Pete Tong DJ Academy have announced the Future Talent Awards winners for 2023, with Argentinian producer and DJ Constanza Pucheta claiming the Grand Prize.
In April 2022, Tong launched his DJ Academy, and later announced the Future Talent Awards – an initiative in which the top 10 students from the programme are celebrated and awarded by the teachers of the academy.
The tutors — Carl Cox, Nicole Moudaber, Adam Beyer, Sama’ Abdulhadi, TSHA and Jamie Jones — have selected winners who will play with them around the globe and get dedicated career-building support.
Last month, the team announced their Grand Prize winner as Argentinian producer and DJ, Constanza Pucheta (pictured above). Described as “already well on her way to a successful career”, Pucheta has since dropped her first releases on Relief Records (of the legendary Green Velvet) and Ukraine’s Dushe imprint.
As the Grand Prize winner, Pucheta was also awarded a coveted slot warming up for Tong at April’s IMS Dalt Vila event. “The quality of the final ten was really impressive but with Constanza, we just felt like she was the whole package, from the way she plays, to her choice of tracks,” Tong said of the winner.
MOOD Records founder, Nicole Moudabe also selected Pucheta as her Grand Prize winner. “She’s amazing! There was a lot of people to listen and consider, but I thought she had such an incredible groove, a great flow while playing, and I enjoyed the tracks she selected.”
Adam Beyer chose Polish DJ DAHEIN as his winner, after hearing his techno set: “I’ve watched and listened to all the material and the person that really stood out to me was DAHEIN,” he said. “His sound just resonates with me. I was trying to approach the judging from a Drumcode perspective, according to my own sound as well, and he nailed it with the same kind of techno vibe and tempo.”
Liz Somes was chosen by pioneering Palestinian DJ and producer, Sama’ Abdulhadi. The 57-year-old from Seattle picked up DJing as a hobby prior to the pandemic, and would livestream her techno sets during lockdowns. “She started DJ-ing two years ago and when watching and listening to her live set I was shocked because I wondered how she got to be so good in only two years time,” said Abdulhadi. “I fell in love with the ways she mixes.”
The seven additional Future Talent finalists — 2 Nomads, Cozmic Cat, Daniella Font, Deefo, FiveQuestionMarks, Mista Mani, and Nuans — will also get a special mention and recognition.
The Pete Tong DJ Academy launched back in April 2022 and has since been nurturing some of the most promising up and coming talent. Via the comprehensive online learning platform, Tong’s aim is to strengthen the future generation of DJs by shining a light on new talent, and imbuing budding selectors with the tools, connections, and facilities to excel at their craft.
Shortly after, Tong launched a scholarship scheme, providing free access to their full program to a select number of applicants. “This is open to DJs from every corner of the world, of course, if you are already skilled but want to discover the advanced section of the course, or want to participate in the Future Talent Awards, this is your chance to do it for free,” said Tong.
In January, Tong announced a Future Talent mix series to showcase the students enrolled on the programme. Each month, Tong will handpick mixes to be featured on the official Apple Music x PTDJA page, alongside sets from tutors like Jamie Jones, TSHA, and Carl Cox, as well as Tong himself.
