On New Year’s Eve, Chicago-bred producer Allie Decastris, best known as Azzecca, will tend decks alongside some of dance music’s finest at San Diego’s brand new end-of-year event, Proper NYE. Hosted by powerhouse organizers FNGRS CRSSD, the star-studded event will take place at Petco Park on December 31, where droves of electronic music fans will gather to ring in 2023. Billed alongside electronic frontrunners FISHER, Chris Lake, John Summit, Sofi Tukker, and Jamie Jones, among others, Azzecca’s final performance of 2022 will cap off a year of snowballing success. In retrospect, Decastris recalls for Dancing Astronaut,

“This past year has felt like a massive whirlwind. I didn’t feel like I had much time to absorb what was happening. But, over the past month or two, I’ve had some time at home [to look] back at all the milestones I’ve achieved. It feels like the wheels are really in motion. I have a lot of work to do, but there’s a lot to look forward to.”

Making her career debut, Azzecca cemented her first wide-release single, “I’ve Been Waiting,” back in June via Diplo‘s esteemed Higher Ground imprint. “When I started [‘I’ve Been Waiting’], I still wasn’t confident enough to release my own music,” Azzecca shared. “But I was DJ’ing a lot, and I love the original so much, so I decided to make a techno edit.” Fast approaching half-a-million streams on Spotify alone, the disruptive club weapon reimagines R&B icon Cassie Ventura‘s 2006 hit, “Me & U.” Azzecca explained,

“The more I started playing [‘I’ve Been Waiting’], the more others started playing it, like friends in the industry who I’d send it to. It was getting massive reactions, so I started sending it out and Higher Ground signed it right away. That was kind of like the catalyst to everything.”

After releasing the track and nabbing an official remix from Ida Engberg, Azzecca rolled out a fresh pair of singles, “Other Side” and “Need U More,” also released on Higher Ground. Decastris speaks about producing dance music with such charged enthusiasm, remarking

“I’m obsessed with Adam Ten and his production style. I think he’s got one of the most unique sounds right now, and he’s so consistent in putting out sick song after sick song. I’d love to collab with him or someone who releases on his label, Maccabi House, maybe Monblaire or Alphadog…That sound coming out of Tel Aviv I’m super into right now. It’s ultimately what inspired my recent single, ‘Otherside.'”

Before picking up music production, Decastris worked for an interior design magazine. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit where the Chicago selector began producing, laying down her own innovative ideas that would eventually trend towards a full career overhaul.

“I had always been into interior design; that was my thing. I think COVID was what made me make this massive change in my life… I was really into music and the rave scene here in Chicago,” said Azzecca. “I loved playing music, messing around making it, but I never really saw it as a career. But, after the pandemic, I realized the club scene in Chicago had become a bit uncomfortable for women. So, this all started with Dirty Disco.”

As the pandemic regulations waned away, Decastris recognized the often-ignored marginalization of women in Chicago’s boisterous club scene. Thus, she set her sights on launching a brand new event series, coined Dirty Disco, geared toward fostering an all-inclusive club atmosphere. She elaborated on her curative endeavor,

“I wanted to create a night in Chicago where women could get dressed up and go listen to underground music, be in a club, and feel comfortable and safe. We recently brought [Dirty Disco] to this new venue in the city called Smoke & Mirrors. We had Audiojack come out for the opening party, which was really great. Moving forward, we’re looking to expand a bit. We’re looking to do some quarterly parties that will hopefully get bigger and bigger every time.”

Having just performed at Higher Ground’s “Space Park Pop-Up” concert in Miami, Azzecca is closing her year with a bang. In a few weeks, she’ll be performing alongside an iconic lineup of talent at FNGRS CRSSD’s debut edition of Proper NYE. Conveying her excitement for the upcoming event, she explained,

“[Proper NYE] is definitely at one of the bigger [events] I will have played, so it’s super exciting to get to do that in San Diego. Also, starting a relationship with the FNGRS CRSSD team is huge for me, it feels like a massive achievement.”

Regarding new music that she may include in her New Year’s Eve setlist, Azzecca revealed,

“I have a ton of unreleased music right now. I do have a new remix for TIBASKO. It’s a remix of their song ‘Still Rushing’ from their EP that comes out in late January. I’ll be playing that for sure, and it’s been going off [at shows] so I’m really excited about that. Another [unreleased] song of mine that’s been getting great reactions is called ‘Forget.’ I was actually at Sound [Nightclub] in LA a few weeks ago, and Damian [Lazarus] was DJ’ing while I was in the crowd…All of a sudden, I hear this bass line come in, and I was like, ‘wait a second; is that my song?’ He played it, and the crowd loved it! It was seriously one of the best moments. My jaw dropped. So I’ll also be playing that one too, for sure.”

Featured image: Allie Mischen

Tags: Azzecca, diplo, I've Been Waiting, otherside, proper nye

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