look at labels like Cruise Music or Blur Music for their consistent release quality and long-term artist relationships, rather than just chasing one-off tracks. Our priority is to cultivate local artists from Costa Rica, Central America, and the rest of the world from the ground up through genuine, long-term collaboration.
EG: Finally, what can we expect from Prisma Deer, Vishap, and Cross Fade over the coming months? Are there any new collaborations, releases, events, or projects you can reveal?
Prisma Deer and Vishap: On the label side, we’re finalizing a massive compilation featuring a deep lineup of Costa Rican artists. It’s shaping up to be one of the most comprehensive showcases of national electronic talent to date. For the rest of the year and part of 2027, we keep our digital releases going, featuring releases from Blake Dailey, Evan Michael, Sinan Kaya, The AM, Dion’s House Kitchen, HMPHRY!, Elk Joy, amongst others. As producers, we both have a steady stream of new material lined up, including further collaborative tracks and individual solo releases.
Prisma Deer and Vishap’s ‘It’s Jazz’ is out now via Cross Fade. Stream and download here.
Follow Prisma Deer: Spotify | SoundCloud | Instagram
Follow Vishap: Spotify I Instagram