Curtis Alto is composed of two electronic music producing brothers from Belgium who are the new kids on the block with notable hits including Clear Vision and Hold Me Close.
The duo’s widely loved signature sound has been supported by Pete Tong, Faithless, Martin Solveig, Don Diablo, and Sam Feldt, among others, and is rooted in their deft production abilities and an impressive musical talent that sees them inject their own vocals, percussion, and keys into their music.
The brothers have already been turning heads, bringing their live-shows to the world’s best festivals like Tomorrowland, Parookaville, Balaton Sound, We Are Electric, Electric Love, and The Ark. They also sold-out Vooruit in Belgium and have supported The Chainsmokers in de Lotto Arena, bring their unique Curtis Alto sound to a huge audience. Add to this the brother’s “daydreams” live sessions where they perform at various unique locations (such as abandoned cooling towers), and it’s clear to see Curtis Alto are on the path to something very special.
We caught up with them, to speak about their live shows, plans for 2019 and more. Read our chat below!
T.H.E – Hey guys! Welcome to T.H.E – Music Essentials. How has 2018 been for you?
Curtis Alto – We want to embrace positivity in 2018 even though it was an extremely tough year as we lost our beloved brother. He is in our hearts and minds and we’re thankful for the warmth we are receiving from the people we love. Music has been important for us and we’re glad about the sound we have continued to develop – we were already working on this with our brother. We want to bring something fresh – also live with a thought-through setup. The music reflects our state of mind and stands for our positivity – it led us to our own imprint ‘Curtis Alto Music’ and brought us the opportunity to play at Tomorrowland’s Mainstage earlier this year.
T.H.E – What inspired you to take up electronic music production?
Curtis Alto – Ever since we were young, we’ve been playing music. It wasn’t until later that we discovered electronic music and started experimenting with it. At that point, we became Curtis Alto (haha).
T.H.E – Production or DJing, live instrumentation seems to be a constant feature for both of you. What is it about “live instrumentation” that appeals to you the most?
Curtis Alto – We feel that playing live brings something extra to the table. It increases the audiovisual aspect of shows – there’s a lot of movement going on on stage! But it’s foremost a lot of fun. We’ve found a setup in which we can combine the flexibility of DJ’ing – without turntables – with the impact of a band you can have within every single track.
T.H.E – How has the experience of adding a ‘live’ element to your shows been? And how do you think fans react to the additional effort that is invested by an artist, to make it an interesting experience?
Curtis Alto – We’re grateful for the reactions we are receiving from our fans. Everything you give to the audience, you get back in some way – but then twice the energy. We have the feeling that we really can “create” a set while maintaining flexibility. For the time being, we also want to be an act that doesn’t need an extensive soundcheck or setup time.
T.H.E – Ever since you started off, which live shows have you been inspired by?
Curtis Alto – Impossible to pick one name – it really varies between various artists like Pink Floyd, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrickx or Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” performance in the ‘70s etc. The connection between artist and audience is just mindblowing there. Freddie Mercury of course. But also more recent names such as Stromae.
T.H.E – Lastly, what can you tell us about your plans for 2019?
Curtis Alto – First of all, there is our Clear Vision EP that will be released on January 11. We’re very proud of these tracks since they represent the “Curtis Alto” sound and have received great reactions so far. We have been playing early versions of the tracks in our sets over the summer, in our daydream sessions and have been teasing them on our socials.
Next, we have our biggest solo show coming up on February 16 in concert hall Vooruit, Ghent (Belgium). We want to bring a show that connects our music, our visuals and light setup to one Curtis Alto concept. A show you need to be part of to experience our Music.
We will also keep focusing on the Daydream sessions – events at unique locations (like e.g. Rubens House or an abandoned cooling tower) that really center around the ambiance such places radiate and our music.
In March we will be playing at the first edition of Tomorrowland Winter, very excited for this one For 2019 we have some really cool shows and other new music coming up, but we can’t disclose more of it just yet.
