Photo Credit: Edmund Fraser
Originally from Russia, the 21-year-old started teaching himself how to produce after he moved to the U.K. in 2007. He produced his first track in 2010 and within a year, his remixes had grabbed the attention across mainland Europe, and Altego was born. Since then, he has gone on to make several popular progressive house remixes – his remix of Midnight Beats’ ‘In Time’ topped the Dbeatzion’s chart as number one for three weeks and is being featured on an upcoming compilation.
His most recent remix masterpieces, ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ by Gotye and ‘Wearing My Shoes’ by AurA featuring Danielle Senior (released on Good News Records on April 24) have received rave reviews and are gaining heavy support from his peers. Altego’s love for all genres of music and ever-evolving sound definitely make him a producer to keep your eye on. I was fortunate enough to convince Altego to take some time out of his busy schedule and talk with me about his upcoming release, the industry, and his penchant for American junk food.
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WRR: So you’re from Russia? That’s interesting. When did you first get into house music?
Altego: Yeah, I was born in Russia, but I lived most of my life in Cypress. And then I moved to the U.K. to go to university. I got into house music around 2007-2008, when it was starting to become more popular. The guys from the Swedish House Mafia got me into it – Axwell, Ingrosso, and Angello.
WRR: Who are your favorite producers at the moment?
Altego: At this point in time, I’d have to say Third Party. They’re my good friends, and I’ve been following their career from the start. Their productions are just on another level from anyone else. Also, I’d have to say Thomas Gold, he’s my idol. I’d love to collaborate with him.
WRR: Where is your favorite place to play a set?
Altego: When I play here [Scotland], it’s a cool crowd, they go quite crazy for my music as well, but when I was in the States in D.C. this past April, that changed my mind about how people can party so I’d definitely have to say the States.
WRR: So in your opinion who goes harder, D.C. or Scotland?
Altego: The fucking yanks, man! When I play there, people connect with you when you’re DJing, you know? They watch your every move; they listen to you. Here, they’re just like, ‘That’s pretty cool music’ or, ‘that’s not bad’. But over there [D.C.], they’re there for the music, not to act cool in the club…well some of them anyway. But there’s more people there for the music, definitely.
WRR: It’s definitely a different culture in the states. It seems like now there are a lot more people being introduced to EDM, we’re a little behind!
Altego: It’s new for you guys, so you want it more. When I was in the States like four years ago, I played ‘1,2,3’ by Axwell and Eric Prydz for a friend of mine and he was like, ‘What the hell is this techno, man? Where are the lyrics, where’s the hip-hop?’ But I think you can get hip-hop in house music in certain sub-genres.
WRR: Well yeah, your Gotye remix, for example, that song itself is considered indie-alternative, but then you took it and transformed it into something completely new, which is pretty amazing.
Altego: That’s the beauty of it, and that’s why I love to do remixes. The [remix] that’s actually out today [Wearing My Shoes] was originally a fast trance track, but with the right melodies and production techniques, you can turn it into anything you want and it’s really fun.
Altego pumping up the crowd during a performance in Edinburgh, U.K.
WRR: You got signed pretty fast after you started producing on your own in the U.K., tell me about that.
Altego: Well in house music, you can release tracks on different labels, so these people heard one of my remixes and they liked my sound and asked me to do a remix for them. From there I started getting more and more recognition and then I was asked to do more remixes for other labels. When I actually started producing, I was using my real name, not Altego. I knew they’d be shit, and I didn’t want to have my name associated with them straight away, I was just messing around. I made some Avicii-type tracks and some tech-house stuff and eventually I discovered my own sound and put a name to it.
WRR: Why did you choose Altego?
Altego: Altego is an alternative ego, in Latin it means ‘another me’. I’m well mannered and quiet, but in the right atmosphere the music gives me energy and I can go pretty crazy.
WRR: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Altego: I actually get inspired by the most random things you can think of. I’ll be walking down the street and hear a ringtone and think, ‘Shit, that’s actually pretty cool’. And then I see what I can do with that. Once I have a melody, everything else comes naturally to me.
WRR: Are you working on any new tracks now?
Altego: In terms of original productions, I have about six tracks ready, but they haven’t been released yet. I don’t want to release them prematurely. If I release them now, they won’t really get that much attention, so what I want to do is [kind of] what deadmau5 does. He plays mainly his own tracks, which is why people go to see him, because that’s the only place they can hear those tracks. Which is why I want people to come watch me play, go there for the tracks of mine that they like to hear and walk away with that experience.
WRR: I’d say one of the things that makes your set so explosive is that 90% of it is your own music or your own bootlegs.
Altego: Yeah, I make my own edits, mash-ups, and bootlegs, which is pretty much all of my set. I like big melodic, euphoric, emotional breakdowns with a drop that’s in your face. I can have a really hard, ravey drop, and then bring it down to a famous vocal. I think you need something like that in a set, especially when you’re playing to people who are new to house music, they want the hard stuff but I don’t think they can handle the whole of it yet. So if you use that vocal, it gives them a connection and allows them to sing along and get ready for that big drop.
WRR: What do you look for in a crowd?
Altego: Feedback. That’s the most important thing. When you play a track, and it goes into the breakdown, you see people looking at you and what you’re doing and they’re enjoying the music, that’s more than I need. It’s really about me giving back to the music, and the people who come to see me. If you put on a show, it gets people’s attention and they’ll walk away wondering what tracks you played and they’ll remember who you are.
WRR: Any quirky pre-show/production rituals?
Altego: When I’m producing my favorite foods to have are Lucky Charms and Captain Crunch cereal, string cheese, Odwalla smoothies and Oreos. Actually, they don’t sell Lucky Charms or Captain Crunch in the U.K. so I had to have my manager send some back with me. I don’t work half as well without a little sugar in me. Before my sets, I eat a Cookies n’ Crème bar, I don’t care what country I’m playing in, I’m getting one! I’m like a thirteen-year-old kid trapped in a man’s body.
Altego will be back in the States this summer, and is sure to put on quite the memorable performance! He has also started working closely with Fred Lilla – featured in A State of Trance 550 earlier this year.
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