The Italian club scene has a promising new addition to its already impressive roster of talent, as Neapolitan duo Shokë continue to impress with their tightly-packed style of tech-heavy house music.
Previously the pair have released their music with top house labels, such as Michael Bibi’s Solid Grooves, and Revival New York – and have quite recently launched a new imprint of their own, called SHK.
We caught up with them both to chat about their latest single ‘BT’, why they decided to become label owners, and what else we can expect from them in the near future. Read the full interview with Shokë below.
How are things for you down in Naples at the moment?
For emerging DJs like us, it’s really difficult here in Naples: there’s not enough culture around our genre and people prefer to listen to big names despite little ones. We hope that things will change in the next few years!
You recently launched your own ‘SHK’ imprint, why is 2023 the right time for Shokë to become label owners?
In the past few months, we’ve realized that we’ve accumulated a substantial amount of music that truly reflects our artistic identity. This led us to feel the need to establish ‘SHK’, our own space within the industry. The goal is to release music on our terms, without waiting for label timelines and without conforming to commercial norms. ‘SHK’ allows us the creative freedom to share our music in a way that truly resonates with our artistic vision.
And the first release is your own single ‘BT’, can you describe the track in your own words?
‘BT’ holds a special place for us, thanks to the extensive support from Michael Bibi and Ilario Alicante over several months. It was the ideal choice to kick off our label, being highly anticipated and perhaps the one that best reflects our underground artistic side.
Who else might we expect to see on the label in 2024?
We haven’t planned anything yet, maybe we’ll do two or three releases, maybe something different from the usual!
You’ve previously signed music to labels like Solid Grooves and Revival New York, what have you learnt from working with these imprints that you’ve carried over into SHK?
Releasing music on prominent labels has taught us valuable lessons in effective collaboration and promotion. These experiences have provided insights into working efficiently and maximizing the visibility of our tracks – lessons that we’ve carried over into the operations of SHK.
What’s one thing you’re excited for in 2024?
We have some cool releases planned and also a very different EP coming before the summer, we can’t say anything yet!
Is there anything else you want to mention before we go?
Certainly! Stay tuned for plenty of exciting developments on both the release and event fronts. We have a lot in store, and there are many new and thrilling announcements coming your way.
Shokë – BT is out now on SHK.