Interviewing Pessto "For The Night"

7/18/2019

Your sound has gone through quite an evolution since you started releasing music under the Pessto project in 2014. From big room to electro and now settling into groove, what has led to these shifts in your sound and what about groove music has kept you passionate about it for so long?
I really think that's important that your music is honest and that reflects you as a person. So when I'm making music, I always try to reflect my mood and events that have happened to me. That way, when you play your own song live, people in the crowd can really feel you and not just a style that's attractive at the moment. It's great to feel some "groove" when you're talking with someone, "groove" in your life and the same with music. It doesn't matter which genre I'm producing, even if it's pop or some big room track I love to keep it groovy.

Your remix of Dannic's track, "Tell Me," is finally out on his imprint, Fonk Recordings! What motivated you to return to your signature percussion set for this remix?
I remember Daan hit me up and said, "Yoo, would you like to try to remix my latest song?" I already loved that one, so I was super inspired and really felt that some of my signature sounds would make it a real dancefloor weapon. I was playing around with the original vocals and some of my drums and that's how I came up with the house/big room arrangement. I hope you guys like it!

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A post shared by Pessto / Predrag Stojkov (@pessto) on Jul 8, 2019 at 3:47am PDT

Tell us about what it was like working with fellow groove champions, Dirty Ducks and Notalike on your monster track, "Team" which came out on TNC Recordings.
Notalike sent me a raw idea of "Team" in 2018. I felt really inspired and immediately tried to add some of my vibes to it. We were sending parts around until we were happy with the final result. After that TNC Recordings A&R got an amazing idea that maybe the Dirty Ducks touch can take it to the next level. With their edits, a song from one Serbian and four Italians was completed and track was ready to shake the dancefloors all around the world!

How would you describe the state of groove as a genre in 2019?
Music is constantly evolving and the same thing happens with groove. It's still something that works amazingly at the shows with its unique combination of different shapes, sounds, and instruments. In the future, I'm pretty sure that you'll be hearing some crazy stuff in that genre.

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A post shared by Pessto / Predrag Stojkov (@pessto) on Nov 12, 2018 at 9:13am PST

With the prevalence of similarities between groove tracks, how do you go about crafting new and unique songs within the genre?
It's all about listening to different music and experimenting in the studio. I always try to combine some crazy samples or even make a fusion between different genres to achieve something new. That's how you open some new doors and find inspiration - it's all about trying stuff until you get something "catchy" or something to stand out. For instance my track "Bamo," I was mixing some tracks for a live performance for one local dance group and that's where I found the vocal sample. You never know where the treasure is hidden!

What have been some of your favorite on-stage moments so far?
Every gig has its own story and I really enjoy doing them. It's hard to choose favorite gig, but one of my favorite ones happened last week. I had a chance to play at one of the best European festivals, Exit Festival Mainstage. It was a dream come true to me, the crowd was amazing and played really special set full of new Pessto music. Definitely a morning to remember!

Looking forward, what can we expect from you and the Pessto project?
There's new song coming up this Friday with my good friend Karim Mika called "For The Night." It's something different, but I hope you guys will enjoy it as much as we did making it. You can expect tons of new music in the future as well. I'll just go with the flow and try to bring that Pessto style out there. Many gigs will follow of course and I can't wait to play in some countries that I've never played before. I'm really looking forward to meeting as many of the people supporting me as possible.