After his first official year of touring the globe playing incredible music, Alesso has already risen to the status of a prominent DJ and producer. 2011 has been nothing but success for the 20-year-old Swedish-Italian music genius. He made his way to a well-deserved spot on DJ Mag’s Top 100 list this year and he should be climbing those rankings in 2012. We have Alesso as our ‘DJ to blow up in 2012’. While you might think he has already blown up, we foresee this young star having an “Avicii-like” year, dominating the world with larger-than-life singles and tour stops. From what we have heard so far, it is safe to say his production skills are unmatched. He has aligned with Sebastian Ingrosso, producing one of the year’s most popular hits, ‘Calling’. His remixes of tracks like ‘Pressure’, ‘Save The World’, and ‘Good Love’ still remain in the spotlight of nightclubs and will not be fading out any time soon. This week, he released a preview of his new single ‘Raise Your Head’, a darker sound with a Halloween theme that is perfect for the star-studded weekend he has ahead of him. Beginning a festive Halloween weekend and a long month touring North America, we caught up with Alesso in NYC to get some insight on how he makes all this magic happen.

 

 

 

Your single, ‘Calling’, has been the unofficial song of the season. Are you surprised by the success? Did you expect it to become the monster it is today?

I don’t know actually, I just did a track with Sebastian and we had fun with it. We made a big melody but we never expected that. I’m happy so many people are enjoying it and they sign along to that melody. That’s what its about; nice music and having fun.

 

 

You and Sebastian Ingrosso obviously have great chemistry and make great music together. What can you tell me about your relationship in the studio?

We have a lot of fun in the studio. We make so many jokes; sometimes it takes 2 hours to get started on a track. We worked a lot on ‘Calling’ it took like 1-2 months to get that finished because of our touring. It’s just a lot of fun, that’s what it is about. Of course you should stay focused, but it should be fun too.

 

 

Do you have made any new DJ friends on the road? Do you have a favorite DJ to party with?

Favorite DJ’s to party with, no doubt, Swedish House Mafia. They really know how to party. I’m very new in the electronic music scene. I’ve got some friends now; I’m a good friend with Tim Berg (Avicii), of course Swedish House Mafia, I just met Afrojack yesterday, we hung out when he played here. I don’t know Afrojack very well but I just met him. Everybody is so friendly; when you meet a DJ, you get this immediate cool relationship its kind of like “yeah, bro”.

 

 

Speaking of Afrojack, have you ever thought about collaborating with him? Maybe calling it “AFRESSO”?

Hahaha, I have never heard that before. We have not collaborated yet, but I love his music.

 

 

So, you’re from Sweden and have recently come over to the United States. How has your American experience been?

 I love it here in the United States. The house music is so new and fresh here and everyone is enjoying it so much. I think American people have this thing where they either party really hard, jump and scream, or they just don’t, and it’s one or the other. I don’t even know what to say about it, I am just so happy to be here.

 

 

What are your top 5 tracks to drop in a live set?

It depends what kind of night it is, but definitely ‘Calling’ and ‘Pressure’. The best feeling is dropping one of your own tracks and seeing how happy the crowd gets when they sing along and everything. That’s a special feeling. I can’t really pick a top 5. At the moment, I just gave out a preview of my new track, its called ‘Raise Your Head’. It is a darker version of me, very evil; it is like my Halloween track.

 

 

We’ve heard the preview of the new single and it sounds amazing. What was the production like behind this track?

I started making that track in the spring. So it was a while ago. I just came up with the idea and was like ‘maybe I should finish that’. I thought it would be a good idea to start playing it when Halloween is coming because it is so dark. It is like the sequel to some of the other darker tracks; ‘Nillionaire’ and ‘Dynamite’. It is something I’ve never done before; a dark melody mixed with some drumbeats. It is going to be fun to drop this weekend and see the reaction.

 

You have a crazy Halloween weekend planned, what exactly do you have in store for the United States this weekend?

 Tonight I am doing Roseland Ballroom with Kaskade and after that I am doing Lavo. Tomorrow I am going to Miami playing 2 shows there too. One show is called ‘Back to Black’ it is with Sebastian, Erick Morillo, and me. After that, Seb and I are doing a show that starts at 3am. That is at Space, it is called Moustache Mayhem. I’ve never played at Space before but I heard it is crazy there. Then I am doing XS in Las Vegas with Afrojack. I will have a special Halloween edit of ‘Raise Your Head’ with evil laughs and sounds that I will be playing all weekend.

 

 

Moving forward, do you have any other big projects coming up? Can we expect an album anytime soon?

We had some thoughts of releasing my album but nothing is sure yet. We have so many tracks, we only released ‘Calling’ one or two months, and we are releasing a vocal version of it soon. Now I have this Halloween track, then some remixes will come out. Then another new single from me will come out. Let me put it like this; you have to let tracks have their time. I don’t want to release too many tracks at the same time; I like having a good schedule.

 

 

Lastly, I must ask; will you be back in New York on December 16^th for any possible involvement in Swedish House Mafia’s One Night Stand?

To be honest I am actually not going to be there. I am doing one of my biggest shows in Sweden on the same day. It is a show at the Globe Arena in Stockholm with Tiesto. It is going to be a lot of fun, but I can tell you I will not be joining them at Madison Square Garden. I don’t really know who will be there, but it will be impossible for me to make it. I would like to say, our show in Sweden, will be a historical moment itself. There has never been a show like this at the Globe Arena with DJs like Tiesto. I am really looking forward to it.

 

 

Alesso’s new single ‘Raise Your Head’ is the well-hyped Halloween banger. With the expected Alesso progression and catchy melody, the Swede delivers another great track; just in time for our favorite party holiday.

 

 

As long as you haven’t been hiding in your home for the past few months, you know all about Alesso’s single ‘Calling’ with Sebastian Ingrosso. Wherever this track is played, it is followed with huge reception of jumping, screaming and singing. See for yourself.

Purchase ‘Calling’ on Beatport

 

 

Bonus – Calling (R3Hab Remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5amnAaZBYak

 

TOUR DATES

October:

28 – Roseland Ballroom – New York City

28 – Lavo – New York City

29 – Back in Black – Midtown Miami

29 – Moustache Mayhem @ Space – Miami

31 – House of Horror @ XS – Las Vegas

November:

04 – The Venue – Clearwater

05 – Glow @ Fur – Washington, DC

11 – Ruby Skye – San Francisco

12 – 4^th & B – San Diego

19 – The Mid – Chicago

23 – Guelph Concert Theatre – Guelph

24 – Elements – Kitchner

25 – Music Hall – London

26 – Guvernment – Toronto

December:

03 – UMF Brazil – San Paulo

10 – Palladium – Los Angeles

26 – Cream @ Nation – Liverpool

 

 

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