With the February release of “Good,” a chart-gripping cut that put New York native, LODATO, on the electronic map, the Queens-hailing producer evinced his capacity for creating infectious dance-pop. Outfitted with an undeniable groove and synergistic vocals to boot, “Good” set up shop atop the U.S. Dance Radio chart for several consecutive weeks while nabbing positions on others, including BPM’s Top 20 CountDown and the Billboard Dance chart. Succeeded by June’s “Perfect Crime,” “Good” helped LODATO notch a foothold in the contemporary music market, and now, the crossover visionary is standing tall, with a freshly-inked deal with Spinnin’ Records in his back pocket.
With demonstrated finesse in a hybrid format that many DJs are seeking to master, LODATO has partnered with Spinnin’ Records. The promise inherent in the deal? New music, coming soon. Dancing Astronaut caught up with LODATO to learn more about the rising tastemaker’s plans for his ascendant career, and what comes next.
Your recent single, “Good,” catapulted you into the electronic spotlight. Can you say a bit about the production process for this song and your reaction to its reception?
LODATO: “Well its reception was definitely something that was highly anticipated by me and the label. The song was definitely leaning on the pop side and I know there are always mixed feelings about that in the EDM world. I’m really trying to bridge the gap with EDM and pop since I love both sides, and “Good” is my interpretation of [their intersection]. The record hit No. 1 on Dance Radio U.S. and I couldn’t be any more happy with how the electronic community embraced the song.”
“Good” gave listeners a sense of who you are as an artist and what you can do, but of course, it’s not the full picture. What do you want listeners to know about your sound?
LODATO: “When I started first started DJing, I quickly learned that most of the time, if you are in an open-format room and mix non-radio popular EDM into the set, people tend to lose their groove, look up at the sky, or give you dirty looks. That’s when I started to create my bootleg packs. If you take a popular record on the Billboard Hot 100 and then combine it with the same exact EDM record that had [the crowd] casting death stares at you, they go crazy for it! I’m now doing that with my original records and I think the best is yet to come.”
You recently signed with Spinnin’ Records, congratulations! How did this deal come together and why Spinnin’?
LODATO: “I feel like for EDM producers, [music production has] turned into this cycle of making records, shopping them to every label, seeing who wants to sign the single, repeat. I sat down with my manager, Jared Overeem, and discussed where we saw my career going.
We wanted a Label that was at the top of its game in dance music and at the same time, had the ability to cross a record over to the mainstream radio Top 40 world. Spinnin; was the only one that came to mind. We approached Spinnin’, they gave us a trial run with ‘Good,’ and then shortly after the song reached No. 1, Roger and Jorn [of the label] wanted to get on the phone with us to discuss the future.”
Thinking about the remainder of the year, what’s next for LODATO?
LODATO: “2020 isn’t done for me, I have a bunch of new stuff I want to get out there before the year ends. We are discussing now with the team what the next release is.”
Featured image: LODATO/Instagram