Ilias Katelanos & Plecta [Interview]

Based in Greece, and often paired together as a creative collaborative force, Ilias Katelanos and Plecta have carved out a unique sonic identity in the world of electronic music and organic house, resulting in a string of uniquely crafted records that present a resonant worldly sound. A combined discography highlighted by releases via Melody Of The Soul, Musique de Lune, Rubicunda, Songuara and UV has made them an in demand production duo. Prolific and creative across 2024, the duo continue that momentum into 2025, making their Secret Feelings debut with a stripped rendition of JFR's 'Danda'. 

Progressive Astronaut caught up with the duo to learn more about their remix of 'Danda', 2024 highlights, growing up in Greece, DJing, and much more. Enjoy.

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

2024 was a great year for us ,with many quality releases and some amazing gigs around the world.

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

The gig in Islamabad Pakistan was amazing ,a lot more than we expected ,the crowd was fantastic and we had an unforgettable rave party with them in an amazing location.

What is a song/track you’ve never stopped listening to since childhood? 

Ilias: for me was the Police track -Walking on the Moon.

Plecta: for me was Caravan by Krasa Rosa.

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

There is nothing 100% original in electronic music ,all the descent artists are trying to develop their skills and style listening to other peoples music and trying to understand and get influenced! The way to originality is long and takes tones of effort and listening experience.

You guys both grew up in Greece and still reside there today I believe, how were you first introduced to electronic music? And how did the scene in Greece affect your music taste and direction into becoming a DJ and producer?

We have an age gap with Plecta ..so we had different times of introduction ,but eventually the last 5 years we have our own path together ! Greece use to be a great hub for electronic music for many years with great events with local and international artists Djs ,but after the economic crisis in 2012 everything has changed to worst , but we are always focused that our future is out of Greece …so we keep on working this way.

Who from Greece inspired you the most early on and why were they inspirational for you?

Greek traditional music artists had always a great impact to us through the years and we are using many of these tones and colors mainly in our organic tracks.

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? What is a track that reminds you of your early days DJing and what event/club do you associate with it?

From the early years we had the chance to see and listen to some legends of electronic music, Sasha, John Pigweed, Nick Warren etc ..these guys had influenced many generations of people as true innovators and we were lucky to see them in many clubs in Athens.

You both have some years of production experience, so looking back on those earlier years can you pinpoint pivotal moments to the success you’ve achieved today? Maybe a release or two which really helped your propel career?

We have many years of production experience. Many genres having solo careers before we met and format this duet project! The most exciting moment for us as a duet was our Camelia EP release in Amulanga music ,that was a huge and unexpected success for many months and gave us a lot of respect and establishment in the scene! So we became a lot more confident for our music creations and many great releases followed this.

A successful partnership is generally based around balance and compromise; how do you manage these things within your production dynamic?

Our partnership is always based in friendship ,mutual respect ,and always open minds without ego and selfish thoughts! So our production flow is always a great pleasure and a lot of fun for us.

You guys have a new remix of ‘Danda’ by JFR, which is out now via his Secret Feelings imprint. Tell us a bit about the remix and what sort of vibe you were going for on it.

Danda had already some beautiful parts in the original stems ,we tried to make it a bit different though ,getting inspired from the original and making a lot of organic parts in the remix, it was an interesting combination and we are really happy with the final result.

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 your ‘Danda’ remix?

In the studio right now, we are working with Focal's three-way speakers (Trio 6 Be) and the ULN-8 audio interface from Metric Halo. For a secondary reference, we use the 6.5-inch Focal Evo speakers. When it comes to musical instruments, we often use the Moog Subsequent 37, Korg Minilogue, Moog Mother 32, Moog Subharmonicon, Maschine MK3, Waldorf Blofeld, Volca Kick, Volca Sample, a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar, a WA-47Jr microphone, an NI 49 MIDI keyboard, and our main headphones, the Focal MG Clear Pro. These are just some of the tools we use, always in combination with software.

I think you guys are generally viewed as organic house producers but of late we've heard a lot more peak style progressive house from you as well, remixes for Clubsonica, roku and WARPP come to mind. When you’re beginning to work on a remix project how do you decide on which direction to take it?

We changed because, on the one hand, we can't keep creating the same things—there is always an artistic curiosity that drives us to explore and discover new sounds. On the other hand, we were at a stage where we wanted to further evolve the project, and it was the right time to focus on a more dancefloor-oriented sound, as the Organic House sound had run its course.

That doesn’t mean that good releases have stopped coming out or that events are no longer happening. It’s just that our artistic curiosity pushes us to experiment and explore new musical paths.

Shifting to DJing for a moment, both of you have played several significant gigs of late so please tell us your approach to programming a set with the dancefloor in mind.

This is usually determined by the audience—what people are listening to in each country and the venue where you're playing, meaning the dancefloor itself.
We believe that when it comes to DJing, it's best to stay open-minded, read the crowd in the moment, and catch their vibe. One perspective is that people have come to hear us for the sound we represent, so we focus on playing and testing out IDs. The other perspective is that they’ve come to dance and have fun, so we need to create a journey for them.

We are there for the people, trying to give them an experience that will make them shout and dance. For us, their release through dance is far more important than them filming us with their phones. That’s the kind of crowd we want—that’s the underground scene.

Do you guys also DJ as a duo? And if so explain that dynamic for us, it is as simple as playing b2b spontaneously?

Essentially, we play as a duo. We never created a single name to classify ourselves as a band, mainly because there was already individual work done before. That was the main reason. Both of us had strong releases on well-respected labels and a connection with the audience.

From Camelia onward, we started thinking and operating as a duo, but that doesn’t mean we turned the page and left behind everything we had worked on before. On the contrary, we strengthened that dynamic, and through hard work and success, that energy now translates onto the stage. That’s also why our agency promotes us as a duo. Just as music is about expression and freedom, so is the project we have created.

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

It's about trying to think outside the box and constantly expanding our listening spectrum. That means creating music we love but also being able to play it.
We love the underground scene, and our sound is influenced by Proganic, House, Melodic Techno, Deep Tech, and Minimal. Lately, we've also been incorporating Psy elements.

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?

It's a matter of work, both in the studio and on stage. You see what the audience loves, and that influences you. Being only a DJ can sometimes help because you might have a different level of objectivity when selecting tracks. However, being a recording artist definitely holds a different value, as it requires hard work and daily effort in the studio to create music that moves people and helps you establish yourself in such a competitive industry. You are producing and playing your own sound, and of course, it's a never-ending process—you are always striving to evolve it even further. Well there are so many great music out there and it is difficult to answer this question.

Ilias: I usually read and watch various tutorials on YouTube, stay informed, and search for new plugins that can further improve our sound—both in production, mixing, and mastering. I also enjoy spending time going out for coffee and food with friends. I love traveling.

Plecta: In my free time, I check out the new plugins that Ilias sends me, and I send him some too :D—this happens daily. I like watching series and movies at home or in the cinema, going out for coffee or food, gathering at home for board games, and I also enjoy traveling and shopping.

Current Top five tracks in your sets?

Vakabular, Echo Daft, MOS, Acrobat, Dj Ruby are in our mind.

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

Ilias: Music is a full time job, when I finished my studies as a musician, playing guitar with bands was my job and all my life music is my full time job. I also worked at EMI and Sony Music and made production for famous bands in Greece. So I cannot think something else, I think I’m blessed that I live from this I make all my life.

Plecta: I completed my studies in psychology. I worked in the field for a few years (in group therapy and SOS helplines), but for the last 6 years, I have been exclusively involved in music.

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

Ilias: Apart music I feel the happiness when I went in Thailand. I live there 5plus months every year. This place is a paradise. It makes me feel free, I have good friends there, beautiful and humble people.

Plecta: what makes me happy is to see my people be happy and healthy.

What can we look forward to from you for the rest of 2025? Any releases or gigs you guys are looking forward to?

Well we have upcoming releases to great labels. Melody Of The Soul, Thunderlab, Hollystone, Amulanga and of course upcoming gigs. Thailand, Estonia, Sri Lanka are some of them.

'Danda' is available now via Secret Feelings: https://tinyurl.com/mvmdwsbb