Pluko is a 19 year old producer who has gone from bedroom producer to main stage act. Sam Martinsen — the mind behind the pluko project — has racked up over 50 million plays across platforms while securing festival slots at major North American festivals like Coachella, Firefly Festival, and HARD Summer.
Most of the time people assume that producers will stay behind the scenes. Pluko is throwing that notion away and is well on his way to becoming a full on pop star.
His single “used to” (w. Cassette Tapes) marks pluko’s third release of the year following his pop-leaning hit “blessings” (ft. Nate Traveller) and, most recently, his instrumental track “the lovely one.”
I was really curious what type of influences such a young and talented artist would have. So pluko enlightened me by counting down his Top 10 albums:
Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
“This album is pure beauty. I still gather so much inspiration from this body of work. The synthesis in tracks like “Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 1” and “Love Like a Sunset, Pt. 2” is just truly extraordinary. This was my go-to album to put on in the car for years. Every song just gives me the best vibes and makes me feel so good. I saw them live at Gov Ball in 2017 and it was truly magical. The vocals and songwriting are so playful and youthful, I love it.”
Jai Paul- Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)
“Jai Paul’s work just blows my mind. It’s so imperfect yet so perfect. I love all of the weird little things he throws in there that are seemingly random at first but feel so right after a few listens. I’ve been listening to his tracks for so long now and yet I still hear things that I’ve never noticed before. The synths and bass on this record are incredible, and the beats just feel so nasty. It’s crazy to think that this album was made 7 years ago. Jai Paul is a genius and I will forever be fascinated by his work. This is another album that I throw on any time the sun is out and I wanna go for a drive. I really hope that we see some new stuff from him soon.”
Jamie xx- In Colour
“This is the perfect album to throw on during a late night flight, it really stirs up that late night inspiration. Jamie xx is a master of expressing thought-provoking sounds. The vocals and atmospheres on this record are so intimate, so emotional, and so diverse. I love tracks like “Gosh”… the intense bass lines and emotional leads, blending together to create this analogue masterpiece. I also love the track with Young Thug [“I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)”], it’s a straight up summer vibe track. I would love to make tunes with Jamie xx one day.”
Kanye West- The Life of Pablo
“Every year, my best friends and I would go to the beach on the last day of school/first day of summer and, in 2016, The Life of Pablo album literally dropped on that day. We had it on repeat for the entire week. This might even be my favorite era of Kanye. I love listening to leaked demos of Kanye tracks that are in this same lane of production. Kanye is one of the greatest of all time — his vocals and production will inspire me forever.”
Kendrick Lamar- DAMN.
“Kendrick Lamar’s attention to detail just blows my mind. I love watching album analysis videos about Kendrick’s work. The stories that this man can tell, the pictures that he can paint… he is truly one of a kind. The intimacy and honesty in these tracks are so beautiful. Kendrick is a lyrical god and with appearances from U2, Rihanna, and Zacari, the diversity of this album is even more heightened. Zacari’s vocals on LOVE. are so dreamy and gorgeous. This album gives me a super reminiscent feeling as it came out right when I got my driver’s license and bought my first car. Every time I hear tracks like “XXX” or “ELEMENT” I just think of me driving around in my car just BUMPING”
Tourist- U
“Similarly to DAMN., U also makes me think of when I first got my driver’s license. Whenever I would be stressed about school, work or life, I would just hop in my car and put this album on. This was around the time that I was finishing up my first ever full-length record, sixteen. sixteen was mostly instrumental and so I was obsessed with how well Tourist was able to capture these deep deep feelings with hardly any words. Tracks like “run” literally have one single word in them yet it still tells the most beautiful story. That’s the other thing about this album that I’ve always been so fascinated with: the story. While listening to the record, you almost feel like you are a part of the relationship and going through all of the emotions along with the people that the album is about. Tourist is one of the greats.”
Travis Scott- Astroworld
“What a ridiculous record! I love how Travis Scott and Mike Dean work so many ideas into one project — and sometimes into just one song! Their approach on this album inspired the writing for my own album. This album is filled with gold, from stadium bangers to late night tracks. I got to see Travis Scott at Hard Summer in 2018, just a few days after the record dropped, and the energy was next level. I think I’ve seen Travis 3 or 4 times now and his energy is just unmatched every time. I love watching in-studio videos of Travis and just seeing his passion for perfection. It’s just damn inspiring. ASTROWORLD is still on heavy rotation for me.”
Tame Impala- Lonerism
“Not gonna lie, I was kind of late to the Tame Impala party. I didn’t discover his music until about 2016/2017 when I heard “The Less I Know The Better.” After I heard “The Less I Know The Better,” I started digging through Currents and all of his previous albums. When I discovered Lonerism it instantly became my favorite Tame Impala record. The track that really drew me towards the album was “Elephant,” but the more I kept listening to the full album, the more I realized how incredible the entire body of work is. The stories of relationships and personal struggles on this album are so emotional and told in such a beautiful way. I also find the bass lines and drum processing mind blowing — there are few things that make me happier than a distorted bass line with some soothing vocals over it.”
Vampire Weekend- Contra
“Vampire Weekend is my favorite band of all time. Ezra Koenig’s vocals just speak to me. I love how playful the lyricism is and I love the entertaining little stories he tells through songs. Any time that I’m near the water, Vampire Weekend is my soundtrack. This is another album that my friends and I always have on repeat at the beach. It was so hard to pick a favorite album from Vampire Weekend, but I think the most complete album to me has to be Contra. Every song is perfect. I like their new album Father of the Bride and listen to it plenty, but there are also some tracks that just aren’t really for me. I think that Contra is just Vampire Weekend at their absolute finest.”
Frank Ocean- Blonde
“I don’t need to do very much explaining with this pick. Blonde is one of everyone’s favorite albums and there’s a reason for that. Frank Ocean’s music is so relatable. He tells stories about real problems and real relationships. There’s something about his voice that’s just so magical and personal — it makes you want to cry! This album brings me back to a summer night in the middle of a field, staring at the stars with my girlfriend. I love Frank Ocean and I can’t wait for his next album release.”
Check out pluko’s newest single, “used to” featuring Cassette Tapes:
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