Alessandro Cecchettini in art “Pekka” discovers his interest in electronic music and productions at the age of 11. After 5 years locked in the “famous” bedroom he releases his first EP in 2020 and in 2021 his first album, beginning to assert himself more and more in the scene with requests from various international labels for his works.
Best of 2023
1-a) Best track(s) from other fellow artists of 2023. Why you choose this particular track, please share with us the reasons?production techniques & crowd reactions on it.
Pekka: My favorite track of 2023 is "More Baby" by Chris Lake because I really like the selection of sounds and it also reflects a lot of the style I like to produce.
1-b) Best of 2023 personal productions and for what you reasons you choose these particular tracks, is it because of technical challenges, crowd reaction in the club or was it your most successful single/album?
Pekka: My favorite track is "Automatic" because I had a lot of fun while producing it, in fact the voice in the drop is mine! The track has also found a lot of support from fans who play it in their sets
2) Best Artist of 2023(DJ & producer). Tell us why you believe he/she is the best, the factors that have influence you to choose this particular artist. What you appreciate the most from that artist.
Pekka: My favorite DJ of 2023 is James Hype because I really like the style with which he plays, which requires a lot of practice and it feels like there's a lot of experience behind it
3-a) Best Remix(es) from other fellow artists of 2023. For what reasons you chose this particular remix, i.e. production proficiency, technical reasons creativity and imagination of the remixer :
Pekka: I really enjoyed the Four Tet remix of Chris Lake's "In The Yuma" song. I'm amazed how the track was revisited, all the chops Four Tet did to turn In The Yuma into a completely different track
3-b) YOUR Best Remix which you have produced of 2023! Why you believe that this is your best remix? share with us the technical challenges or special issues you had during the production of it.
Pekka: My best remix I made together with an Italian producer called "Mazay", we turned a romantic trap song into a DnB hit. I really like the bass selection and the chord variation which gives the "epic" effect to the remix.
3-c) Best Remixer(s) of 2023 with short comment, for what reason u believe he/she is the best remixer? Technical professionalism and technological proficiency? the elements that stand out in it.
Pekka: My 2023 remixer for me is David Guetta because he took advantage of a lot of old commercial hits giving them new life without ever making a mistake.
4) Best New Talent of 2023 (DJ or producer), for what reasons you choose this particular artist? Do you know him/her personally?
Pekka: For me the best talent of 2023 is definitely "Yub" very famous on soundcloud for its techno remixes with powerful speakers and deep bass. it is supported by many famous national DJs.
5-a) Best electronic dance music album of 2023. Tell us the criteria behind the choice of this particular album and maybe highlight for the readers the best tracks from the album :
Pekka: Without a doubt the best electronic album of 2023 is "Quest For Fire" by Skrillex. For me, every time Skrillex releases an album, dictates the new laws of electronic music, every song is a work of art.
5-b) Best electronic dance music compilation of 2023. Please explain the criteria behind this choice? is the quality and proficiency of the mixing process, imagination/creativity in the choice of the track listing :
Pekka: The best compilation of 2023 is called "Sirup Ibiza 2023".I really like the selection of songs including my "Automatic".
5-c) Best artwork about single / album/compilation or promotional campaign of 2023. The criteria you applied to do this particular choice?
Pekka: The skrillex album cover impressed me a lot because I like the illustration which reminds me a lot of an old japanese anime
6) Best electronic dance music label of 2023. Please explain the reason behind your choice? what you particularly like or appreciate about this particular label?quality of tracks, great rooster of artists, personal connection?:
Pekka: My favorite music label of 2023 is definitely Sirup Music which is giving me a lot of possibilities in a lot of electronic music and helping me release my songs trying to get the most out of my potential
7) Best music composition software and hardware of 2023 with short comment. Why you believe this particular software/hardware deserves to be named as the best? great new features, easy to navigate, compose & produce? The advantages of this particular software & hardware that makes it to stand out.
Pekka: For me the best program to produce music is Fl Studio. I've been using it since I started producing, I've tried other daw as well but FL is still the best.
8-a) Your Best personal DJ Gig & DJ performance of 2023. Where and when did you perform there? any funny incidents happened during particular performance; great crowd reactions. If there is video or sound recording please provide the link.
Pekka: One of the most exciting nights of 2023 was definitely my dj set in Pag (Croatia) in the disco "Acquarius". that night there were 5000 people and they were everywhere, even climbing palm trees.
8-b) Best DJ set from other fellow DJ (actual or online) of 2023. Why you believe is the strongest and best DJ set? great mixing/track selection/development of the mix:
Pekka: The dj set where I had the most fun was Hardwell's at the Nameless festival (Italy). it was raining but me and all the people never moved from the front of the stage. we skipped all night and we had a lot of fun.
9) Best technical tips/production skills that you learnt in 2023 in relation to your DJing or music productions:
Pekka: In 2023 I started to learn to be more familiar with analog synths to implement them in my productions.
for now one of my favorite soundtracks is that of synth moog
10) Best piece of personal or music business' advice you got in relation to your career in 2023 and has helped you to progress even further and can help others who will read this interview:
Pekka: When I'm not playing in clubs, I'm always locked up in the studio making new music, so I'm not very familiar with this part of the music world.
Dimitris: Do you have any concrete plans for 2024 regarding future releases, tracks, albums, collaborations, DJ gigs? Please provide us the juicy details.
Pekka: In 2024 I want to get closer to house/funk music trying to bring back to life the old sounds of the '70s '80s '90s by inserting into this world the new timbres of the new voices
Dimitris: Your message & wishes for 2024.
Pekka: I hope that in 2024 I will be able to collaborate with many artists to learn new techniques and improve the level of my productions
Thanks so much to Alessandro aka Pekka for his answers.
Thanks so much to Sirup Music for arranging this interview.
https://www.instagram.com/pekkaofficial
https://soundcloud.com/pekkaofc