Meet Pluko; Previously know as Pluto, he’s an 18 year old producer who’s been in the game since the youthful age of 15. Don’t let his age fool you, though. Sam Martinsen is already gaining respect from some notorious names in the industry and for good reason.
Pluko made his debut appearance at this year’s annual Firefly Festival held in Dover, Delaware. Firefly is a festival well-known for drawing big crowds and booking a diverse selection of prominent artists. The lineup this year featured Lil Wayne, The Arctic Monkeys, Odesza, MGMT and a highly anticipated performance by Eminem. While official numbers are still being calculated, overall attendance was expected to fall between sixty and ninety thousand. Even Terry Crews was there.
Pluko took the stage in the early afternoon of the final day of the festival. His set was a perfect way to start the day, especially considering his good friend’s Odesza closed out the night. Take a closer at what he had to talk about after his set ended. While getting to know him, listen to and download for free his collaboration with ye.
Is this your first Firefly? What have been your favorite festivals so far this year?
This is my first time at Firefly. I played Coachella earlier this year which was awesome. I got an opportunity to play a lot of new music. I’m also playing Hard Summer later this year.
You are really setting the tone perfectly for this beautiful Sunday in Dover, as Whethan and Odezsa will be playing tonight. You fit right in with those guys’ sound. Have they been an inspiration to your work? Or who has been the most influential on your music?
Yeah I’m pretty involved with the Odesza guys. I actually just went on my first tour with them for 3 weeks and opened for them at Red Rocks. Earlier this year I was signed to their label (Foreign Family Collective) which I’m honored by. You can definitely see some of the similarities between our sounds.
We really like your Outer Thoughts mixtape, you get super experimental and bassy. What is one creative way you have created sounds for your music?
I mostly use synths but I’m getting into auto tuning my own voice. You can get a taste of that on my upcoming album.
Listen to and download for free Pluko’s outer thoughts vol. 4:
What is one of your favorite production effects to use? What is your favorite instrument to incorporate into you music?
There’s a program I really like to use. It’s called Movement and it has all sorts of crazy effects. You can distort sounds, make them flutter and change the frequency’s. It’s a lot to learn but there’s so much that can be done with it.
Your new singles ‘Pink’ and ‘need ya’ (feat. Nevve) are on-point! How would you describe them?
Thank you! People seem to have a really positive outlook on both songs. Especially ‘Need Ya’. Nevve is super fun to work with. I played that track live for the first time at Coachella. It brings a lot of good energy to the dance floor and you can tell it makes people happy
Listen to Pluko’s “Need Ya” feat. Nevve:
What is your favorite thing about playing music?
That’s a tough one! I’d have to say seeing the crowd’s reaction. It’s a pretty cool experience to be up there in front of people sharing music I made. It’s a humbling experience and I really like making people happy. The music speaks for itself.
What is next for you? Do you have any new collaborations or new releases in the works, we can start to get excited about?
We have a lot going on. There’s my first album that’s being released at the end of the summer. The album has been in the works for a while now so i’m looking forward to officially releasing it. Also, a tour later in the year. A lot of things to look forward to right now.
I hope it is not a sensitive subject for you, but how did that conversation go with Disney about your former moniker, Pluto?
Haha it really wasn’t too bad but as I started to attract more attention we knew it was something that had to be taken care of. Especially before the album came out. The name change was really simple considering we only changed one letter. It was kind of a weird thing because it changed pretty suddenly. People may have been confused but I don’t think any fans were lost over it.
Do you believe Pluto should still be a Planet?
Pluko: Haha it could go either way really. I thought they re-instated it as a planet earlier this year?
Pluko’s Manager: Actually they announced that on April Fool’s day but hilariously enough it turned out to be a prank..
What is your favorite part about Firefly?
Honestly, everything has been great so far. Everyone has been really accommodating. The food is amazing. They also have a puppy area and goat yoga!
Any other news comments that you would like to share with our readers?
Just that we have an exciting future in store considering both an album and tour are closing in. We’ve done a lot leading up to this point and there’s no signs of slowing down yet.
This may not have been our first opportunity to chat with Pluko, but this time around he’s made substantial growth as an artist. A new name, new label and a new album all just in 2018. When you add the fact that Odesza serves as Pluko’s mentor, it seems apparent that his career is on an upward path to even bigger accomplishments.
Follow Pluko:
