6 Alesso Tracks You’ve Probably Never Heard Before

If you follow EDM to some degree, chances are you've heard that Alesso's album, Forever, is set to drop any day now. Well, sorry to get your hopes up, but the songs on this list aren't from that album! We apologize for tricking you. Well, kind of. Honestly, you should check out these tracks anyways. You might not realize it, but Alesso’s career didn’t just start when former Swedish House Mafia member Sebastian Ingrosso took the young producer his wing. Some of the stuff he put out before then is worth a listen or three - and what’s more, you won’t see any of it on Forever. Before Ingrosso’s influence, Alesso didn’t even know how to DJ, only produce (which didn’t stop him from miraculously hitting #70 on the DJ Mag Top 100 the same year he learned). His style was somewhat closer to what progressive house used to be: long buildups, introspective grooves and almost nonexistent bass drops. Especially considering that his esteemed mentor famously called the underground amateur (and took some serious heat for it), understanding Alesso’s humble stylistic origins will put the songs on his debut album in much needed perspective once it reaches the public. Chances are you’ve never heard the following six Alesso songs before, so in anticipation of his debut album, Forever, allow us to be your guides on this musical trip down memory lane. 6) Moma You might not have realized that the Alesso of yesteryear could produce a proper deep house groove, but take a look at the 2010 Alesso EP on Joia Records and check out “Moma,” which effectively marries soft, warm synth plucks with gradually building percussion to take the dance floor on a contemplative journey through its understated melodies. This track isn’t the kind of thing you’d likely hear at one of his main stage festival performances, but catch Alesso on the right night in an intimate setting and you might have the privilege of hearing him play it. 5) Think It’s Time “Think It’s Time” features a lot of the same elements as “Moma,” but in this case they build up to a synth lead with adrenaline-pumping urgency. The track goes through more changes than the previous one, making it less of a club groove but more palatable to the fist-pumping sensibilities of a younger generation of EDM fans. In 2010, Alesso hadn’t quite perfected the hard-kicks-and-hoover-synths sound, so the production values on “Think It’s Time” leave much to be desired - but considering that he was 19 at the time and hadn’t spent meaningful time behind the decks, he gets a pass. 4) Workaholic We’d love to believe that Alesso drew inspiration from the comedy series “Workaholics” when deciding on the name for this track, but that’s impossible because it came out a year prior. Who knows though, maybe this song inspired the show? The third and final track from his self-titled EP, “Workaholic” has a deadmau5-ish chirp to it that tastefully rounds out the rest of the Alesso EP. It still resembles the other songs well enough that it makes sense that it’s released alongside them, but has a cerebral quality about it that would appeal a little more to the producer’s producer than anyone else. 3) Nillionaire A year after his self-titled EP, Alesso released the Dynamite EP through Refune Records. The two songs that he would eventually release through the EP were what originally exposed Ingrosso to Alesso’s music in the first place - after the latter artist’s ex-girlfriend met his father of all people at the coffee shop where she worked and gave him the CD to pass along to his son. “Nillionaire” marked a significant movement in the direction of what would come to be recognized as the young producer’s signature sound; hard-hitting bass and high-energy electro house effects swirl the beat to a frenetic peak, and a unique bridge after the first drop succeeds in building anticipation for the second. 2) Dynamite The title track of Alesso’s sophomore EP is an even bolder step in the direction of his current sound than the one accompanying it. Most of the songs consists of a robotic groove that steadily builds and builds, but shortly after the three minute mark a barbaric synth stack takes the reins and drives the energy of the track upward into a hoover synth crescendo. While still not as refined as his post-Ingrosso releases, “Dynamite” served as a sort of proof of concept. It demonstrated that Alesso understood how to build a modern progressive house anthem, and eventually became his golden ticket to stardom. 1) Raise Your Head Before Alesso and Ingrosso (or Ingresso, as the media jokingly called them) collaborated on the 2012 hit “Calling” which rocketed to #2 on Beatport and launched Alesso into the mainstream spotlight, he released one more track called “Raise Your Head” shortly before the end of the year. The song featured the gravelly, primal bass and epic synth leads that are now hallmarks of Alesso’s sound, but still contrasts with his more melodic, radio-friendly releases. Interestingly, much of Alesso’s new releases and stage shows have returned to the sound exhibited in “Raise Your Head” - one that feels almost as though somebody tabbed out the chord progressions of a heavy metal song and figured out how to recreate them on Logic Pro. In a music scene mired with copycats, Alesso’s unique style has afforded him the opportunity to achieve superstar status, and we’ll go on the record and say that he deserves it.