Polezsky Turns Friendship into Sound on New EP With You, Friends

Luca Poletto has spent years building two careers at once. As a producer and sound designer, he's racked up 3 platinum certifications, 2 gold, and a client list that runs from Italy's most influential hip-hop artists to sound design commissions for Ferrari, Tod's, Moncler, and Miu Miu. In parallel, he's been developing Polezsky: his own artistic world, where UK dancefloor atmosphere meets vocal textures and moody, evocative soundscapes. 

It started with About Nightmares and U on Shablo's Avanguardia imprint in 2016, continued with the Leit Motiv EP alongside Kang Brulèe in 2020, and now arrives at a new point of focus: With You, Friends, his debut on bitbird. Three collaborations, three friendships, one project built around the idea that music is most powerful when it's shared. We took a moment to chat with Polezsky.

Q: You spent time working in commercial production, how did that experience influence the way you approach music?

A: Watching TV commercials has always been my guilty pleasure. I never changed the channel because I was fascinated by how music and sound could perfectly merge with visuals, fully expressing them. I quickly realized that everything works together: it’s never just the video or just the music, but a single entity living in harmony. This pursuit of unity taught me a lot. Understanding what works and what doesn’t through images helped guide my choices, even when it meant sacrificing a more personal artistic side I would have liked to include. The key is finding the right balance between what you like and what the visuals truly need.

Q: I'm curious how you approach the creative side when you're working for a brand - like, you probably get guidelines you need to follow. Does that ever feel restrictive?

A: I don’t see this as a limitation, quite the opposite. Constraints actually stimulate creativity. It’s a different kind of creativity, less free and more tied to a concept, in this case, the video. Deadlines are often very tight, which could hinder creativity, but for me they’re a push: under pressure, I manage to bring out a story, often the best one possible.

Q: As someone who started producing in hip-hop and rap scenes, how do those roots shape the way you approach electronic music?

A: I owe a lot to rap music. It was my first real influence, both American and Italian. One album in particular triggered something in me: Friends by the Whodini, which my father introduced me to when I was young. Pure rap over electronic music. From that moment on, I always tried to incorporate electronic elements into my productions: it reminded me of that sound. Over time, I found my own voice and identity. Eventually, though, rap started to feel limiting, I felt the need to explore a more intimate side of myself.
 

That more intimate side is where Polezsky begins. Stepping into his own name meant leaving the brief behind: no client, no deadline, no image to serve. Just music that has to answer to him. It sounds freeing, and it is, but it also asks something different of you. The stakes are quieter and somehow higher at the same time.

Q: What shifts emotionally when you’re producing under your own name? Are you more willing to embrace imperfections? 

A: Producing my own music excites me. It may sound simple, but it’s deeply true. It’s my safe space, a place without anxiety or urgency, where I can fully be myself. I feel free to make mistakes, to be imperfect, to avoid chasing perfection. That freedom makes me happy. It helps me understand what I want to explore and what I’m ready to face. I also believe that constantly chasing originality can be limiting, so I let emotions guide me completely.

Q: Do you tackle collaboration differently when it’s your artist project? Do you find it easier or harder?

A: I’d be lying if I said I do not! Sharing music is an ongoing exchange of ideas. Coming from the record industry, I’ve taken part in many studio sessions with different artists and learned that chemistry isn’t always there. The pressure to finish a track in a single day can become a creative limitation (unlike in commercial work, where that pressure can sometimes help). It can be frustrating: you want to open up emotionally, but if you can’t give your best, you feel incomplete. It happens. But when you do find real connection, that’s when you truly understand what it means to create art together.

With You, Friends is what real connection sounds like. The EP brings together three collaborators — Kang Brulèe, fenoaltea, and dg. — who aren't featured artists in the traditional sense. They're the people Polezsky actually calls and trusts. Each relationship is different, each one left a different mark on the music, and together they've helped him make something that goes well beyond a dancefloor record.

Q: If someone listens to With You, Friends and takes away one truth about you as an artist, what would you want that to be?

A: I’d love this EP to convey pure emotion. I don’t want it to be seen only as dancefloor music, but as something that can spark feelings in the listener. Whether those emotions are positive, melancholic, painful, or euphoric, what matters is that they move something inside. If I had to sum it up: I want people to feel that I’m an artist who experiences music in a deeply emotional way.

Q: The collaborations seem to be a big part of this project, did they help you reach sounds you didn’t expect yourself to do before?

A: Absolutely. When you’re in full sync with another artist, something different happens. A deeper trust forms because you realize you’re trying to express the same idea, even in different ways. It’s a powerful experience. It allows you to explore new territories and face parts of yourself you may have never dared to approach before.

Q: You've known Kang brulèe, fenoaltea, and dg. in different ways and for different lengths of time. How did each relationship shape the dynamic in the studio, and ultimately the tracks themselves?

A: The artists involved in this project are, first of all, friends. With Kang Brulèe, I share a long-standing relationship built through both the record industry and commercial work. He’s my main reference point, the first person I ask for feedback. Our track comes directly from that connection. With fenoaltea, I share almost identical musical taste: we grew up with similar influences, and it shows in our work. His music gave me a strong push to return to electronic music. dg, despite the physical distance, is one of the most genuine and open people I know. Even though we didn’t work together in person, we reached a deep level of understanding based on mutual trust.

And the timing couldn't be better. Polezsky is stepping into this next chapter just as Italian electronic music is finding its footing at home for the first time in years, not a scene exploding overnight, but a community finally coming into its own.

Q: What are your thoughts on the indie electronic scene in Italy right now? Is something new emerging?

A: The scene is alive, present, and explosive. It’s been a long time since we’ve felt this kind of energy, and I’m genuinely happy that something is moving again. There was already a spark around 2016, with projects like Avantguardia by Shablo, where I also released my first project About Nightmares and U. But today feels different: there’s a real sense of community that was missing before. There’s more participation, more desire to express.

Artists like okgiorgio, camoufly, Ceri Wax, and fenoaltea are bringing attention back to Italian electronic music. Finally, there’s a desire to be heard, even within Italy. 

Q: What distinguishes it from Italy’s more established electronic scene?

I think this shift comes from the will to build a community. For years, Italian electronic music has been undervalued domestically, often finding more success abroad. Now, something is changing, and it can only be positive.

Q: Do you think collaboration is playing a role in this new wave of independent music?

A: Sharing is the key. Finding balance while creating music with others is the ultimate goal. Collectives like EUROCLUB prove that. Everyone has a story to tell, and only by connecting and collaborating can we truly express ourselves.

With You, Friends is out April 22 on bitbird. For an artist who has been building this world since 2016, it feels less like a new chapter and more like the right one.

Get it on Beatport