COQUEIT [Interview]

Hailing from Argentina, COQUEIT has been a fixture of the progressive house scene across the last four years. The Cordoba resident first rose to prominence with a string of early projects for AH Digital and Droid9 South America, where he established a melodic, progressive style that made him a name to watch. Continuing to perfect his craft going forward, COQUEIT earned the support of genre tastemakers Antrim, Ezequiel Arias, Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren and Sahar Z, in turn landing him releases via Mango Alley and Univack. With an appearance on Mango Alley’s ‘Augmented 015’ collection wrapping up a successful 2024, COQUEIT opens the new year with his Or Two Strangers debut ‘Promise’, alongside a remix from Antrim.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with COQUEIT to learn more about the release of 'Promise', 2024 highlights, growing up in Argentina, DJing, and much more. Enjoy.

Hi Agustin, thanks for talking to us today. Now that we’ve started the new year, how was 2024 for you?

- Hello, how are you? First of all, thank you very much for the space. Let me introduce myself, I'm Agustin, Aka COQUET, from Córdoba, Argentina. This 2024 was a great year for me, a year of a lot of learning and growth. So thanks to this year I can say that I am very happy with everything that has happened.

Let’s look back on the year, what gig of yours has stood out the most and why?

- Of all my performances this year, the best was my debut at Blacksheep, a well-known club in Córdoba, where high-level artists have performed. Playing there was an honor for me. The night was epic, all my friends were there and I enjoyed it to the fullest.

Now let’s look at tracks, what is a track or tracks which have come out this year that has impressed you the most and why?

- This year I had several releases, but the ones that stand out the most were Endless Circuit, a collaboration with my friend FAERO, which was released by the Univack label. It had a very good impact and reached #29 in the TOP100 (Progressive House) on Beatport. Then comes Stronghold, which was released a few weeks ago, in December 2024 by Mango Alley, one of my favorite labels. Every time I can release music there, it gives me a lot of satisfaction.

What is a song/track you’ve never stopped listening to since childhood? And why has it stuck with you this long?

- A song from my childhood, mmm, a bit difficult. I liked Argentine rock when I was a kid, to be more exact, a band called Los Piojos, so if I had to choose a song, it would be Bicho de Ciudad. It's a song that every time I listen to it, I can feel it from the deepest part of my being.

For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you?

- Absolutely. Although originality is a key factor for every artist, in order to be recognized for what one does and creates, I think that artists, when we begin the path of production, are also inspired by others. It is a long road to find a sound that identifies us, but without a doubt we must always do things as our heart and mind dictate, to be original in what we do.

How did growing up in Argentina affect your music taste and direction into becoming a DJ and producer?

- Well, as everyone knows, Argentina is one of the countries where Progressive House is most heard and created. From the first time I went to a club, I knew I wanted to be a DJ and make music. I was very curious to know how electronic music was created.

Who from your home country inspired you the most early on and why were they inspirational for you?

- Without a doubt, the Argentine DJ who inspired me to want to pursue this profession was the master, Hernan Cattaneo. I think that for most of us Argentines who dedicate ourselves to this, Hernan was and is our greatest inspiration as DJs. Because of the way he performs in each show, how he handles the public, his mixing techniques, it's all a perfect combo that becomes a magical journey. Another of my favorites at a national level is Ezequiel Arias, one of my favorite producers worldwide I could say. He was and is also a great inspiration for me, his music is on another level.

What are some of your best memories from first going to clubs? Were there specific nights or sets that really made you feel you wanted to pursue electronic music?

- The best night for me was, without a doubt, the first time I went out to a club, a Progressive House party, where Eelke Kleijn was performing back in 2013, he was the one who awakened my desire to be a DJ and Producer. What I experienced that night was incredible, seeing how he handled the night and the audience was spectacular, it surprised me a lot.

Your bio states you’ve perfected the art of genre fusion, tell us what that means and does it apply to both your productions and DJ sets?

- Over the years, from 2013 until today, I have gone through many genres of electronic music, although progressive has always been what I liked the most, I have also experimented with house, deep house, tech house and some techno as well. Today I can say that my songs have a bit of everything. In my sets I like to mix a lot of progressive, I can vary intensities, but I don't usually include several genres.

You have quite a few private bootlegs and edits currently doing the rounds with Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren, Mariano Mellino, DJ Ruby and more, tell us about those and will you be offering them as free downloads in the future?

- Yes, I have quite a few edits of some songs that I really like and I wanted to give them my own stamp, a style that I like and I feel that they work quite well on the dance floor. I made some of them alone and others in collaboration with a great friend, After Burn, a producer from Cordoba with whom we complement each other very well when it comes to producing. This year I plan to release some that people have been asking me for quite a bit, they will be released as free downloads, you will have news soon.

You have a new EP ‘Promise’ which is out now via Antrims’s Or Two Strangers. Tell us a bit about the EP and what sort of vibe you were going for on the tracks.

- Promise EP is composed of two original tracks (Promise and Static) with a remix of the track Promise by Antrim. What I sought in those two tracks was to generate a somewhat dark atmosphere with hypnotic rhythms and some elements that would give it some sweetness, a kind of strange mix hahaha, but in the end they turned out very well.

Is there a special meaning behind the ‘Promise’ track title for you? 

- Promise has a meaning, it was that at the moment I was creating it I promised myself that I was going to do everything possible to go as far as I could in this profession, it was something very emotional, it came from what that song generated in me and I chose to name it that way.

How much play have these tracks gotten in your sets and to what reaction?

- Although the songs are recent, I have used them very little in my sets, some colleagues like Antrim and Ezequiel Arias have been using them and have had a very good reaction from the people.

Let our readers inside your studio for a moment, what is your current setup and what studio tools are featured heavily in your recent productions and more specifically on ‘Promise’ and ‘Static’?

- I'm currently using Ableton Live, I'm not one to use external equipment for my productions. I use a lot of native Ableton vsts for sound design and some vsts like Diva, Hive, Repro, among others. I use them almost always in all my productions.

This is your first appearance on Or Two Strangers which is a label that does not release as much as most and also known to be quite choosy in their releases, why do you think the label was a good home for these tracks? And do you think these tracks are some of the best you have released so far?

- I feel that they were the best home for these songs because Antrim was interested in signing with Or Two Strangers, which was a great pleasure and pride for me. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank him from the bottom of my heart for considering me to release on his label. He is a great artist and a great person. To this day I do believe that these are some of the best songs I have ever made, I always try to improve myself in each song I make.

Shifting to DJing for a moment, tell us your approach to programming a set with the dancefloor in mind.

- When I'm programming a set, I divide the music into folders and intensities. I like to know all the music I'm playing well, and also have some playlists ready to vary and see what happens at the moment.

What is it about DJing, compared to producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you?

- Although there is a difference between being just a DJ and being just a producer, I think that being a DJ also creates moments and generates emotions when mixing, even though the music is already created by someone else, I think that mixing music well also generates many things in the listener.

Can you tell me a bit about how your work as a DJ has influenced your view of music, your way of listening to tracks and perhaps also, your work as a producer?

- I think that being a producer has a lot of influence on my ability to be a DJ. You learn how tracks are made up, you learn to detect intensities and the right moments to mix one song with another. Although you can be a good DJ without being a producer, I think that production takes you to the next level and makes you read music in a different way for the better.

Current Top five tracks in your sets?

- It's a difficult question, because I always try to use different music in my sets, but I can name 5 producers whose songs can't be missing in my sets. (Ezequiel Arias, Andres Moris, Fran Garay, After Burn and ME)

If you are not DJing, producing or socializing at clubs, where do we find you? And doing what?

- This is weird because I don't see myself not being a Producer or DJ, but you can find me at home or working.

If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book and what set times would you ascribe to the artists? 

- Hernan Cattaneo B2B Guy J (MAIN)
Ezequiel Arias (MAIN)
Antrim (Warm Up)
Eichenbaum (OPEN)

If you were not a DJ/Producer what do you think you’d be doing with your life?

- If I wasn't a DJ and producer, I would be studying architecture and working in any profession, but I would like to be an architect in the future too.

What’s something people do not know about you?

- I have no secrets, people who know me know exactly what I'm like. And those who don't know me should know that I work harder every day to make my music sound better.

What TV series have you been enjoying recently and what are some of your all time favourites?

- I'm not one to watch TV series, but my favorites are Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and Prison Break.

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

- Sharing moments with my family and friends. Playing football and travelling.

What can we look forward to from you in 2025? Any releases or gigs you are looking forward to?

- There's a lot of new music coming in 2025, a lot of it has been playing in 2024, there are highly anticipated releases and other new ones that are a bomb.

'Promise' is available now via Or Two Strangers: https://tinyurl.com/3u8rb6mu