Alesso is no rookie in keeping the party lit. For Bud Light’s #UpForWhatever campaign, the Swedish EDM DJ served as the spin master of ceremonies for night one in Crested Butte, Colo., better known as Whatever, USA and the default destination for all things awesome and unexpected. Just before setting the stage on fire (with help from concertgoers’ LED jackets), VIBE caught up with the dance music connoisseur to discuss his infectious ear worm “Heroes” (which hits iTunes and Spotify today), what his make-shift town would be like, and the rappers he’d hop in the booth with. —Adelle Platon In the spirit of Whatever, USA, what activities would we find in your imaginary town? Dance events. And I really mean dancing, I don’t want people to jump. I want to see people dancing. Any performers you would call on to help with your party? Coldplay. That would get the party started for me!
Yes, we did give LED suits to 100s of people and synced them up perfectly w/ @Alesso‘s set last night. #WhateverUSA
https://t.co/V9DtGSVoA6
— Bud Light (@budlight) September 6, 2014
What would be your town anthem? Coldplay “Magic.” I just have their latest album on repeat and that’s just fine for me. Are there any particular artists that you would want to work with? Yeah, I just recently worked with the very talented singer, Tove Lo and the new single from my album is with her called “Heroes.” It was a great experience to work with her on that song. What about in the hip-hop space? Jay Z. Kanye West. A$AP Rocky, definitely. I love his stuff. There are a bunch of talented artists and musicians out there. But I would never want to collaborate with someone just for the sake of doing it. What is it about Jay Z, Kanye and A$AP Rocky that you feel you can mesh creatively with? It’s just that their way of writing songs could fit to some beats I do. Not the melodic stuff, but the more rave parts. You never know until you hit the studio. When you’re doing a song like “Heroes”, what needs to happen in order for you to be comfortable with the final product? There’s a bunch of what makes you a hundred percent sure. It’s that last minute stomach goose bump feeling. It just feels right. I’ve worked on songs that I think are finished but when I go back, work on something else, it’s a special unique feeling that needs to be one hundred percent sure. I would never release a track and be like “Let’s see how this goes.” I need to be a hundred percent sure. I need to feel that it feels right. Do you feel any pressure to fit in the landscape of what dance music is right now? No. I feel that the talented DJs and producers are doing their part and I’m happy to be involved, be a part of it, be around it, watch. So there’s no competition? No. I don’t feel it at all.
