House music might be one single genre but it has several elements which all have their own distinct sounds.
From techno to deep, commercial, as well as the continued rise of amapiano - a jazzy subgenre of house - this dance music style allows for creativity as musicians from across the globe lend their own interpretation to it.
Italian music group Meduza rocked the decks at the recent Calabash South Africa festival.
The group consisting of childhood friends Luca de Gregorio, Mattia Vitale and Simone Giani, joined Maroon 5, who headlined the concert, as well as TiMO ODV, Will Linley and Lloyiso on stage.
Vitale told Independent Media Lifestyle that they were thrilled to be performing in South Africa.
“We really hope it can be the start of a successful musical journey in the country.”
He added that they were already accustomed to the popularity of African house music and artists and had spent time with DJ Black Coffee, one of South Africa’s biggest musical exports.
“I have known Black Coffee for a few years and we have always talked about music and we are inspired by his style.”
Vitale said that he and his group members were already impressed with the standard of African house music, which is continuing to make waves across the globe, and that they were curious about experiencing it first-hand while in the country.
“Africa creates house music from their souls, and not just electronically with laptops or with machines, it comes from inside, and that's why I've always been inspired by this music.”
But apart from being inspired by musicians from around the world, the three-piece group and production collective have earned their own world-wide acclaim.
This includes their 2019 hit “Piece of Your Heart”, which has been described as “a beaming smile in musical form.”
The Grammy-nominated track was a global hit which earned the group nearly 955 million streams on Spotify, as it sonically blurred the lines between house and pop music.
Meanwhile, 2023 proved to be a wildly successful year for the group, as their self-titled EP was considered the best project yet.
The offering proved to critics that they were musicians who could carry across genres.
Vitale believes that this album was the most realistic impression of Meduza so far.
“We always worked to create single after single, but the making of an album is completely different,” he explained.
“It's more of a project, it’s a way to show what’s on the inside.”
Apart from their own success as a house music group, Meduza have also collaborated with some of the world’s biggest musicians including Ed Sheeran, Hozier, Dermot Kennedy, Sam Tompkins, Florence Welch, John Legend and Becky Hill.
“It is always great to collaborate with artists, no matter how different their sounds might be to the world of house music,” Vitale said.
“We come together in the studio and connect our music with their style, and it’s always something different to create new things and mix them all, with different genres.”
He added that while the group cherished the time spent working with all the different artists, he personally enjoyed working with Legend the most.
“We created some magic and he was so humble and he makes such great music.”
“It was so comfortable to work with a legend like him, we learnt so much during those sessions and he was a great inspiration.”
Meduza are working with US pop-rock trailblazers OneRepublic and German pop icon Kim Petras, to create the official UEFA EURO 2024 anthem.
The music producers are no strangers to the football world as they were the in-house DJs for Italian giants, AC Milan.
For Vitale, this is a dream come true as he is a lifelong AC Milan fan.
“I have always been a football fan and AC Milan fan since I was a child so it is a special feeling (to be the club in-house DJs).”
“I am living the dream and I am really grateful for this experience.”
Vitale is also thrilled to be working with de Gregorio and Giani, and said that they were all friends outside of music.
“The most important thing is that we are friends and we were close even before starting Meduza.”
“As Italians, we argue every day on every single aspect of the music but at the end of the day, it's just business but friendship is the most important thing.
“We hope to continue doing this job for many years to come and the best feeling is when we hear people sing our songs, it’s just the best thing in the world.”