Hot Swedish DJ excited to play for Filipinos

ALESSO: “Expect a lot of energy and love.” facebook photo

The David Guetta dance music party Wednesday night at Mall of Asia Arena features a couple of special guest DJs—among them Alesso, described as “the electronic dance music (EDM) wunderkind from Sweden.”

Specializing in progressive house, Alesso caught worldwide attention in 2011 via his original productions and remixes including “Pressure” (originally recorded by Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji)—said to be one of the most-played EDM songs of 2011.

He landed the 70th spot on British publication DJ Mag’s 2011 Top 100 DJ list. On March 24, he debuted his first BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix.

Alesso granted the Philippine Daily Inquirer an e-mail interview:

You were dubbed as this year’s electronic dance music artist to watch. How did you achieve that reputation at such a young age? 

I believe it all has to do with hard work and my passion for music. I love what I do and I don’t want to do anything else. [The fact] that I’ve gotten positive feedback from the fans is a blessing.

Among the many superstar DJs who have recognized your work, who has made the biggest difference in your career?

Definitely Sebastian Ingrosso. We’ve been working together for almost two years and it has been fantastic.

What is the one song that changed your life in your ambition to become a DJ?

It is hard to name just one track that you can say changed your life. There are so many amazing songs out there. But in terms of becoming a producer and DJ, the tracks that really hooked me was the earlier stuff of Swedish House Mafia (SHM). I got a CD with their earlier tracks and that really motivated me to get into house music.

Is there a song that you’ve produced or mixed that had that same phenomenal effect on you?

Ha-ha, another hard question! All the tracks I produce of course have an effect on me. When I produce tracks I always want them to make me, and others, feel something. But as for a life-changing track, that is hard to say.

What’s it like working with Swedish House Mafia for an Usher track?

That was an incredible experience working with SHM and Usher, who are some of the biggest artists in the world right now. I learned from them and gave them my best.

What’s the dynamic between you and David Guetta when you collaborated for Tegan & Sara’s “Every Chance We Get We Run”?

Working with David was an amazing experience. We had an idea of what the track would sound like and we just went with it. I really loved the vocals of Tegan & Sara.

Some of the most popular club DJs are European, specifically, Swedish—you, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia. What makes you shine in electronic dance music?

I believe that we are good at spending a lot of time on what we do. In Sweden there’s not much to do when it’s so cold all the time, ha-ha-ha.

What can Filipinos expect from your set?

A lot of energy and a lot of love! I will give them my best! I’m so excited!