At just 17-years-old, Perto has found himself in the company of Hollywood’s highest echelons of producers, kicking back with the likes of Flosstradamus, Diplo, and the Major Lazer crew — having initially met by chance at a show in Perto’s hometown of Sydney. From performing on stage with Post Malone in Barcelona, to hitting the studio with international heavyweights Justin Timberlake, Billie Eilish and Timbaland, and signing to the Blood Company, the same management behind his idol Skrillex, it’s been milesone after milestone for the fresh-faced beatmaker.
Teaming up with Grammy-nominated, Nigerian-born and NYC-based artist Kah-Lo on hip hop-infused new single “Bad Maybe Good”, Perto is still spreading his wings and and — big associations aside — truly proving a force in his own right. We chatted to Perto off the back of his epic Listen Out appearances, to dive into his eclectic selection of sonic faves.
Bladee — ‘Icedancer’ (2018)
There hasn’t been a day since this mixtape dropped in, that I haven’t listened to it from front to back. Everything about this tape is flawless, from the GoldenEye sampled gunshots littered over the tracks, to the expertly-handled production by Ripsquadd. “Be Nice 2 Me” is a personal favourite, and has been my most played song all year. Listen to Bladee today.
SOPHIE — ‘Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides’ (2017)
SOPHIE is my favourite producer, and this album is literally perfect. It’s such a wild journey. I would do anything to work with her. The album makes it so hard for me to make music; it’s like I’ll never achieve anything close to sounding as good as this.
Yung Lean — Unknown Memory (2014)
At its release, I didn’t pay the project too much attention (I was 12 — I didn’t know any better). But, over the years, this has become one of my favourite albums ever. This project is so perfect to me and has aged super well in regards to the fast evolution of the cloud rap genre. Yung Gud’s production is definitely a highlight for me, and has had a huge influence on me musically over the years.
Skrillex — ‘Bangarang’ (2011)
This album is the sole reason why I started making music in the first place; I owe it all to this body of work. It’s only been eight years, but all these songs sound almost nostalgic to me. They still hold up, though. The title track single-handedly made me quit sports and pursue music forever. Thanks, Skrillex.
Charli XCX — ‘Pop 2’ (2017)
‘Pop 2’ is essentially a hall of fame of all my favourite producers coming together to write a record with an extremely talented singer/songwriter/princess, Charli XCX. Not a single skippable song on here, and every track is a high note (though track 10 is my fave).
Watch the lyric video for “Bad Maybe Good”: