Conversation With Coke Beats

Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?

A: I started being involved with music when I was 6. My mother was a teacher at the music conservatory and my father was a vinyl records collector. The first artists I listened to were Miles Davis, Frank Zappa,  David Bowie, and Igor Stravinsky. Growing up in North Italy during the 90s, the top music genres were heavy metal, drum n bass, and mainstream American pop. I come from a small town, and I was the only kid playing electric guitar in cover bands and spending all my hard-earned money renting a recording studio to learn how to produce and mix music. Limitations have tough me a lot!

Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Coke Beats”?

A: My message is “Music is Freedom”. I don’t believe in labels, there should be no boundaries between music communities. Our music choices are a mirror of our personality and lifestyle. Being defined by one particular genre is highly limiting and classist, which is one of the main reasons why I produce and DJ music in many different genres. Being a “multi-format DJ” is, of course, a challenge, especially in a music industry world where labeling and freedom of expression are sometimes still a challenge!

I have played music for various communities around the globe, and I hope to continue to promote my music to new audiences on different continents. I feel the best way for me to reach new potential fans is to show immediately what I am about, the music, the inclusiveness, and the celebration of life.

Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?

A: I love both the underground music scene and artists that are also on mainstream charts, as long as they resonate with my values and personality. From Bad Bunny to Claptone, I Hate Models to Kanye West, and pretty much anything that comes out of labels like Klockworks, Smash The House and Drumcode. My inspiration is not limited to music, I love the work of Rick Owens, Fvckrender, and Floria Sigismondi.

Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “JET.”?

A: JET is an international collaboration between three artists from three completely different backgrounds. The super-talented Russian producer and DJ Pozitiva, dancehall artist Richie Loop and myself, somehow managed to create a fusion between contemporary EDM, Jamaican dancehall, and European dance-pop music. “Jet” is also a metaphor for the ups and downs in life which, at times, it does feel like a night out: you never know what to expect! 

Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?

A: Freedom

Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “JET”?

A: No, the song was recorded several months before its release and I jumped on board at the post-production stage adding my magic.

Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?

A: My main message is to reinforce the power of music as a unifier. I have been producing a lot of instrumental music since the late 90s, and even when lyrics are involved, I always feel music should be the language of life and freedom. 

Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)

A: Claptone, Rick Rubin, Richie Hawtin, David Guetta, Rick Owens, Matt and Ross Duffer, and dream collab would have been working with David Bowie.

Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?

A: Build a strong team around you, people you feel are like a family to you, the people that love you for who you are, and then your music. Being an independent artist is good if you already have a strong fan base and you know what you are doing. If you want to focus more on the art and less on the business working with a label/s is a must. Success always come as the effort of many, the group of people and supporters that can see your vision even before you have recorded or produced anything.

Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?

A: Be yourself, always. Learn the basics from artists you admire, then jump into the real world and do a lot of “trial and error” experiences. Nothing is better than learning from live performances.

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